Early humans lived as hunter-gatherers for millions of years before settling into agricultural villages during the Neolithic Revolution around 8000 BC. This led to the rise of civilization, with specialized jobs, social classes, governments, religions, and art. The first major civilizations emerged in Mesopotamia and Egypt along major rivers from 3000 BC. They developed writing, legal codes, empires, and major architectural achievements like the pyramids. Other important early peoples included the Phoenicians, Israelites, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Persians.

1. Chapters 1 & 2 Notes
Early Humans &
Early Civilizations

2. Anthropology
Archeology History Geography
(Paleontology)
Study of man Study of the Study of how Study of the
What is made objects remains of people lived in earth, people
it? (artifacts) humans/plants the past and resources
Who? Anthropologist/
Archeologist Historian Geographer
Paleontologist
What Physical Written Where
they things - Bones and fossils documents - people live
work on? artifacts artifacts and why
Learn about Learn how
Learn about the Learn how
changes in and why
Why? physical aspects
events places effect
society over of living things
happened people
time

3. STONE AGE
• Invention of tools
• Mastery of fire
• Development of language
• Paleolithic Age:2.5 Mil-8000
B.C. (Ice Age)
• Neolithic: 8000-3000 B.C.

4. The First Humans
• There is evidence that humans lived on earth
more than two million years ago
• Period known as pre-history - before the
invention of writing
• ca. 5 - 6 thousand years ago humans
invented writing - historians indicate this as
the beginning of “history”
Ch 1

5. The Earliest Humans were
Hunter Gathers
During the Paleolithic (“old stone”) Age
• Migrated to follow food
• Had a small, portable tool kit
• Little specialization
• Men and women were equal
• Ruled by custom & tradition

6. Very Important Change
• Paleolithic Age • Neolithic Age
• Domestication of
• Hunting of animals animals
and gathering of food • + Growing of crops on
a regular basis
• = SYSTEMATIC
AGRICULTURE

7. Humans during the Neolithic
Age
• 1) Learned how to domesticate animals (keep
them in one place)
= They didn’t have to follow their food around
• 2) SO, now humans can stay in one place
= These early settlements were called Neolithic
Farming villages
-> Jericho in Palestine
-> Catal Huyuk in present day Turkey
was the largest

8. Changes in the roles of men
and women
• Men farmed and herded
– -> Became dominant, a tradition that
continued for thousands of years
• Women stayed at home and cared
for the children

9. Effects of the Neolithic
Revolution
• People acquire food on a regular basis
• Not everyone has to farm
• So the non-farmers can work in trades and crafts
– Improved tools & weapons using copper and bronze
• Bronze Age from 3000 BC to 1200BC

10. More Effects of the Neolithic
Revolution
• Non-farmers could specialize
– Each person focused on one job instead of trying to
do it all
• Now people traded goods and services -> a
more advanced economy

11. The Early Humans
Neolithic villages eventually became fortified
cities - this is the beginning of civilization
The word civilization comes from the Latin
Civitas which means city.
Civilizations are complex cultures in which
many people share common elements

12. Six Characteristics of a
Civilization
1. Government -> to organize human activity;
usually a monarch
2. Cities -> usually developed in river valleys
3. Writing -> the 1st works of literature were
created

13. Six Characteristics of a
Civilization, part two
• Religion – to explain the forces of nature and
people’s existence
• Social Structure – based on economic power or
wealth
• Artistic Activity – temples, paintings, sculptures

14. Wandering tribes settled in river valleys crop
cultivation/animal domestication built villages/towns
Towns became fortified cities - Gov., religious, warrior classes
strong king emerged - public works - empire building
Strong king united cities under his rule and established an empire
King dies - empire declines Ruling dynasty established
Inter-city wars until another strong Empire expands and flourishes
king emerges to take control
Empire invaded/threatened
Empire defeated
Invaders/threat defeated empire remains intact
Empire assimilates the
Empire’s civilization destroyed invaders into their civilization
replaced by the invaders’

15. Chapter 2 – Early Civilizations

17. Mesopotamia
• Mesopotamia – area of fertile land
between the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers in present day Iraq. This area
was also known as Sumer.
• Irrigation and drainage ditches were
built to control flooding so Sumerians
could farm on a regular basis

18. Sumerians
• The Sumerians built the first cities in
Mesopotamia by 3000 B.C.
• The Sumerians were polytheistic – they
believed in many gods
• Each Sumerian city had a temple
dedicated to the chief god or goddess of
the city. They believed that the gods ruled
the cities, making the state a theocracy.

