The World's Early People Flashcards
The period of time before people began to write.
Prehistory
The study of things that earlier people left behind.
Archeology
A human-made object, especially from long ago; artifacts include art, clothing, pottery, tools, and weapons
Artifact
The remains, such as bones of humans, and animals that were once alive.
Fossil
A proposed explanation about life
Theory
Any member of different species with human like features
Hominid
The earliest period of the Stone Age
Paleolithic era
To move from one place to another
Migrate
The human race
Humankind
The proper application of knowledge to develop new tools or ways to make and do things
Technology
To change to fit the surroundings
Adapt
Surroundings
Environments
No longer found on earth
Extinct
Members of Homo sapiens who spent many hours a day searching for food
Hunters and gatherers
A result in action
Consequence
A person with no settled home
Nomad
A group of people living and working under a set of rules and traditions
Society
The part a person plays in society; responsibility
Role
A way of life shared by members of a group
Culture
- very early hominid that lived in Africa
- walked upright which left hand free to hold things
- some lived in forests
- some lived in grasslands
- ate different plants
- ate meat which made their brain size increase and body gain strength
Australopithecine
- lived in Africa
- ate mostly plants and meat left behind by other animals
- short with long arms
- larger brain with a round skull
- face and jaw smaller than Australopithecine
- first to make/ use tools
- chipped stones to make tools to chop, scrap and other simple tasks
Homo Habilis
- appeared in Africa - more advanced tools
- name means upright person - mastered use of fire,cook,
- larger stronger keep animals away, and to
- shorter arms longer legs stay warm
- larger brain - may have developed speech
- flexible hands. - lived in small groups
- first known hominid to migrate from Africa
Homo Erectus
- early modern humans
- appeared in tropical Africa
- handle things better with there hands
- made better items from different material
- created jewelry, sculptures, cave paintings, and religious beliefs
- survived by living in groups with family members of about 30
- shelters: caves, mud, and tree branches
- women gathered: graded, nuts and seeds
- men hunted: giant sloths, saber-toothed cats, mammoths, deer, bison, turtles, birds, and reptiles.
- group moved to follow food, lived in different places in different seasons.
Homo Sapiens
People lived in deserts, Savannas, rivers, and lakes. Hunters and Gatherers around the world: coast . Creation of bow and arrow made hunting more accurate and safe.
Africa
People lived in forests and along the coast . Made better tools for fishing: nets, harpoons, traps, and spears. Made canoes; found new kinds of plants to eat and store food. Food became plentiful; population increased. Lived in shelters of wood and animal skin.
Europe
People spent summers in the hills in huts partially in ground and winters in caves near lakes. Made tools out of bamboo and clay pots to store food. In the hills areas, soil was better for wild plants; large supply of grains and nuts. Lived in shelters of wood and animal skin.
Asia and the Pacific
People lived in deserts and forests. One early culture was the Clovis people. Made spears using better points on wooden shafts. Hunted large ice age animals and smaller animals. Desert people ate rabbits and plants. People who lived in the forest ate nuts and sap. In Mexico people lived in large camps, then divided into smaller camps when food was hard to find.
North America
People migrated to South America from North America. They settled on the coast, Andes mountain range, and the rainforest.
South America
In Tanzania. Famous archeological site where Mary and Louis leaky found bones and tools of early hominids.
Olduvai Gorge
Small river valley in southern chile. Archaeological dating shows that early humans lived there about 12,500 years ago. Important archaeological site. People lived in wood frame-houses covered with animal skins. Each house had a fireplace for cooking. The people ate plants and hunted small animals.
Monte verde
Was one of the world’s first settlements along the Euphrates River. The settlements supported more than 300 people. Formed by hunters and gatherers it was successful because: soil was good for wild plants, and there was a good supply of nuts and grains. Hunters killed migrating animals. Because the food supply was reliable, people stayed.
Abu Hureyra
How did prehistoric people adapt to life?:
- People ate nuts and other food products from the trees, and built shelter from the woods-
- People learned where to find water, lived in caves, and hunted animals that lived in the __________-
- People developed methods for fishing, and built boats for fishing and transportation-
- People hunted herd animals that grazed in the plains and used the bones of animals for food-
- Forests
- Deserts
- Coastal areas
- Savannas
