Semester A Unit 1 Flashcards
According to the timeline on pages 2 and 3, when did Homo sapiens first appear?
200,000 B.C.
Define prehistory.
The time before the invention of writing.
As you read “Finding the Past,” identify the types of scholars that study prehistoric humans. Write the name of each. Then, write a definition for each.
Archaeologists: Studies objects left behind humans or human ancestors
Anthropologists: Studies human culture
Paleontologists: Studies fossil remains of animals and plants
Historians: Studies and explains what happened in the past
Complete this chart to briefly describe the methods scientists use to study the lives of early humans:
Radiocarbon Dating
Paleomagnetic dating
Potassium-argon dating
DNA analysis
Radiocarbon Dating - Measures the quantity of carbon-14 atoms
Paleomagnetic dating - Examines mineral evidence of changes in the earth’s magnetic field
Potassium-argon dating - Measures the rate of decay of atoms in volcanic rock
DNA analysis - Tracks evolutionary changes over time.
Prehistoric Homo sapiens lived in small groups, or _____ of 20-30 extended family members. They lived as _____. Clans lived in _____ or _____. They made needles and spearheads out of _____, carved _____ out of stone and ivory, and painted _____ and symbols on cave walls.
Clans; Hunter-gatherers; Caves; Simple huts; Bones; Figures; Animals
Prehistoric Homo sapiens lived in small groups, or CLANS of 20-30 extended family members. They lived as HUNTER-GATHERERS. Clans lived in CAVES or SIMPLE HUTS. They made needles and spearheads out of BONES, carved FIGURES out of stone and ivory, and painted ANIMALS and symbols on cave walls.
To which species do modern-day humans belong?
Home sapiens
According to archaeological evidence, studies of human anatomy, and DNA analysis, where did humans originate?
Africa
Describe the migration of early humans.
They migrated out of Africa to other places
Define the term Neolithic Revolution.
When humans started producing food
Explain how each factor on the left contributed to the development of agriculture:
Climate Change -
Rivers -
Fire -
Climate Change - Caused game to become scarce, forcing humans to look elsewhere for food
Rivers - Helped irrigate fields
Fire - Helped fertilize soil
The _____ of wild animals resulted in a decline in hunter-gatherers because people could keep a supply of meat close at hand
Decline
The DECLINE of wild animals resulted in a decline in hunter-gatherers because people could keep a supply of meat close at hand
Look at the areas that had developed agriculture by 5000 B.C. What is common among these areas?
They are around rivers
People living in Italy had developed agriculture by __________ B.C.
3000
People living in Italy had developed agriculture by 3000 B.C.
Why do you think agriculture hadn’t developed by 500 B.C. in the western half of the Arabian peninsula along the Tropic of Cancer?
Because it was to hot and arid
What did a surplus of food lead to?
A division of labor
Match each group on the left with the description of the role(s) it assumed.
Children
Women
Men
The Elderly
A) Performed most of the work of farming
B) Shared wisdom and kept alive vital skills and traditions
C) Performed simple but helpful tasks
D) Cared for young children; prepared food, made cloth
Children-C
Women-D
Men-A
The Elderly-B
People in early villages often lived in houses made of _____. Paintings on shrine walls suggest that people took part in _____ practices. The evidence of a large stone wall around the ancient village of Jericho suggests that the village had a _____ or _____ body. The sharing of knowledge and technology among villages spread far and wide gave rise to early systems of _____ .
Mud bricks; Religious; Leader; Governing; Trade
People in early villages often lived in houses made of MUD BRICKS. Paintings on shrine walls suggest that people took part in RELIGIOUS practices. The evidence of a large stone wall around the ancient village of Jericho suggests that the village had a LEADER or GOVERNING body. The sharing of knowledge and technology among villages spread far and wide gave rise to early systems of TRADE.
How did the domestication of animals lead to pastoral societies?
It allowed people to keep herds and flocks of animals
Define the term Fertile Crescent:
A large swath of land whose land and climate favored agriculture
Were most of the cities in Mesopotamia located in the eastern or western half of the region? Why do you think they were situated where they were?
