PLEASE DO NOT WRITE ON THIS PACKET OR TAKE IT FROM THE CLASSROOM!! 1 Chapter One—Ancient Civilizations Section One—How Civilization Began the Paleolithic Era Unlike modern humans, early people who lived in the Paleolithic Era did not live in cities. These people did not know how to plant seeds to make food grow, and were not capable of taming wild animals to raise for food. As a result, they were nomads who had to be able to move around wherever food could be obtained. Since they had to be ready to follow the animals they hunted or to go where wild plants could be found, these early humans could not accumulate very many possessions or build permanent structures. They also had to spend most of their time hunting or gathering food, so they had little time to spare to make art or create a system of writing. How Historians Know If these people lived so long ago, and had no system of writing, how do historians know anything about them? Historians and archaeologists dig for artifacts left by early people, and then make inferences about their lives based on these primary sources. In reference to later time periods, historians will combine what they can find out from artifacts with information from other types of written primary sources. Some of the primary sources they use include diaries, newspapers, government records, and eyewitness accounts. Historians then use the information they obtain from primary sources to create secondary sources, such as History books and documentaries. the Neolithic Revolution Around 10,000 BCE, people in the Arabian peninsula began to figure out that they could plant seeds to grow food. They also learned to domesticate, or tame, animals. This development is called the Neolithic Revolution. Gradually, this new method of food production began to spread, and the people who adopted agriculture no longer had to worry about wandering around to find food. As a result, they could stay in one place and build permanent structures. This discovery of agriculture is what allowed civilization to begin. The Paleolithic Era was a time period from about 2.6 million years ago to 10,000 BCE during which humans began to use stone tools. ‘Paleolithic’ literally means ‘old stone age.’ Nomads are people who do not live in a permanent spot and instead move from place to place. Artifacts are everyday objects left behind by historical people, which historians use to make inferences about their lives. Primary sources are historical sources that come from the time period being studied. Examples include artifacts, diaries, newspapers, government records, and eyewitness accounts. Secondary sources are historical sources written by historians based on what they have learned from various primary sources. Examples include History books and historical documentaries. illustration of Paleolithic blades The Neolithic Era has different dates for different civilizations, because each discovered agriculture at a different time. Approximate dates for this period are 10,000 BCE— 3000 BCE. Chapter One—Ancient Civilizations; Section One—How Civilization Began 1.1
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1
Chapter One—Ancient Civilizations
Section One—How Civilization Began the Paleolithic Era Unlike modern humans, early people
who lived in the Paleolithic Era did not live in cities. These
people did not know how to plant seeds to make food
grow, and were not capable of taming wild animals to
raise for food. As a result, they were nomads who had to
be able to move around wherever food could be
obtained. Since they had to be ready to follow the
animals they hunted or to go where wild plants could be
found, these early humans could not accumulate very
many possessions or build permanent structures. They also
had to spend most of their time hunting or gathering food,
so they had little time to spare to make art or create a
system of writing.
How Historians Know If these people lived so long
ago, and had no system of
writing, how do historians
know anything about them?
Historians and archaeologists
dig for artifacts left by early
people, and then make
inferences about their lives
based on these primary sources. In reference to later time
periods, historians will combine what they can find out
from artifacts with information from other types of written
primary sources. Some of the primary sources they use
include diaries, newspapers, government records, and
eyewitness accounts. Historians then use the information
they obtain from primary sources to create secondary
sources, such as History books and documentaries.
the Neolithic Revolution Around 10,000 BCE, people in the Arabian peninsula began to figure out that they could
plant seeds to grow food. They also learned to
domesticate, or tame, animals. This development is called
the Neolithic Revolution. Gradually, this new method of
food production began to spread, and the people who
adopted agriculture no longer had to worry about
wandering around to find food. As a result, they could
stay in one place and build permanent structures. This
discovery of agriculture is what allowed civilization to
begin.
The Paleolithic Era was a
time period from about 2.6
million years ago to 10,000
BCE during which humans
began to use stone tools.
‘Paleolithic’ literally means
‘old stone age.’
Nomads are people who
do not live in a permanent
spot and instead move
from place to place.
