THE EARLY PEOPLE:

Ms. RabenaRoom 23Social Studies

I. Words and Definitions to know:

A. Prehistoric: before recorded (written) history.

B. Artifacts: objects made by earlier people.

C. Archeologists: people who go in search of artifacts and research their history.

I. Words and Definitions:

D. Middle Stone Age: Neanderthals

E. New Stone Age: Cro-Magnon

F. Carcass: dead animal’s body

G. Plight: difficult situation

II. Earliest Known People: A. Australopithecines: earliest known people found in Tanzania and

Africa. --The oldest being 4 million years old.1. Possible common ancestors with the apes.

B. Homo habilus: “handy human” 1. 1.7 million years ago2. New survival strategies- bone marrow=food source.3. gatherers 4. stone tools for crushing bones.

i. Antelope horns: digging toolsii. Flint flakes: cutting tools (created/ shaped)

C. Olduvai Gorge: location of best discoveries of earliest tools1. gatherers and scavengers (of animal carcasses, nuts, tubers

and insects).

2. Climate changed- dry areas became grasslands (grazing animals).

Continue: D. Homo erectus: “upright humans” appeared 300,000

years later.1. enlarged brain (twice size of Lucy’s).2. Slim & strong arms/legs (taller, faster, more

active).3.Serious meat-eaters/ aggressive, clever

scavengers.4. New tools: hand axe (to cut meat).5. fire (light, protection, warmth, cooking)

E. Homo sapiens: “wise human” started to flourish 200,000 years ago and were much more like humans today~ Homo sapiens.

1. Technology: art, ritual, appearance,bow and arrows

Man

Mammals (Kangaroo, bat, monkey, horse, elephant, ape)

Birds

Reptiles (crocodile)

Amphibians (frogs)

Sea animals with back bones (Fish)

Sea animals with no back bones (King Crab)

III. Evolution:

A. Only the strongest, fittest animals which are best adapted to their surrounding environment can survive in the animals’ world.B. Darwin’s theory of natural selection.

C. Animals which have different qualities may be better adapted to new surroundings if their surroundings change.

IV. Prefixes:

A. Paleo- ancient

B. Meso- middle

C. Neo- new

D. Lithos- stone

V. Hominids:

A. Over 3 million years ago creatures were called hominids.B. They lived on grassy plains in Africa.C. Hominids: come from the Latin words homo, which means man.D. During that time there were two different kinds of hominids:

1.Homo: direct ancestor of man. 2. Australopithecus

VI. Australopithecus Robustus:

Lived in small groups. Approximately 150 cm tall. Strong with big muscles and long ape-

like arms. Large teeth and strong jaws often

used to chew tough plants. Their brain was about half the size of

modern man’s brain.

VII. Life on the Plains:A. Australopithecus and Homo probably all lived in the same area.

B. Ate different kinds of food.

C. Robustus ate berries, leaves and fruits.

D. Traveled everyday to find food, so they did not know how to store food.

E. Ate termites, as do modern day chimpanzees.

F. They dug with sticks and took birds’ eggs and ate them raw.

G. We do not know if they made tools or not.

VIII. Lucy: Australopithecus Afranesis

A. Oldest fossils of earliest human ancestors with ape-like faceB. First with human-like featuresC. Walked upright- arms free to gather food (roots, tubers, termites)D. 3 ½ feet tallE. Climate became dryer

Australopithecus Africanus:

Were only about 120 cm tall. Smaller teeth than Robustus and ate

meat They ate meat, which was simpler to

chew and easier to digest. Many caught small animals. They probably used branches or

stones to kill their prey.

Darwin and Evolution:

Charles Darwin: sailed from Plymouth, England to South America when he was 22 years old.

He was a naturalist. The son of a wealthy country doctor. He was asked to provide company to

the moody and distant captain of the ship.

Trip: He sailed up and down Argentina through

the dangerous Strait of Magellan and into the Pacific.

Finally, returning home by way of Australia and Cape Town.

During the end of his voyage, he spent five weeks at the archipelago of the Galapagos.

There he observed tortoises, black lizards and notable array of finches.

Darwin began to form some of his ideas about evolution.

“The Origin of Species”

Darwin formally published his thoughts on evolution in this book.

From the day it was published would be one of the most influential books of its time.

Darwin’s Life: Darwin lived for a few years in London after

he married his first cousin. He spent his last 40 years raising ten

children. Wrote “The Origin of Species” in 1830 in his

notebook, but wasn’t published until 1859. His later years were spent suffering from

intestinal distress and heart palpitations. He only could work a few hours during the

day because of his illness.

Why was Darwin ill? 1. A parasite could have made him

sick from when he was in South Africa.

OR2. Anxiety over where his intellectual journey was leading him and the world around him.

No one is really positive.

“The Theory of Natural Selection”

Only the strongest will survive.

Animals adapt to their surroundings.

Intelligent Design: Many believe in the story in Genesis of how God

created men, women and the earth in 7 days.

Darwin’s theory would be and was a shock to most because it was a new theory presented in a time where many saw the Bible as a book of truths.

Intelligent Design: something greater than we are possibly could have created the universe; however, all living creatures learned to evolve where only the strongest survive. Creating humans and other living species.