Unit 1 Test Flashcards
Prehistory
the period before writing was developed
Archaeology
the study of past societies through an analysis of the items people left behind them
Artifacts
tools, pottery, paintings, weapons, buildings, and household items left behind by early people
Anthropology
the study of human life and culture
Fossil
a remnant or impression of an organism from a part geologic age that had been preserved in the earth’s crust
Radiocarbon Dating
a method of dating organic remains based on their content of carbon 14 (C-14)
Hominid
humans and other humanlike creatures that walk upright
Australopithecus
the earliest humanlike creature that flourished in eastern and southern Africa 3 to 4 million years ago
Homo sapiens sapiens
“wise, wise humans,” a species that appeared in Africa between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago; they were the first anatomically modern humans
Out of Africa Theory
also called the replacement theory; this theory refers to when homo sapien sapiens began spreading out of Africa to other parts of the world about 100,000 years ago and replacing populations of earlier hominids in Europe and Asia
Paleolithic Era
the early part of the Stone Age, when early human beings made chipped-stone tools, from 750,000 to 15,000 years ago (approximately 2,500,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE)
Neolithic Revolution
the latest period of the Stone Age, between about 8000 BCE and 4000 BCE, characterized by the development of systematic agriculture and the use of polished stone tools and weapons
Systematic Agriculture
the keeping of animals and the growing of food on a regular basis
Domestication
adaptation for human use
Mesolithic Age
the middle period of the Stone Age, between the Paleolithic and Neolithic
Irrigation
supplying water to agricultural land by artificial means