Pre-AP World History Test #1 Flashcards
What is history?
History is an account of the past. The version of past events historians have decidedly agreed upon.
A re-creation from incomplete records.
Why do we study history?
It helps us understand the problems of the present.
It helps one develop critical skills - tolerance, empathy, and an open-mind.
Role of the Historian
Historians research, analyze, interpret, and write about the past by studying historical sources.
Interpretation in History
Historical documents will reflect the authors’ interpretation. Interpretation is a big part of history, the way one interprets it could change what others believe and so much more.
Human Evolution
Australopithecus, Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, Neanderthals, Homo Sapiens
Lifestyle of modern H/G?
Transition to Agriculture - why?
Population Pressure
Climate Change (the Younger Dryas cold spell)
Cognitive Change (humans became smarter and more innovative)
Over-hunting of wild animals
Desire to settle down
Jared Diamond’s Argument on Worst Mistake in History
Primary Source
something (a document, photograph, or artifact) produced in the period of study.
Secondary Source
interprets and analyzes primary sources
Bias
a point of view that affects the ability to make impartial judgements.
Homo Habilis (aka) Handy Man
2.3-1.6 mya
Co-existed with Australopithecus for 1 my
First human
Africa
First to make stone tools
Varied Diet: H/G
Bigger Brains
Attempted to understand the enviorment
Homo Erectus (aka) Upright Man
2m-300,000 ya
Migrations: Africa, Asia, Europe
Discovered fire and how to use it.
Varied Diet: H/G
Lived in organized groups
Human-like body proportions
Neanderthals
200,000-28,000 ya
Migrations: Europe, Southeast and Central Asia
Existed with us for 30,000-50,000 years
Adapted to the cold
Bad Rap
Showed a sophisticated level of intelligence
Homo Sapiens
First appeared about 250,000 years in Africa
Left Africa for about 100,000 years bp before encountering other species.
40,000 years bp is a world full of us
Painting left on cave walls
Replaced the Neanderthals: the Replacement and Interbreeding Theory
Replacement Theory
The populations were too different and couldn’t produce a sexual attraction to one another. Yet even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to produce fertile children due to the genetic differences. So, the two populations remained distant until the Neanderthals were killed/died off.
Interbreeding Theory (Most Supported)
When Sapiens had met Neanderthals in the Middle East and Europe, they bred until the two populations merged. Likewise, when Sapiens reached Asia, they might’ve bred with Erectus until those two populations merged.
Homo Floresiensis (Hobbits)
95,000-17,000 ya
Lived in Flores, Indonesia
Were dwarfs due to ecological pressures of the island (limited food resources)
H/G (forager) Lifestyle
Small bands of 25-50 people
Low population density - extremely slow population growth
Seasonally mobile/nomadic
Food gathering less than 30 hrs a week = a lot of leisure time (subsistence involved less work than today)
No hierarchy
H/G (forager) Belief System
Animism- the idea that the natural world has a spiritual connection
Benefits of Fire
Easier to digest
Makes food nutritious
Helps fend off predators
Increased humans’ cognitive ability
Paleolithic Cave Art
Cave art has been found in:
Western Europe
Southeast Asia
Australia
Africa
Function of Art:
Magic ceremonies to help with hunt
Shamanic rituals
Vision quests
Commemorate previous hunts
Lascaux Cave
Discovered 1940 (France)
15,000-10,000 ya
Chauvet Cave
Discovered 1955 (France)
32,000-30,000 ya
Shaman
A shaman is one who is able to contact spirits and entities in order to help (usually to cure sickness).
Out of Africa Migration:
First Wave: Africa to Middle East to Australia
Second Wave: East Asia
Third Wave: North and South America
Fourth Wave: Pacific Islands
Original Affluent Society
H/G hunt for short periods of time, having leisure the rest, not having to do many chores - it all seems as if that is what the rich do today, living in a type of comfort.
Affluent- Material Success
Fertile Crescent
Located in the middle East, it is where agriculture has seemed to originate first. Later, it was the development of one of the world’s first civilizations.
Intensification
More is obtained for less. With agricultural intensification, a smaller amount of land could produce more food and resources (than what was possible by H/G). Greater amounts of food led to greater amounts of people, and therefore exploitation of land.
Domestication
The changing of nature for the benefit of humankind, creating a mutual dependence.
Venus figurines
Mother goddesses found throughout Europe (Paleolithic, Ivory)
Neolithic
Time period from H/G to agriculture
Göbeklitepe
Construction long associated with only agricultural civilizations. May have played a role in the breakthrough of farming
Egalitarian
Equal
Hierarchy/stratification
When did the Neolithic Era start?
12,000 bp
What is the world’s greatest land mass?
Afro-Eurasia
What islands were settled last?
Pacific islands like New Zealand
What were some of the earliest islands which were settled?
Australia
