Chapter 1 - The First Humans and the Paleolithic Era Flashcards
Prehistory - 3500 BCE (30 cards)
What do CE and BCE stand for?
CE - common era
BCE - before the common era
What is prehistory?
Prehistory is history before written records. (Reeeeeally old!)
What do anthropologists study and why?
Anthropologists study artifacts to learn about the cultural aspects of human society.
They usually focus on one society or culture at a time, studying:
- what they wore
- what they ate
- how they learned and created customs they followed
- how they developed languages
What is Archeology?
The study of human history and prehistory through things people made, used, and left behind.
What is a Historian?
A scholar who studies our past, using written records and historic art to find te answers.
When was the Paleolithic Era?
Started 6-7 million years ago
What are Hominids?
The first human-like creatures who had some human attributes, such as the ability to walk upright and opposable thumbs.
What do the names Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo sapiens, and Homo sapien sapiens mean?
Australopithecus - “Southern Ape”
Homo habilis - “able man”
Homo erectus - “upright man”
Homo sapiens - “wise man”
Homo sapiens sapiens - “wise, wise human”
Who is Lucy?
Lucy is a famous Australopithecus hominid. She was discovered in 1974 and changed the way scientists looked at human evolution.
What years were Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Homo sapiens, and Homo sapien sapiens around?
Australopithecus ~ 4 million years ago
Homo habilis ~ 2 million years ago
Homo erectus ~ 1.5 million years ago
Homo sapiens ~ 400, 000 years ago
Homo sapiens sapiens ~ 200, 000 years ago
What do we know about Homo habilis?
Lived ~ 2 million years ago
The name means “able man. ”
A short hominid who lived in East Africa.
They had bigger brains than the Australopithecus.
They were the first hominids to use stone tools.
When did hominids discover fire?
~ 500, 000 years ago
(probably by rubbing 2 sticks together, or making sparks by hitting stones together)
What was the significance of discovering fire?
This would have helped them:
- hunt
- cook
- protect themselves (like from other animals)
- stay warm
Fire also enabled hominids to move to areas with colder climates.
Who are believed to have been the first hominids to leave Africa?
Homo erectus, because they discovered fire.
Are we related to Homo erectus?
No, but we share a common ancestor.
What do we know about Homo erectus?
They lived ~ 1.5 million years ago
The name means “upright man. ”
They were more advanced Hominids.
Even though prev. hominids walked upright, these hominids had longer arms and legs which made them look more like today’s humans.
We are not related to them, but would share a common ancestor.
Probably the first hominids to leave Africa.
They discovered fire!
What do we know about Homo sapiens?
They lived ~ 400, 000 years ago
The name means “wise man. ”
They quickly became the main species.
They made tools from stones, animal bones, and horns.
They used these tools to develop new hunting and farming techniques.
Physically, they looked even closer to what we are today because of their large brains, small jaws, and longer and straighter limbs.
The two types of homo sapiens are neanderthals and homo sapiens sapiens.
Did homo sapiens use tools?
Yes, they made tools from stones, animal bones, and horns.
What do we know about Neanderthals?
They lived in and around present-day Europe and Parts of Turkey.
They likely made clothes out of animal skins to keep warm.
They were the earliest people to bury their dead.
They had large brains but heavier builds which made them slower moving than the homo sapiens sapiens who eventually replaced them.
Were we (the homo sapien sapiens) the first to leave Africa?
No! The Homo erectus were because they discovered fire first.
It is also hypothesized that homo sapiens sapiens moved out of Africa very slowly, only moving two or three miles in a whole generation.
When was the Paleolithic era?
The paleolithic area, or this old Stone Age, spanned about 2,500,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE.
What is a nomad defined as?
A person who has no permanent home and travels to find food.
What did the nomadic lifestyle of the first humans look like?
They had no permanent home and would travel around in small groups to survive, building shelters wherever they went.
They would have followed grazing animals and changed locations based on the growing seasons.
What is the great migration?
The great migration was a time when humans traveled from Africa and began to explore every continent except Antarctica.
They hunted across the continents and found places with fresh water and fertile lands.
The great migration took roughly 1,000,000 years.
