Archaeology
What is an artifact?
An artifact is anything made and used by humans.
What does it mean to be a hunter-gatherer?
It means surviving by hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants for food.
The Agricultural Revolution
Name 2 things needed to be a civilization.
cities, government, religion, art, writing, social structures
What is one form of Stone Age art?
Cave paintings
How do archaeologists learn about early humans?
They excavate sites and analyze artifacts and fossils.
What is the name of the era when humans first began making tools from stone?
the Paleolithic Era or Old Stone Age
How did agriculture change human life?
It allowed people to settle in one place and develop permanent homes.
Around which landform did the earliest civilizations develop?
rivers
What evidence suggests early humans cared about each other?
Burial practices.
Name one method of dating fossils.
Comparing objects found in similar layers of rock or soil, carbon dating, radioactive dating, dna
What adaptation allowed early humans to live in colder climates?
What is domestication?
The process of changing the growth of plants or behavior of animals for human use.
Why did early civilizations develop around rivers?
Fertile soil, crop irrigation, drinking water, transportation, trade
What is the belief that natural objects and animals have spirits?
Animism
What important discovery did hikers make in Italy in 1991?
The mummified body of Otzi.
According to most scientists, where is the origin of human life?
East Africa
What are some benefits of farming compared to hunting and gathering?
less land used, more food produced, permanent homes and villages, lighter clothing made from cotton, wool, etc.
Name an early civilization.
Indus, Egypt, Sumer, China
What groups of people were at the top of social classes in early civilizations?
Priests and rulers
What significant discovery did Donald Johanson make in 1974?
The skeleton of a female hominin named "Lucy".
Explain how humans were able to spread to Australia and the Americas.
Ocean levels went down as water was trapped in glaciers during the Ice Age. Humans could then walk across land to Australia and the Americas.
What allowed some people to specialize in different jobs?
Food surplus
What were the two most powerful forces in early civilizations?
Religion and Government
Why did early humans create art?
To express beliefs, honor animals, or perhaps give them power during hunts