6th - SS Chapter 1 Early People Notes Revised Flashcards
(27 cards)
Where does archaeological evidence indicate that human life begin?
Africa
What type of objects do archaeologists study to learn about the past?
Fossils and artifacts
What techniques do geologist use to determine the age of fossils?
Layering, radioactive dating and DNA analysis
What are some objects that give us clues to human prehistory?
Arrowheads - used for hunting and Stone tools - used for chopping and cutting.
What did Mary and Louis Leakey discover in 1959?
The first evidence that human life began in Africa.
What did Donald Johanson’s discover in 1974?
The first of hundreds of bone fragments that made up Lucy.
What did Michael Brunet discover in 2001?
He found a 7 million year old humanoid skull in Chad
What did Tim White discover in 2009?
Ardi, the skeleton of a female 1.2 million years older than Lucy
Discoveries such as Lucy and Ardi have led most scientists to conclude that humankind began when and where?
In East Africa about 4.5 million years ago
Who disagrees with human life began in East Africa and why?
Michael Brunet - he believes it began in Central Africa and found a skull that supports this.
Is the study of the past complete?
No, there are many questions that still exist about the beginning of human life.
What allowed early humans to survive and grow?
The development of technology - tools and skills used to meet their needs and wants
When did both modern humans and Neanderthals’s appear?
Late in the Stone Age
When did humans first start to make stone tools?
2.5 million years ago
What is this period called when humans first began making stone tools?
Paleolithic Era, or Old Stone Age
The development of ____________ allowed hunter-gatherer societies to survive.
New skills
What happened as toolmakers became more skillful?
The stone blades became thinner and sharper and they began using bones and antlers to make weapons too
What were some of the different uses for fire?
- Light on dark nights
- Cooking
- Warmth - could live in colder places
- Protection - scare off dangerous animals
- FREEDOM - no longer restricted in his movement to a limited range of climates and his activities not determined by the sun’s light.
Stone Age hunter-gatherers lived in small groups called?
Bands - usually 10 to 12 adults
Where did these bands of nomads find shelter?
In caves or temporary huts built out of branches or tents from animal skins.
Who were the two groups of larger-brained humans that developed at the end of the Paleolithic (Stone) Era?
Neanderthals and Homo sapiens (Humans)
What are some characters of Neanderthals’?
- First appeared about 200,000 years ago
- Had short, sturdy skeletons
- Had only very simple language skills
- Made NO Art or music
- Had simple burial practices
What are some characteristics of Homo sapiens (Humans)?
- First appeared about 100,000 years ago
- Had taller, slimmer bodies
- Had complex language skills
- Made art and music
- Had more complex burial practices
What are some of the common characteristics of the Neanderthals and Humans?
- Made hunting tools
- Used fire
- Buried their dead
- Had large brains
- Lived in the same regions about 30,000 to 40,000 years ago