Eastern; In a place that had fertile land and good game
Define irrigation:
Bringing water to land to water crops
What was the significance of the agricultural revolution, also known as the Neolithic Revolution?
It allowed civilizations to form, and humans to control their environment
There are five conditions, or characteristics, common to all civilizations. Give a brief description of each of these characteristics
City life, with complex social organizations
Trade and economic activity, which encourage innovation and spreads knowledge
Governance, through which social order is maintained
Division of labor, in which different people take on specialized tasks
Record keeping of some kind
Briefly describe the significance of each of the major cultural and technological achievements of Sumerian civilization. In other words, what impact did each have? Why is each considered an achievement?
The Wheel -
Bronze -
Math -
Writing -
The Wheel - Allowed Sumerians a new way to move imports and export over great distances
Bronze - Allowed for stronger tools and better harvests
Math - It allowed for breakthroughs in other areas of Sumerian science, including astronomy, engineering, and design
Writing - It ushered in the age of history, allowing people to record their history
There were several causes for the decline of Sumer. Identify and briefly describe three of these causes and tell whether it was political or geographic (or both) in nature.
Salinization of the soil caused crops to grow less well (Geographic)
Fighting between city-states (Political)
Nomadic people who lived on the edges of Sumer attacked and robbed the cities (Political)
Which Mesopotamian civilization eventually conquered the Sumerian city-states? What technology helped them accomplish this?
The Akkadians; Bronze
Where are most of the Egyptians cities located?
In the nile river valley
Into what large body of water does the Nile flow?
Mediterranean sea
Why might it be difficult for traders in El-Derr to travel along the Nile to get to Elephantine?
There is a cataract in between
The _____ is a collection of prayers, hymns, and spells that the ancient Egyptians believed would aid them in their passage to the afterlife.
Book of the Dead
The BOOK OF THE DEAD is a collection of prayers, hymns, and spells that the ancient Egyptians believed would aid them in their passage to the afterlife.
Match the correct god and goddess to the correct description.
Re - A) Falcon-headed protector of pharaohs and the sky
Osiris - B) Goddess of motherhood, magic, and healing
Horus - C) God of the dead attempting the enter the underworld
Isis - D) God of the sun
Anubis - E) God of the afterlife and ruler of the underworld
D) Re
E) Osiris
A) Horus
B) Isis
C) Anubis
Why was ancient Egypt called the Two Lands?
Because they were two very different regions
How was Egypt united?
Menes Narmer killed the king of Lower Egypt, and killed all the smaller kings
What are the three time periods that historians use to divide the history of ancient Egypt?
The Old Kingdom; The Middle Kingdom; The New Kingdom
Why didn’t the Egyptians dare speak the name of their ruler?
Because the king was thought of as a supreme god who loomed so far above his subjects
What became the king’s official title?
Pharaoh
What was the purpose of the pyramids? Why did the Egyptians believe they had a stake in securing eternal life for their king?
To protect the tomb of the king; By doing so, they ensured the regular flooding of the Nile for example
What events led to the end of the Old Kingdom?
A series of dry years that eroded faith in the pharaoh and caused rebellions to break out
Who ended the period of unrest after the end of the Old Kingdom and reunified Egypt?
Amenemhet I
What led to the end of the Middle Kingdom?
Rival nobles started fighting each other and there was a series of weak pharaohs
Explain how historians and others know about life in ancient Egypt.
By reading hieroglyphics
In the 1920s a team of archaeologists unearthed an entire city near a place called _____. Four hundred miles south of the first city, another city was unearthed at _____, a name meaning “Mound of the Dead.”
In the 1920s a team of archaeologists unearthed an entire city near a place called Harappa. Four hundred miles south of the first city, another city was unearthed at Mohenjo-Daro, a name meaning “Mound of the Dead.”
Give at least two reasons scholars believe could have been the cause to end of the Indus Valley civilization.
Earthquakes or disease
What geographic features kept the people of China mostly isolated for thousands of years?
The Gobi Desert to the north, the Himalayas to the west, and seas to the south and east
Between what two great river systems did civilization in China first take root?
Huang He and Yangtze