Early Humans & Migration
What is migration?
The movement of people from one place to another.
What does the word nomadic mean?
Moving from place to place instead of living in one permanent settlement.
What is domestication?
The process of raising and breeding plants or animals for human use.
What are the two major rivers associated with ancient Mesopotamia?
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
What is a social hierarchy or social class?
A system that organizes people into different levels based on their roles, power or social status.
Which continent is believed to be the original home of early humans?
Africa.
Name two materials early humans could use to construct temporary shelters.
Branches, grasses, animal skins or other locally available materials.
What is a food surplus?
Extra food remaining after people's immediate needs have been met.
Why was access to river water especially important for farming in Mesopotamia?
The region received limited rainfall, so farmers depended on river water to grow their crops.
How did merchants help spread more than just goods between early civilizations?
As merchants traveled and traded, they also shared ideas, knowledge, and cultural practices.
How could following animal herds help early humans survive during migration?
Animals provided a moving food source, so following herds helped early humans find food.
How did early humans use natural resources to develop technology that helped them obtain food?
They used materials such as stone and wood to create tools and weapons for hunting and preparing food.
How did the development of farming change where many early humans lived?
It allowed them to establish permanent settlements near their farmland.
What is irrigation, and why would farmers living in a dry region need it?
Irrigation is supplying water to crops. It helps farmers grow crops when rainfall is insufficient.
Why did some early civilizations need to trade with distant communities?
They needed resources that were unavailable or scarce in their own region.
During a period of lower sea levels, some areas of land that had been underwater became exposed. How could this affect human migration?
Exposed land could connect areas, creating routes that early humans could travel.
An archaeologist discovers sharp stone tools near animal bones. What can the archaeologist reasonably conclude?
Early humans likely used tools to hunt, butcher or prepare animals for food.
Put these developments in the correct order: larger settlements, food surplus, improved farming, population growth.
Improved farming → food surplus → population growth → larger settlements.
A river floods and leaves behind a layer of nutrient-rich soil. Explain how this could benefit nearby communities.
The fertile soil could improve harvests, helping communities produce more food.
An archaeologist discovers a clay tablet documenting the exchange of grain. What two characteristics of civilization does this artifact demonstrate?
Writing or recordkeeping and economic activity such as trade.
Name the ways early hunter-gatherers used fire.
warmth, light, cooking, protection, and language development while chatting around the fire
A hunter-gatherer community notices that the animals it hunts have become scarce. What decision would help the community survive? Explain how this decision demonstrates the relationship between early humans and their environment.
The community could migrate to an area with more animals and other food sources. This demonstrates that hunter-gatherers depended on their environment and moved when resources became scarce.
A community develops improved farming methods and produces more food than it needs. Explain how this could change the jobs people perform.
Because fewer people would need to produce food, others could become craftspeople, merchants or other specialized workers.
A settlement is located near a river but experiences very little rainfall. Identify one geographic advantage and one challenge of its location. Explain how people might address the challenge.
The river provides water for farming. Limited rainfall makes agriculture difficult, so people could construct irrigation canals to carry water to their fields.
Explain TWO ways a surplus of crops helped early settlements grow into civilizations.
Population growth: Extra food allowed communities to feed more people, causing populations to increase.
Permanent settlements: A reliable food supply allowed people to remain in one location instead of constantly searching for food.
Job specialization: Because there was enough food, not everyone needed to farm. People could become craftspeople, merchants or other specialized workers.
Growth of cities: As populations increased, small farming villages could expand into larger settlements and cities.
Increased trade: Communities could exchange their extra crops for resources and goods they did not have.
Development of government: Growing populations and increasingly complex communities needed leaders to organize resources, establish rules and manage society.