Untitled Quiz

Key Terms and Concepts

• Artifact: Human-made objects like tools and jewelry that provide insights into past cultures.
• Culture: The unique way of life of a people, encompassing customs, beliefs, and practices.
• Hominid: Refers to humans and other upright-walking creatures, marking an evolutionary stage.
• Paleolithic Age: Known as the Old Stone Age, lasting from approximately 2.5 million years ago to 8000 B.C.
• Neolithic Age: The New Stone Age, starting around 8000 B.C. and ending around 3000 B.C., characterized by advancements in agriculture and tool-making.

Development of Society

• Technology: The application of knowledge and tools to fulfill human needs, pivotal in early human progress.
• Homo Sapiens: The species name for modern humans meaning "Wise Men," noted for larger brain size compared to earlier hominids.
• Nomad: Highly mobile groups that migrate in search of food sources.
• Hunter-Gatherer: Nomadic groups reliant on hunting animals and gathering plants for sustenance.

Agricultural Transformation

• Neolithic Revolution: The significant transition from hunting-gathering to farming, also known as the Agricultural Revolution.
• Slash-and-Burn Farming: An agricultural method that involves clearing land by cutting and burning vegetation.
• Domestication: The process of taming wild animals for human utility, crucial for agricultural societies.

Characteristics of Civilization

• Civilization: Complex cultures defined by advanced cities, specialized workers, institutions, record-keeping, and technology.
• Specialization: The development of specific skills in particular trades or crafts.
• Artisan: Skilled individuals who produce handmade goods.

Writing and Record-Keeping

• Institution: Established patterns of organization in societies, including government and religious practices.
• Scribe: Professional record keepers who documented events, transactions, and cultural lore.
• Cuneiform: A wedge-shaped writing system developed by Sumerian scribes that utilized pictographs.

Historical Milestones

• Bronze Age: Began around 3000 B.C. in Sumer with the advent of bronze tools and weapons, replacing stone and copper.
• Barter: The system of trading goods and services without currency.
• Ziggurat: A tiered temple structure used for religious worship, meaning "Mountain of God."

Early Hominids and Discoveries

• Homo Erectus: Known as 'upright man', lived about 1.6 million years ago, demonstrating early technology and migration from Africa.
• Catal Huyuk: One of the oldest known settlements, inhabited around 72,000 years ago, notable for mud brick houses and farming.
• Ur: A prominent Sumerian city-state with a class system, religious structures, and advanced irrigation.
• Homo Habilis: The species name meaning 'Man of Skill', lived approximately 2.5 million years ago with evidence of tool use.

Notable Finds and Theories

• Prehistoric: The era before writing, roughly 5000 years ago, indicating early human life.
• Lucy: A significant fossil of a female hominid discovered in Ethiopia, highlighting early human evolution.
• Irrigation: Techniques in agriculture involving the diversion of water to support crop growth.
• Leakey's: The renowned anthropologist couple who made groundbreaking discoveries about early human ancestors.

Neanderthals and Related Findings

• Shanidar Cave: An archaeological site in Iraq indicating Neanderthal burial practices, suggesting concepts of an afterlife.
• Neanderthal: An ancient human species that lived between 200,000 and 30,000 years ago, recognized for intelligence and social behavior.
• Cro-Magnon: Identical to modern humans, appearing around 40,000 years ago, possessing advanced tools and organized hunting strategies.

Evolution of Early Hominids

• Australopithecines: A group of early hominids notable for bipedalism.
• Olduvai Gorge: The discovery location for the first Homo Habilis remains, showcasing early tool usage.
• Ice Man: The well-preserved body of Otsi, who died around 5,000 years ago in the Alps, providing valuable insights into early human life.