1. Early humans began developing agriculture and domesticating animals around 10,000 years ago, leading to more reliable food sources and the growth of larger, permanent settlements. 2. The first civilizations arose near fertile river valleys and had characteristics like cities, organized government, formalized religion, social classes, record keeping, and architecture. They were centered around places like Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China. 3. Civilizations changed over time due to factors such as environmental influences, trade and cultural diffusion, and conflicts over scarce resources, which led to expansion, migration, and conquest.

1. Section 1
The First People
Chapter 1 The Beginnings of Civilization
Prehistory to 1000 BC
1

2. Anthropologists
• Anthropologists
study culture and
artifacts Archaeologists
New findings are
Excavate sites to
Studies human constantly revising
find objects that
material remains our knowledge of
will give them clues
history
Studying the Distant Past 2

3. • Key Discoveries
• Mary Leakey finds “Nutcracker Skull” in East Africa. 1.75
million years old.
• Donald Johanson found partial skeleton called Lucy in
Ethiopia.
• ML finds footprints in Tanzania - oldest evidence of
hominids walking upright. 3.5 million years old
• 2001 skull resembling both Australopithicine and
chimpanzee found in Central Africa. 6-7 million years old
• Walking upright = free to use hands for handling tools
Human Origins 3

4. • Modern Humans
• Everyone today is a Homo sapien, means “wise man.” Had
larger brains than earlier species
• Developed sophisticated tools, shelter, and learned to use
fire
• May be the first with spoken
language because of
increased brain function
• Cooperate
• Hunt in groups
• Resolve issues
• Form stronger relationships
and interact with others
Human Origins 4

5. • Early humans began to move because of the change in
climate.
• 1.6 million years ago, earth cycled between cold and
warm periods revealing new areas of land. (Ice Age)
• Ability to walk upright and control fire enabled migration
out of Africa into the other continents. By 9000 BC
humans spread to all but Antarctica
Spreading
Around the World 5

6. • Adaptation to new environments causes genetic variety
• One view – two groups of modern humans
• Neanderthals (200,000-30,000 years ago). Died out. May
not have been homo sapiens
• Cro-Magnons (40,000 years ago).
Sturdy and muscular, looked
like humans today. Made tools,
and had better hunting and
survival skills
Spreading
Around the World 6

7. • First humans lived in the Paleolithic Era, the early part of the Stone
Age – people made tools from stone (2.5 million to 10,000 years ago)
• People were nomadic, hunted and gathered food, and men and
women were equal
• Later learned to work with wood and bone. Led to better tools which
improved hunting
• Other tools:
• string from plant fiber = net for fish and small animals
• Bow and arrow, bone hooks, fishing spears
• Canoe for travel
• Needle from bone = animal skin clothing, shoes, hats, carrying sacks
Life in the
Stone Age 7

8. • Began to form societies of shared cultures, which
included language, art, and spiritual beliefs
• Cro-Magnons and other Stone Age people produced a
variety of art from coal, clay, and iron
• Scholars unsure about meaning of art. Anthropologists
think they practiced animism, belief that all things in
nature have spirits.
Life in the
Stone Age 8

9. 1. What methods are used to study the distant past?
2. What does evidence suggest about human origins?
3. How did early people spread around the world?
4. How did early people adapt to life in the Stone Age?
READING CHECK! 9

10. Section 2
The Beginning of
Agriculture
Chapter 1 The Beginnings of Civilization
Prehistory to 1000 BC
10

11. • New tools that were polished and grinded instead of
chipped led to Neolithic Era – New Stone Age
• 10,000 years ago, people learned to farm. Turning point
because it changed the way people lived.
• Plants – learned to grow the best seeds and domesticated
wild plants to produce larger food supplies
Development of Agriculture 11

12. • Domesticated animals led to larger and more reliable food
supply
• Dogs among the first. Used for hunting and guarding
• Cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep used for meat, milk, and
clothing
• Large animals used for pulling heavy loads and farming
• The development of agriculture and domestication of
animals happened independently around the world at
different times. It spread slowly through trade and travel.
Development
of Agriculture 12

13. • By 6000 BC, early farming led to growth of villages and
cities as more people settled together. Led to:
• Job specialization – people performing different tasks in the
group
• Extra food for trade
• Differences in social status because of wealth and influence
• Religion
• War with other societies for more land and resources
• Spread of diseases like flu, measles, and smallpox
Agriculture Changes Society 13

14. • New technologies
• Use of animals and new tools led to better farming and food
preparation techniques (like pottery for cooking and storing
food)
• Learned to spin yarn from wool of goats and sheep to make
blankets and clothes
• Learned to use metal, first copper then bronze (a mix of
copper and tin).
• Bronze was harder and stronger. Led to Bronze Age in 3000
BC
Development
of Agriculture 14

15. 1. What new tools and technologies did early humans
develop during the New Stone Age?
2. How did early agriculture develop and spread?
3. In what ways did the development of agriculture change
Stone Age Society?
READING CHECK! 15

16. Section 3
Foundations of
Civilization
Chapter 1 The Beginnings of Civilization
Prehistory to 1000 BC
16

17. • Development of irrigation led to farming more land and
producing surpluses of food to support large populations
and trade
• Less people needed to farm created other jobs in the
village like weavers, potters, and religious leaders –
division of labor
• Leaders began to make
decisions for the village
From Villages to Cities 17

18. CHARACTERISTICS OF
CITIES
• Larger and more populated
than villages
• Diverse people
• Formal organization (city
centers, government buildings,
boundaries/walls)
• Centers of trade
From Villages to Cities 18

19. • Civilizations formed from early
cities usually near fertile river
valleys. Examples:
• Ur and Uruk near Tigris and
Euphrates rivers, Middle East
• Memphis on the Nile River,
Africa
• Mohenjo Daro on the Indus
River, India
• Anyang near the Huange He
(Yellow River), China
The First Civilizations 19

20. • Civilizations had:
1. Developed cities
2. Organized government (decision making and building
projects)
3. Formalized religion (ceremonies and rituals)
4. Division of labor
5. Social classes (based on occupation, wealth, and
influence)
6. Record keeping and writing (track history, calendars)
7. Art and architecture (symbols of power and ruler’s
prestige)
The First Civilizations 20

21. • Environmental influences (floods,
droughts, storms, etc.) led to expansion
in trade to get scarce resources
• Cultural diffusion – spread of ideas,
beliefs, customs, and technology from
one people to anther because of :
• Trade
• Migration
• Conquest
• Competition for resources led to war and
conflict. Nomads became skilled
warriors to protect their herds
Change in Civilizations 21

22. 1. Why did some early villages develop into cities?
2. What characterized the world’s first civilizations and
where did they develop?
3. What factors cause civilizations to change over time?
READING CHECK! 22

23. • Which 1.Developed cities
characteristics of
2.Organized
civilizations do you government
predict were most
3.Formalized religion
beneficial in helping
4.Division of labor
the first civilizations
grow and endure? 5.Social classes
6.Record keeping and
writing
7.Art and architecture
Quick-Write 23