Artifacts are everyday
objects left behind by
historical people, which
historians use to make
inferences about their lives.
Primary sources are
historical sources that
come from the time period
being studied. Examples
include artifacts, diaries,
newspapers, government
records, and eyewitness
accounts.
Secondary sources are
historical sources written by
historians based on what
they have learned from
various primary sources.
Examples include History
books and historical
documentaries.
illustration of Paleolithic blades
The Neolithic Era has
different dates for different
civilizations, because each
discovered agriculture at a
different time.
Approximate dates for this
period are 10,000 BCE—
3000 BCE.
Chapter O
ne—Ancient C
iviliza
tions; S
ection One—How Civiliza
tion Began
1.1
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2
1.1
Accounting for Dates in History ‘BC’ stands for ‘before Christ’ and ‘AD’ stands for ‘anno Domini,’ or ‘the year of our
Lord.’ These abbreviations have been used for a long time to
account for time when studying history.
BC dates are telling us how many years before the birth of Christ
something happened, so they count down, like negative
numbers. For example, 4000 BC stands for 4000 years before
Christ, so it is longer ago than 3000 years before Christ.
AD dates are telling us how many years after the birth of Christ
something happened, so AD dates count forward, like positive
numbers.
Recently, some scholars have suggested that the use of the BC/
AD system is ethnocentric, since not all people in the world are
Christian. So now, instead of BC and AD, historians have begun
using BCE & CE. ‘BCE’ stands for ‘before common era’ and
‘CE’ stands for ‘common era.’ BCE dates count down and CE
dates count forward. Also, if a date is mentioned without ‘BCE’
or ‘CE’ written after it, it is assumed that it is a CE date.
The Features of Civilization Once people had discovered agriculture, they could stay in one place, and did not have to
devote all their time to finding food. This allowed civilizations to
develop. All civilizations share the following eight features:
Cities People began to live in larger settlements. Most early
cities were situated near a river or other large water source.
1000
BCE
BCE dates count down,
like negative numbers.
2000
BCE
3000
BCE
4000
BCE
1
CE
2000
CE
1000
CE
CE dates count forward,
like positive numbers.
Ethnocentrism refers to
the study of history
from the point of view
of a particular ethnic
or cultural group. For
example, people of
European descent
who studied only the
history of Europe while
ignoring the history of
the rest of the world
would be considered
ethnocentric.
Chapter One—Ancient Civilizations; Section One—How Civilization Began
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3
Job Specialization In the Paleolithic Era, each person or family
took care of most every task themselves. In cities, individuals
would do one or two tasks that they were good at (such as
baking, shoemaking, carpentry, etc.) and then trade with
others to get what they needed.
Social Classes Different groups, or social classes, usually
based on occupation, formed within early cities. Each social
class had its own privileges and obligations.
Writing Early civilizations
needed to be able to keep
records, so systems of writing
developed. Most early systems
of writing used pictographs.
Because of these complex
systems, it was difficult and time
-consuming to learn to read &
write. Very few people were
literate, and scribes usually
enjoyed high social status.
Complex Religion Most early civilizations’ religions were
polytheistic.
Centralized Government Governments originally developed
to make sure that food and water were distributed fairly, then
began to perform other functions, such as keeping order and
protecting property.
Public Works Governments would pay for large projects, such
as roads, dams, and irrigation systems, that would benefit
everyone.
Arts & Architecture
Permanent structures
were now more
practical since people
were no longer
wandering around in
search of food. Also,
individuals did not need
to spend all their time
looking for food, so they
had extra time to
create artworks for
purely aesthetic
reasons.
Sumerian tablet
with cuneiform writing
from a Sumerian banner
Pictographs are
symbols which stand
for a word or an idea.
As there is a different
symbol for every word,
alphabets which use
pictographs can have
thousands of
characters.
Polytheistic religions
have many gods.
Root words: poly—
many; the—god(s).
Public works are
structures paid for by
the government that
everyone can use.
The main purpose of
an item created for
aesthetic reasons is
simply to be beautiful.
Chapter O
ne—Ancient C
iviliza
tions; S
ection One—How Civiliza
tion Began
1.1
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