Prehistory

The time before

the written word.
 How do we
find our past?
 How do we
find our past?
Toumai_Skull.asf (3:28)
Methods of
Dating
 Simple
Methods of
Dating
Stratigraphy,
Tree Rings,
Road Cuts
Radio-Carbon Dating
determines an
object’s age
by measuring
the amount of
C-14
AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry)
• Another name for Radio-Carbon
Dating
• Used for samples that are far tinier than that
needed for standard radiocarbon dating
• In AMS dating, researchers use an accelerator-
based mass spectrometer to count all the C14
atoms, rather than just those atoms which are
decaying.
Blood Molecules
May survive
Millions of years
and yield DNA
information
Thermo luminescence dating
determines an object’s age
by measuring the light
given off by electrons
trapped in the
surrounding soil
What do your notes look like?
 David Duez
August – Date
WH – Period ___
Topic: Chapter 1 “The First Humans”

Prehistory • The time before the written word.

How do we find our
past?

Simple Methods of 4. Stratigraphy

Dating: 5. Tree Cuts
6. Road Cuts
Early Hominids
Hominids:
Having Human
Characteristics
 Archaeology
The study of past
societies through
an analysis of the
items people left
behind them
 Artifacts
tools, pottery,
paintings, weapons,
buildings &
household items left
behind by early
Oldest Hominid Remains Found in

Olduvai Gorge
East Africa
Mary
Leakey

Louis

PAGE 18 Leakey
 Leakey Legacy
“Theories on prehistory
and early man
constantly change as
new evidence comes to
light.”
-Richard Leakey
Their son Richard Leakey discovers an
Australopithicus skull
Newsweek July 22, 2002
Australopithecus
Australopithicus
footprints
Laetoli_Footprints.asf (2:16)
 Fossils
A remnant or
impression of an
organism from a
past geologic age
that has been
preserved in the
 Australopithecus
Discovered by
Donald
Johanson
3-4 million years old
What Lucy Looked Like…
Australopithecus First
upright
hominid

“southern apes”
Australopithecus_Afarensis.asf
 Homo erectus
“upright human
being”, a species that
emerged around 1.5
million years ago; 2 nd

stage of early human

development
 Homo erectus,
cont.

Learned to use
fire to keep warm
in colder areas
Homo sapiens
“wise human being”
a species that
emerged around
250,000 years ago; 3 rd

stage in human
development
Homo sapiens sapiens
“wise, wise human being”
a species that
appeared in Africa
between 150,000 &
200,000 years ago
Homo sapiens
sapiens
they were the first
anatomically
modern humans
WE BELONG TO THIS
GROUP TODAY.
 Paleolithic Age
from the Greek for “Old Stone”

the early period of

human history, from
approximately 2.5
million to 10,000 B.C.,
humans used simple
stone tools
 Lifestyle
Hunter-gathering
Drawbacks to Hunting & Gathering

1. Food sources dry up

2. No storage
3. Isolation
4. Short lifespan
Major advances

•Mastery of fire
•Language
Technology
 Art

Lascaux Cave
ROCK ART PROJECT
• Rough Draft Project due in
class Tuesday
Section 2:
Neolithic
Revolution
& Rise of
Civilizations
New technology
 New
Technology

Pottery

Improved
tools (metal
working)
Use of Metals

Marked a new level of

human control over
their environment
THE
END
Rise of Villages
 6 characteristics of
Civilizations
•1. Cities
•2. Government
•3. Religion
•4. Social structure
•5. Art
•6. Writing
 Neolithic Age
•Development of
Cities
•Mastered the art of
farming
•More complex
societies
High Point of Neolithic
Age

•Catal Huyuk,
located in modern-
day Turkey, high
point from 6700 to
5700 B.C.
 Earliest
Writing

Cuneiforms
Food surpluses made
it possible for people
to do things other
than farming
•Artisans – a skilled
craftsperson who makes
products such as weapons
& jewelry
•scribes
 End of the
Neolithic Age
•Copper, then
Bronze tools led to
the Bronze Age
End of the Neolithic Age
•Between 4000 & 3000
B.C.
•The use of metals
marked a new level of
human control over the
environment & its
Bronze Sword
 Essay Questions

1. Describe some of the

dramatic changes that
took place during the
Neolithic Revolution
and the consequences.
 Essay Questions

2. Explain how the

roles of men and
women changed from
the Paleolithic Age to
the Neolithic Age.