History and Human Evolution Unit 1

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Study Notes

History systematically studies recorded human past while pre-history examines the distant past.
Archaeology focuses on fossils, which are remains of humans, animals, and plants.

Understanding the past aids in comprehending the present and forecasting the future.
It helps in recognizing national and international issues, including nationalism.
Develops research and critical thinking skills.

Historiography studies how knowledge of the past is acquired and communicated.
The oldest written records date back to around 1000 BC in China.
Key figures include Herodotus (father of history), Thucydides (critical historian), and Leopold von Ranke (father of modern historiography).
Ethiopia features an indigenous tradition of history writing known as chronicles.
Historical interpretation involves describing, analyzing, evaluating, and explaining past events.
Historians should strive to remain unbiased.

Primary sources are more reliable than secondary sources.
General sources of Ethiopian history include fossils, inscriptions, codes of law, ruins, chronicles, and letters.
These sources were produced in languages such as Sabean, Ge'ez, Amharic, Arabic, and Greek.
Oral traditions reflect information passed down verbally.

Dating expresses the timeline of historical events and determines the chronological sequence.
Notable events include the Battle of Adwa on March 1, 1896, and the inauguration of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on April 2, 2011.
Time units include decades (10 years), centuries (100 years), and millennia (1000 years).
Chronology refers to the sequence of events over time.

The Gregorian Calendar tracks time based on the birth of Jesus Christ, denoted by BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini).
The Islamic Calendar tracks time relative to Hejira (migration of Prophet Muhammad), using BH (Before Hejira) and AH (After Hejira).
Hejira occurred in 622 AD.

Select a topic, gather diverse sources, interpret these sources, and write an accurate historical account.

Creationist view: humans were created by God.
Scientific view: humans evolved from lower beings through a gradual natural process as described by Charles Darwin (1809-1882).

Sahelanthropus Tchadensis: 6-7 million years old, discovered in 2001 in Chad.
Ardipithecus Ramidus: 4.7 million years old, discovered in 1994 in Afar.
Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy): 3.18 million years old, discovered in 1974 in Afar.
Australopithecus africanus: 2.5 million years old, discovered in 1924 in Taung.