This document discusses the study of history and provides definitions of key concepts. It can be summarized as: 1) History is the study of how human communities developed over time through documenting daily life, ideas, systems of rule, and conflicts. 2) There are four main methods used to date historical events: historical records, tree ring dating, radiocarbon dating, and potassium-argon dating. 3) A civilization is an advanced culture characterized by agriculture, urban life, specialized labor, writing, and complex political, military, social and religious structures.

1. Studying the Past

2. What is History?
 “History is fundamentally applied common sense.”
Robin W. Winks, Yale Historian
 “History is the witness that testifies to the passing of
time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides
guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity.”
Cicero, Roman Author, Orator and Politician, 106 BCE-
43 BCE
 “History is the version of past events that people have
decided to agree upon.” Napoleon
 “Some people make headlines while others make
history.” Philip Elmer-DeWitt, in Time Magazine

3. What is History?
 History is the story of the human community.
 History details how people live on a daily basis, share
ideas, how they rule or are ruled and how they fought.
 History is the story of people’s dreams, weather they
are fulfilled or not.
 When did history begin? History began when people
were able to document events in writing.
 Events that occurred before people could write them
down are considered prehistoric.
 Humans began writing about 3500 BCE.

4. Dating the Past
 There are 4 major methods scientists use to date the
past. They are as follows:
 Historical Records
 Dendrochronology-Tree Ring Dating
 Radiocarbon Dating
 Potassium Argon Dating (Measures the Decay Rate of
40K Atoms)

5. Historical Records

6. Geolithic Period
 The current Geolithic period is the Quaternary, which
is divided into two epochs:
 Pleistocene-Ice Age (about 2.4 million years ago).
 Holocene-Holos is Greek for “recent.” This is the
period of time after 10,000 BCE. It is the present time.

7. Categories of History
 History can be organized into the following categories:
 Political
 Economic
 Social
 Religious
 Scientific
 Cultural

8. Studying History
 Anthropology is the term used for the science that
studies humans as a species.
 Archaeology is the term used for the study of past
cultures and civilizations through the examination of
their artifacts (items made by humans.)
 Historiography is the written form of history.

9. Civilization
 A civilization is a complex, developed culture
associated with specific achievements such as:
 Agriculture
 Urban Life
 Specialized Labor
 Writing System

10. Civilization
 Civilizations have:
 Urban Focus
 Political Structures
 Military Structures
 Social Structure based on Economic Power
 Development of More Complexity in a Material Sense
 Distinct Religious Structure
 Development of Writing Artistic
 Intellectual Activity

11. Civilization

12. Culture
 Culture is the human created part of the
environment, “way of life.”
 The concept of culture was developed by
anthropologists to describe the unique adaptive
system used by human beings.
 A cultural system is a complex system which includes
interacting variables such as tools, burial
customs, ways of obtaining food, religious beliefs and
social organization.
 Material Culture is concrete objects that people create.

13. Culture

14. Diffusion Theory
 Diffusion Theory is the knowledge of new techniques
spread through human contacts.

15. Diffusion Theory