History is the record of mankind on Earth from prehistoric times to the present. It helps us understand how our present way of life developed. The document outlines the major periods of history, including the prehistoric period from 1,000,000 BC to 4000 BC, and the historic period from 1400 BC to present day, which is further divided into ancient, medieval, and modern history. Key individuals who study history include historians, paleontologists/archaeologists, and anthropologists.

1. Introduction to World History

2. What is History? Why Study the Past?
I. Introduction to World History
A. What is History?
1. History is the record of mankind on earth.
a. Record of mankind's accomplishments throughout the ages.
B. Age of the Earth and of Man
1. The earth was created between two and six billion years ago.
2. Man made his appearance on earth about 1,750,000 years ago.
C. Reasons for Studying World History
1. It helps us understand the past.
2. It shows how our present way of life developed.
3. We become familiar with the accomplishments of people in other countries.

3. Understanding Man’s Time on Earth
Man’s existence
would be about
one second on a
clock.
If the time of earth equaled the size of the Empire State
Building, man’s existence would be at the very tip.

4. Understanding A.D & B.C.
I. What does (B.C.) mean and what does (A.D.) mean?
A. B.C. means those years in history, "before the birth of Christ."
B. A.D. means, "anno-domini," which means, "in the year of our lord."
1. Those years in history after the death of Christ.
Centuries in BC are confusing because the timeline is moving backwards, but
time is not. Remember that the numbers are always getting smaller, not larger.
Centuries in AD are much easier because the timeline is moving forwards.
Remember that the numbers are always getting larger, not smaller.

5. Directions: Create at timeline in your notebook. Put the events &
dates in chronological order from the earliest to the most recent. (5
minutes)
500 B.C. Persian Wars begin
520 A.D Mohammed the Prophet is born
1800 B.C. Hebrews migrate to Egypt
1291 A.D. Crusades end
1760 B.C. Shang Family rules China
2001 A.D. YOU WERE BORN
____________________________________________________1800
B.C.
1760
B.C.
500
B.C.
520
A.D.
1291
A.D.
2001
A.D.

6. Do now: Fill in the blanks.
A Decade = _____________ years
A Century= ____________ years
A Millennium = ____________ years
10
100
1,000
Extended Activity #1 Timeline
Extended Activity:
Create a timeline of your life, labeling 10 important events of your
life. Select one event that you feel is the most significant, and
explain why.

7. 1. How many years are covered by the timeline?
2. What event happened first: the fall of Constantinople or the invasion of the
Holy Land in the 1st Crusade?
3. Between which two events on the timeline would you place the destruction of
Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258?
933
Holy Land in the 1st Crusade
First Crusaders Invade the Holy Land [1096A.D.] and the Crusades End
Understanding Time Lines: Exit Slip
Directions: Answer the following [3] questions by using the time line below.

8. Major Periods of History
I. Major Periods of History
A. Prehistoric Period (1,000,000 B.C. to 4000 B.C.)
1. Dates back to the time before the invention of writing.
B. Historic Period (1,400 B.C. to Present)
1. Beginnings of written records of mankind's
accomplishments.
a. Earliest written records date back to Ancient Egypt and
the Middle East about 4000 B.C.

9. Historic Period Subdivided [Ancient History]
I. Ancient History (4,000 B.C. to A.D. 500)
A. Period of history from the beginning of civilization in the Near
East and Asia to the breakup of the Roman Empire about 500
A.D.

10. Historic Period Subdivided [Medieval History]
I. Medieval History (A.D. 500 to A.D. 1500 )
A. Medieval history includes the period of history from the major
developments of mankind in Europe, Asia, and the Near East
from the Fall of the Roman Empire to the discovery of America.

11. Historic Period Subdivided [Modern History]
I. Modern History (A.D. 1500 to Present)
A. Period of history from the Renaissance and the discovery of the
Americas to the present.

12. Sources of History
I. The Sources of History
A. Unwritten records
1. Consist of things left behind by mankind before they learned to write.
a. Tools, weapons, bones, utensils, paintings, and rough drawings.
B. Written records
1. Evidence of the past that was recorded by mankind from earlier
civilizations.
a. Documents, books, letters, newspapers, and diaries.
b. The earliest (written) historical records are about 6,000 years old.
Unwritten Records Written Records

13. Individuals Who Study the Past
I. Individuals who study the past.
A. Historians
1. Organizes the past into an accurate, orderly, and meaningful story.
B. Paleontologists / Archaeologists
1. Use complex techniques to study fossils and evidence of early life preserved
in rocks. Human fossils often consist of small fragments of teeth, skulls, or
other bones.
C. Anthropologists
1. Anthropologists are scientists who study the development and behaviors of
human beings throughout the world, present and past, to help better
understand humanity as a whole.
AnthropologistsPaleontologists / ArchaeologistsHistorians

14. Earliest Civilizations
Ancient Greece
Ancient Egypt
Mesopotamia
Indus River Valley
China

15. Terms to Know:
B.C
A.D. (Anno-Domini)
Unwritten Records
Written Records
Historians
Paleontologists / Archaeologists
Anthropologists

16. Concepts to Know
•What is history and why study it?
•Describe the difference between B.C. and A.D.?
•What is the difference between written and unwritten
history sources?
•What is the difference between historians,
Paleontologists / Archaeologists , and anthropologists?