The Origin of Humans

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The Origin of Humans
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The First Humans
Theories on prehistory and early man constantly
change as new evidence comes to light.
- Louis Leakey, British
paleoanthropologist
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Early Discoveries
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Stages of Early Human Development
1. 4,000,000 BCE 1,000,000 BCE
Paleolithic Age( Old Stone Age ) 2,500,000 BCE
to 8,000 BCE
2. 1,500,000 BCE -- 250,000 BCE
3. 250,000 BCE 30,000 BCE
4. 30,000 BCE -- 10,000 BCE
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The Paleolithic Age

• Paleolithic --gt Old Stone Age

• 2,500,000 BCE 10,000 BCE

• Made tools

• hunting (men) gathering (women) ?
  small bands of 20-30 humans

• NOMADIC (moving from place to place)

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Stage 1
4,000,000 BCE 1,000,000 BCE

• Hominids --gt any member of the family of
  two-legged primates that includes all humans.

• Australopithecines

• An Apposable Thumb

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Stage 1

• HOMO HABILIS ( Man of Skills )

• found in East Africa.

• created stone tools.

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The Paleolithic Age

• Humans during this period found shelter in caves.

• Cave paintings left behind.

Purpose??
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Stage 2
1,600,000 BCE 30,000 BCE

• HOMO ERECTUS ( Upright Human Being )

• BIPEDALISM

• Larger and more varied tools --gt primitive
  technology

• First hominid to migrate and leave Africa for
  Europe and Asia.

• First to use fire ( 500,000 BCE )

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Differing Human Migration Theories
Are we all Africans under the skin????
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Stage 3
200,000 BCE 10,000 BCE
HOMO SAPIENS ( Wise Human Being )
Neanderthals( 200,000 BCE 30,000 BCE )
Cro-Magnons( 40,000 BCE 10,000 BCE )
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Stage 3
NEANDERTHALS

• Neander Valley, Germany (1856)

• First humans to bury their dead.

• Made clothes from animal skins.

• Lived in caves and tents.

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P R I M A RY S O U R C E The Shanidar events
(cave in Northeastern Iraq) . . . speak clearly
of a deep feeling for the spiritual quality of
life. A concern for the fate of the human soul is
universal in human societies today, and it was
evidently a theme of Neanderthal society
too. RICHARD E. LEAKEY, The Making of Mankind
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Stage 3
NEANDERTHALS
Early Hut/Tent
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Stage 3
CRO-MAGNONs

• Leads to Homo sapiens sapiens ( Wise, wise
  human )

• By 30,000 BCE they replaced Neanderthals.

WHY???
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Homo sapiens sapiens in Europe
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The Last Ice Age
70,000 BCE 10,000 BCE
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The Neolithic Age

• Neolithic ? New Stone Age

• 10,000 BCE 4,000 BCE

• Gradual shift from

Nomadic lifestyle ? settled, stationery lifestyle.
Hunting/Gathering ? agricultural production and
domestication of animals.

• What does sedentary mean?

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SETTING THE STAGE By about 40,000 years ago,
human beings had become fully modern in their
physical appearance. With a shave, a haircut, and
a suit, a Cro-Magnon man would have looked like a
modern business executive. However, over the
following thousands of years, the way of life of
early humans underwent incredible changes. People
developed new technology, artistic skills, and
most importantly, agriculture.
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The Agricultural Revolution

• 8,000 BCE 5,000 BCE

• Agriculture developed independently in
  different parts of the world.
• Causes?
• Climate change temperatures longer growing
  seasons
• Pressure of growing populations

Middle East India Central America
China Southeast Asia 8,000 BCE 7,000
BCE 6,500 BCE 6,000 BCE 5,000 BCE
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The Agricultural Revolution

• Early Farming Methods
• SLASH-AND-BURN Farming

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The Agricultural Revolution

• Domestication of Animals
• How did this develop? What are the benefits?

Breed the best and eat the rest!!!
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The Agricultural Revolution
?
?
Development of Agriculture
?
?
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The Agricultural Revolution
Why do you think the development of agriculture
occurred around the same time in several
different places?
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The Agricultural Revolution
Why do some archaeologists believe that women
were the first farmers?
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Early Settled Communities

• Growing crops on a regular basis made possible
  the support of larger populations.

• More permanent, settled communities emerged.

• 9,000 BCE ? Earliest Agricultural Settlement at
  JARMO ( northern Iraq ) ? wheat

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Found Jarmo in the 1950s
Catal Huyuk
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Early Settled Communities

• 8,000 BCE ? Largest Early Settlement at Çatal
  Hüyük ( Modern Turkey ) ? 6,000 inhabitants

• 12 cultivated crops

• Division of labor

• Engaged in trade

• Organized religion

An obsidian dagger

• Small military

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Early Settled Communities
Çatal Hüyük
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The Agricultural Revolution
What role did the food supply play in shaping the
nomadic life of hunter-gatherers and the settled
life of the farmers?
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Why is the "Neolithic Revolution" a turning
point in human history??
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What is the next step in the development
of human settlements??
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CITIES !
CIVILIZATIONS !!
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What are the characteristics of a civilization??
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Advanced Cities
Advanced Technology
CIVILIZATION
Specialized Workers
Record- Keeping
Complex Institutions