Digging Up the Past
What is a human-made object from the past called?
Artifact
From which continent did early humans originally migrate?
Africa
What do we call people who move from place to place?
Nomads
What term means the very large animals that lived during prehistoric times?
Megafauna
What type of source was created by someone who actually lived during the time being studied?
Primary source
What is the preserved remains or evidence of an organism that lived long ago?
Fossil
Where did Paleolithic people migrate after leaving Africa?
Southwest Asia
Why were Paleolithic people nomads?
They followed animals they hunted for food.
Name one example of a megafauna
Woolly mammoth OR saber-toothed cat
Is a Paleolithic cave painting a primary or secondary source?
Primary source
Which scientist studies the cultures and ways of life of people?
Anthropologist
What land bridge connected Siberia to North America?
Beringia / the Bering Land Bridge
Paleolithic cave art often told stories about what important activity?
Hunting for food
What happened during the Ice Age that made migration from Siberia to North America possible?
A land bridge was exposed/created.
Why are primary sources useful to historians?
They provide information/descriptions from people who lived through the events or time period.
Which scientist studies past human life by examining artifacts?
Archaeologist
According to the migration map, which continent did Paleolithic people reach last?
South America
What term describes people who survive by hunting animals and gathering wild plants?
Hunter-gatherers
What is one theory for why megafauna became extinct around 11,000 years ago?
The Ice Age began to end/climate changed.
A modern textbook about Paleolithic people is what type of source?
Secondary source
Explain the difference between a fossil and an artifact.
A fossil is the remains/evidence of a once-living organism; an artifact is an object made by humans.
Why did changing climate encourage Paleolithic people to migrate out of Africa?
They searched for areas with better conditions/resources for survival.
Why would following animal herds make permanent settlements difficult for Paleolithic people?
The animals moved, so people had to move with them to maintain their food supply.
How could the end of the Ice Age affect both megafauna and humans?
Changing climate altered habitats, food/water supplies, and migration patterns.
Why were many early farming villages established in the Fertile Crescent?
It had fertile, flat floodplains along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.