Early Human History

From the Beginning of Time

• Modern humans originated in Africa about 160,000 years ago.
• Fossils are remains of ancient life preserved in rocks.
• Olduvai Gorge in East Africa is significant for evidence of early human evolution.
• Early humans were hunter-gatherers, relying on wild plants and animals for sustenance.
• Stone, bone, and wood were used to make tools to assist early humans in hunting and gathering.
• The Neolithic Revolution marks the transition to settled agriculture around 10,000 BCE.
• Bipedalism, walking on two feet, is a key evolutionary trait of hominins.
• Fire provided warmth, protection, and cooked food for early humans.
• Hominins include modern humans and their ancestors.
• Cave paintings possibly served religious or communication purposes.

Writing and City Life

• The earliest cities emerged in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq).
• Temples in Mesopotamian cities were hubs for economic, social, and religious activities.
• Cuneiform is the earliest known writing system, originating in Mesopotamia.
• Writing aided Mesopotamian society through administration, record-keeping, and literature.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh stands as one of the earliest known literary works from Mesopotamia.

An Empire Across Three Continents

• This theme refers to the Roman Empire.
• The Roman Empire spanned Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia.
• Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire.
• Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman instrumental in the fall of the Roman Republic.
• Economic issues, invasions, and internal conflicts contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire.

The Central Islamic Lands

• Prophet Muhammad founded Islam.
• Sunni and Shia are the two primary sects within Islam.
• Damascus was the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate.
• Mecca is considered the holiest city in Islam.
• The House of Wisdom in Baghdad was a major intellectual center during the Abbasid Caliphate.

Nomadic Empires

• Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire.
• Karakorum served as the capital of the Mongol Empire.
• Pax Mongolica refers to a period of stability and trade expansion under Mongol rule.
• Mongols were primarily pastoral nomads.
• The Yam, an efficient postal relay system, was used by the Mongols for communication purposes.

The Three Orders

• Medieval European society was divided into the clergy, nobility, and peasantry.
• Feudalism was a system of land ownership and duty in medieval Europe.
• The Church dominated religious and political life in medieval Europe.
• Serfs were peasants bound to the land under feudal lords.
• Monasteries preserved knowledge and were centers of learning.

Changing Cultural Traditions

• The Renaissance was a cultural movement emphasizing humanism, art, and science.
• Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.
• The Reformation was a movement challenging the Catholic Church, leading to Protestantism.
• Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press.
• Humanism is a Renaissance philosophy focusing on human potential and achievements.

Confrontation of Cultures

• The Columbian Exchange involved the transfer of goods, diseases, and cultures between the Old and New Worlds.
• Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec Empire.
• European colonization led to massive population decline among Native Americans due to disease and warfare.

The Industrial Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution began in Britain.
• The steam engine was a crucial invention powering industrial machinery.

Displacing Indigenous Peoples

• Indigenous people in North America and Australia were displaced because of European colonization.

Paths to Modernisation

• Japan and China are the two Asian countries examined in this theme.
• The Meiji Restoration was Japan’s modernization and industrialization movement.