Questions and Answers
What are artifacts?
What is culture?
A people's unique way of life
What are hominids?
Humans and other creatures that walk upright
What is the Paleolithic Age?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the Neolithic Age?
Signup and view all the answers
What is technology?
Signup and view all the answers
What are Homo sapiens?
Signup and view all the answers
Who are nomads?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the Neolithic Revolution?
Signup and view all the answers
What is slash and burn farming?
Signup and view all the answers
What is domestication?
Signup and view all the answers
What are the five characteristics of a civilization?
Signup and view all the answers
Who are artisans?
Signup and view all the answers
Who are scribes?
Signup and view all the answers
What is cuneiform?
Signup and view all the answers
What is the Bronze Age?
Signup and view all the answers
What is Ur?
Signup and view all the answers
What is barter?
Signup and view all the answers
What is a ziggurat?
Signup and view all the answers
Study Notes
Human Origins Key Terms
- Artifacts: Human-made objects such as tools and jewelry that provide insight into past cultures.
- Culture: The unique way of life of different peoples, including their customs, beliefs, and practices.
- Hominids: A group that includes humans and other upright-walking creatures, essential for understanding human evolution.
Stone Age Periods
- Paleolithic Age: The earlier part of the Stone Age, lasting from approximately 2.5 million to 8,000 B.C., characterized by the use of simple stone tools.
- Neolithic Age: The later portion of the Stone Age, occurring from 8,000 B.C. to around 3,000 B.C., marked by advancements in agriculture and the development of more complex societies.
Key Developments
- Technology: Refers to the application of knowledge, tools, and inventions by humans to fulfill their necessities and improve living standards.
- Homo sapiens: The species name for modern humans, highlighting the evolutionary advancement from earlier hominids.
Lifestyle and Economic Changes
- Nomads: Highly mobile groups that traveled from location to location to find new food sources, significant in the understanding of early human societies.
- Neolithic Revolution: A significant shift from food-gathering to food-producing practices that began around 10,000 years ago, leading to the establishment of settled communities.
Agricultural Practices
- Slash and Burn Farming: An agricultural method that involves cutting trees or grasses and burning them to clear fields, enriching the soil with ash for crop growth.
- Domestication: The process of taming animals for human use, critical to the development of agriculture.
Characteristics of Civilization
- Five Characteristics of a Civilization: Key features include advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technology that define organized societies.
Social and Economic Roles
- Artisans: Skilled individuals who manufacture goods by hand, contributing to the economy and culture of their communities.
- Scribes: Professional record keepers responsible for documenting transactions, events, and important information in society.
Writing and Metal Ages
- Cuneiform: An early writing system developed by the Sumerians, essential for record keeping and administration.
- Bronze Age: A historical period marked by the use of bronze for tools and weapons instead of copper and stone, indicating advancements in technology.
Notable Early Cities
- Ur: One of the earliest known cities in Sumer, providing evidence of urban development and complex society.
- Barter: A method of trading goods and services directly without the use of money, highlighting the economic practices of early civilizations.
Architectural Features
- Ziggurat: A pyramid-shaped structure that served as a temple and symbolized the connection between the gods and the people, indicating religious practices in ancient societies.
Studying That Suits You
Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.
Description
This quiz covers key terms and concepts related to human origins as presented in Chapter 1. Learn important vocabulary such as artifacts, culture, and the distinctions between the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages. Perfect for students studying anthropology or early human history.