First Peoples and First Farmers

Question 1

How many people live on Earth today?

Answer 1

About 7 billion.

Question 2

When did the Homo sapiens first start to migrate from Africa?

Answer 2

About 100,000 years ago.

Question 3

What was a very important advancement made by humans that allowed many more new things to happen?

Answer 3

The invention of agriculture.

Question 4

When and what happened during the migration to Eurasia?

Answer 4

It occurred about 45,000 years ago. Humans had to adapt to cold weather for the first time and signs show that the first long-term settlements were made here.

Question 5

When and what happened during the migration to Australia?

Answer 5

It is believed that people migrated to Australia about 65,000 years ago; and it is believed that the first boats were made here.

Question 6

When and what happened during the migration to the Americas?

Answer 6

It is believed that people first migrated here between 30,000 and 12,000 years ago. Hunting and gathering was very prominent.

Question 7

What happened during the migration to the Pacific?

Answer 7

It is believed that people colonized this part of the world only 3,500 years ago. The people here also used boats and they greatly relied on the waters. And, because of their water travels, they had one of the most widely-used languages for a while.

Question 8

What was different between man-woman relationships back then?

Answer 8

They were actually treated equally, since women were tasked as gatherers and they brought in a lot of food.

Question 9

What was different in relations back then?

Answer 9

People were very care-free and polygamous.

Question 10

What were these relations like in Europe?

Answer 10

Men were seen as much better and they fought other men and even their own wives.

Question 11

What is said now about the old way of living?

Answer 11

It is called primitive, but people back then didn’t have to work as much to get what they needed, and so they had much more free time.

Question 12

What changes in the environment did humans cause?

Answer 12

Humans have caused many animal species to go extinct and they have caused some plants to become more resilient as they tried to defend themselves from gatherers.

Question 13

What did some people use to find enjoyment and to try to reach the spirits?

Answer 13

Psychoactive drugs.

Question 14

What things give us ideas of what culture was like back then?

Answer 14

Many art pieces such as Venus of Willendorf.

Question 15

What large settlement transition happened at this time?

Answer 15

Living in permanent settlements started to become very common.

Question 16

Why is the development of permanent settlements important?

Answer 16

It allowed people to produce more and to store more.

Question 17

What was another thing that people did to get closer to spirits?

Answer 17

People started to build ceremonial buildings and areas.

Question 18

What is the Neolithic Era?

Answer 18

Also called the “New Stone Age,” it started when farms became very widely-used around the world and permanent settlements became very common.

Question 19

Why is Agriculture so important?

Answer 19

It encouraged people to live in permanent homes, and it led to the growth of population and many other things such as the building of empires and civilizations.

Question 20

What is Intensification (productivity)?

Answer 20

The getting of more while using less effort and space, mainly with food.

Question 21

What was interesting about the emergence of Agriculture?

Answer 21

It was very sudden and happened at around the same time all around the world. It also happened after the end of the last Ice Age, where the world was very moist and good for agriculture.

Question 22

What advancements came with Agriculture?

Answer 22

Mainly the development of sickles, baskets, traps, mortars, and storage areas.

Question 23

What were some of the things domesticated first?

Answer 23

Barley, rice, wheat, and corn.

Question 24

How was agriculture different across the world?

Answer 24

The main difference was what was grown; different things grow better in different parts of the world and some things were unobtainable in some places. Because of this, diet was vastly different around the world.

Question 25

What is Diffusion (agriculture)?

Answer 25

The gradual spread of agricultural techniques.

Question 26

What was another result of the Globalization of Agriculture?

Answer 26

A lot of wild land became claimed for farming, so the remaining hunting-and-gathering groups dissipated.

Question 27

What important agricultural event happened between 6500 and 4000 B.C.E.?

Answer 27

Many agricultural techniques and plants along with several languages spread to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East from Africa.

Question 28

Who are the Bantu?

Answer 28

A large tribe of people from Nigeria and Cameroon that spread many agricultural and iron-working techniques along with their language.

Question 29

Was Agriculture globalized by the start of the Common Era?

Answer 29

Yes, but a small amount of people resisted it and there are still some tribes today that do.

Question 30

What were some big downsides of living around a farm?

Answer 30

Farm work was extremely tiring, and people worked much closer to disease and dirt. Living in one spot and relying on farming made people vulnerable to natural disasters.

Question 31

What other inventions followed Agriculture?

Answer 31

The development of wool beds, wine, beer, cheese, and many other things.

Question 32

What is Geographic Determinism?

Answer 32

An idea which states that societies move mainly because of geographical change. This idea isn’t followed as much anymore.

Question 33

What is the Multiregional Thesis?

Answer 33

An idea where it is believed that humans didn’t migrate from Africa, they were already all over the world.

Question 34

What is the Bering Land Bridge?

Answer 34

An old bridge of land connecting Siberia and Alaska that no longer exists.

Question 35

What is Animism?

Answer 35

A belief system in which all things are said to contain spirits.

Question 36

What is the Bronze Age?

Answer 36

The period of time after the Neolithic Era, many technological advancements were made during this time; mainly the use of metal.

Question 37

What is Polytheism?

Answer 37

A type of religion where multiple gods are worshiped.

Question 38

What are Pastoral Societies?

Answer 38

A type of society that mainly started in areas where farming was difficult, these societies rely on animals raised in farms for food.

Question 39

Where were there not Pastoral Societies?

Answer 39

In America and Antarctica, both places had no large animals.

Question 40

What was a good thing socially with Pastoral Societies?

Answer 40

Men and women could do the same work.

Question 41

What were some good things about living in Agricultural Villages?

Answer 41

Men and women were treaty pretty equally and these villages didn’t need rulers so there were almost never political disputes.

Question 42

What is a Chiefdom?

Answer 42

A society in which a leader (chief) rules over others.

Question 43

What is different about Chiefdoms compared to the other types of settlements of this time?

Answer 43

Chiefdoms had leaders and greatly focused on religion.

Question 44

How was a Chiefdom leader appointed?

Answer 44

They had to be liked by a lot of people or they had to come in a family of Chiefs.

Question 45

Who are the Chumash?

Answer 45

A group that lived in Southern California. (They famously invented Tomol boats.)

Question 46

Who are the Clovis?

Answer 46

Another group of people that lived in Western America but went extinct, probably because there was no food.

Question 47

Who are the Jomon?

Answer 47

A group that lived in coastal Japan.