19. Sumerian Writing
• Sumerians created the oldest writing
system, cuneiform, which dates from
about 3000 B.C.
• Men in the upper classes who knew
how to write held the most important
positions in society.
• Writing allowed society to keep records
and to pass along knowledge.

20. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Inventions
–Wheel, sail, plow, bronze
–Writing: cuneiform
–Arithmetic, geometry
–Arches, columns, ramps,
ziggurat

21. The Epic of Gilgamesh
• The Epic of Gilgamesh is a
Mesopotamian epic poem that follows
Gilgamesh (a half man-half god king) in
his failed search for immortality.
• The moral is that everlasting life is only
for the gods.

22. Akkadians & Babylonians
• The Akkadians lived north of the Sumerians.
• In 2340 B.C. the Akkadians under Sargon
took over the Sumerians and united the area
of Sumer under his rule. This was the first
empire
• By 1792, Babylon took control of both the
Akkadian Empire and the Sumerian Empire.

23. Hammurabi
• In 1792 BC, Hammurabi united the area
under a new empire – Babylonia
• He developed a Law code which
controlled all aspects of life – including
women and slaves, who were unknown
in previous laws

24. The Code of Hammurabi
• Was based on the principle of
retaliation (“an eye for an eye, tooth for
a tooth”)
• Also held public officials
accountable, provided consumer
protection laws, and laws for marriages
and families.
* * This is the basis for our laws today! **

25. EGYPT
• The Nile River is the longest river in the
world and runs through northeastern Africa.
It’s yearly flooding left rich, fertile soil
enabling farmers to grow a surplus of food.
• Unlike Mesopotamia, Egypt had natural
barriers that protected it from invasion:
deserts, Red Sea, rapids on the
Nile, Mediterranean Sea

26. Egyptian History – Old Kingdom
(2700 to 2200 B.C)
In 3100 B.C. King Menes united Upper
and Lower Egypt into one dynasty
- Prosperous and United
– Ruled by Egyptian monarchs, or
Pharaohs
– Build large tombs and pyramids
• Decline: power struggles, crop
failures, high cost of building pyramids

27. Middle Kingdom
(2200 to 1652 B.C.)
 Chaos for 150 years
 The a period of expansion
 Drained land for farming
• Decline: Hittites invaded and
conquered

28. New Kingdom
(1567 to 1085 B.C.)
 The Hyksos ruled the Egyptians for 100
years, but taught the Egyptians how to use
bronze and their military skills
 The Egyptians then used what they
learned to drive the Hyksos out
 The New Kingdom was the most
powerful state in SW Asia and created a
huge empire
 Egypt eventually fell apart and became
a province of Rome

29. Role of Women and families
in Egypt
• Husband was master in the house, but
women were well respected
• Women kept their own property and
inheritance, even in marriage
• Some women operated businesses
• Upper class women could become
priestesses and pharaohs

30. PHOENICIANS
• 1200 – 500 BC
• Lived in present day Palestine
• Mix of Babylonian and Egyptian culture
• Known for their trading empire and
language

31. ISRAELITES
• Lived south of the Phoenicians
• Their religion was Judaism, which was
based on the Hebrew Bible (Christian
Old Testament)
• When Moses led his people out of
Egypt, God made a contract with them.
• God promised to guide them if they
obeyed His law stated in the Ten
Commandments.

32. Assyrian Empire
• (700 B.C. to 612 B.C.)
• Conquered the Babylonians
• Good communication system - an
early pony express
• Large, effective armies with Iron
weapons
• Used terror to conquer others

33. Chaldeans
• Defeated Assyria, conquered the
Kingdom of Judah, and destroyed
Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
• The Chaldeans were conquered by the
Persians in 539 B.C.

34. The Persians
• Persians - 539 BCE - large empire from the
Indus river to Libyan desert
• Ruled fairly - allowed local rulers, customs and
religions to remain
• Copied the Gov. system, roads, postal system
from the Assyrians
• Monotheistic religion - Zoroaster religious
reformer - taught life is struggle between good
and evil - worst crime was lying
• Conquered by Alexander the Great 331 BCE