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Humanities 1 > Prehistory and the Birth of Civilization > Flashcards

Prehistory and the Birth of Civilization Flashcards

(60 cards)

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1
Q

What is prehistory?

A

The study of history before the written word

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2
Q

What are geologists?

A

Rock studiers

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3
Q

Paleontologists

A

Study fossils

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4
Q

Anthropologists

A

Study human biology, culture, and society

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5
Q

Archaeologists

A

Study remains of past societies, silly because they could just ride a TARDIS (but are too busy riding Doctors lol)

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6
Q

Ethnographers

A

Study surviving preliterate societies

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7
Q

Where did humans first appear?

A

Africa

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8
Q

What does Paleolithic MEAN?

A

“old stone”

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9
Q

What is a hominid?

A

Any of a family of bipedal primates

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10
Q

What are the two theories for the evolution of the genus homo?

A

Out of Africa theory and multi-regional theory

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11
Q

What does the Out of Africa theory mean?

A

Humans evolved in Africa, then migrated out.

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12
Q

What does the multi-regional theory mean?

A

Humans evolved in many different places and the mingled

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13
Q

Which are the earliest humans?

A

Australopithecus

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14
Q

Which was the first early human to make tools?

A

Homo habilis

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15
Q

What is culture and what represented the beginning of culture in early humans?

A

Culture is the sum total of things that people have invented, developed, and transmitted, and tool making is an early representation

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16
Q

What were ways early humans manipulated nature?

A

Making tools and weapons

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17
Q

Which were the hunter gatherers who made hand axes and other advanced tools?

A

Homo erectus

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18
Q

What are three things fire provided to early humans?

A

Warmth, safety, and the means of cooking food

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19
Q

Where did the human ancestors most similar to us appear?

A

Neander Valley near Germany

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20
Q

What are homo sapiens?

A

“wise man,” self conscious, symbol making human

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21
Q

How are Neanderthals related to modern humans?

A

Now extinct cousins

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22
Q

What are the important characteristics of homo sapiens that set them apart from other humans?

A

Brain size, complex motor capacities of verbal communication and culture

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23
Q

When did Paleolithic culture evolve?

A

The Ice Age

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24
Q

What purposes did tools serve?

A

Increased comfort, safety, and confidence

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25
Where were cave paintings found?
Europe, Africa, Australia, North America
26
What do cave paintings contain?
Animals, birds, fish, hand prints, and symbols
27
What is important about the cave paintings?
They document now-extinct animals and also the culture of hunter-gatherers
28
What is polychrome?
Having many or various colors
29
What materials were used to make cave paintings?
Polychrome mineral pigments- bitumen and burnt coal
30
What scenes did cave paintings frequently depict?
Hunting scenes
31
What was most likely the purpose of cave paintings?
Most likely a hunting ritual
32
What is the main difference between cave paintings and modern art?
Modern art is decorative, and cave paintings served a purpose and were used in rituals
33
What is sympathetic magic?
A method by which one gains power over an object by manipulating its name or image
34
Why was faith in the power to change destiny so important to cave people?
Because controlling nature was crucial to survival.
35
What is a commonly found motif in cave paintings, and what did it most likely represent?
Hand prints represented hunting- hands are tools for hunting
36
What was the role of women in Paleolithic society?
Important; they gathered fruit and berries, healers and nurturers, childbearers, and mother earth
37
Who is Don Johansson?
He discovered Lucy!
38
Describe the Paleolithic Age.
Hunter gatherers, early humans, beginning of culture
39
Describe the Neolithic Age.
Agricultural Revolutions, start of civilization, specialization of labor, home sapiens
40
What changed between the Paleolithic and Neolithic times?
Paleolithic was hunter-gatherer nomads, Neolithic was agricultural civilization
41
What was the specialization of labor and how did it change culture and social class?
Encouraged trade and economic development, which stimulated productivity and encouraged the growth of an urban economy
42
Who is Lucy and why is she important?
The remains of a human found in the 1970's by Don Johansson; she is important because she was the earliest complete skeleton for a long time
43
Who is Mary Leaky and why is she important?
She discovered Turkana Boy.
44
Why do we no longer think Paleolithic people were the hunters and were, in fact, the hunted?
Marks on bones have been found that could not have been made by early humans or their tools
45
How were cave paintings created?
It was a group project. The brushes were made from twigs, moss and fur. Sometimes they blew through tubes.
46
How were cave paintings signed?
Hand prints
47
Who was Turkana Boy?
Most complete early human skeleton ever found, Homo erectus, told us about early human society
48
What were the Agricultural Revolutions?
The transition between foraging and farming.
49
How did farming change the views of people?
More aware of seasons, respect for life giving power, mother Earth, farming cycle associated with life
50
What are megaliths?
Large roughly shaped stone, used in ancient architectural construction
51
What are dolmens?
Stone tomb made of two posts capped by a lintel
52
What is post and lintel?
Two vertical posts topped by a horizontal lintel
53
What is a stele?
The upright stone slab
54
What are some of the possible uses for Stonehenge?
Calendar, tomb, religious site
55
What started civilizations?
Growing villages, surplus food, specialization of labor, trade, new technology (wheel, plow, calendar), irrigation, transportation
56
What does the birth of civilization represent?
The transition of pastoral life to urban life
57
What was the first civilization?
Mesopotamia, developed between Tigris and Euphrates rivers
58
What civilization developed along the Nile and when?
Ancient Egypt, 3500 BCE
59
What civilization developed along the Indus River?
The Indus Valley civilization
60
Where did Chinese civilization develop?
Northern plain along the Yellow River

Humanities 1 (2 decks)

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