Human Origins and Civilization

I. Human Origins
A. What physically makes a primate?
i. Teeth- designed for omnivores (wisdom teeth no longer needed, evolving out)
ii. Brain designed to rely on sight- have color binocular vision
iii. Highly evolved, flexible hands- opposable thumbs
iv. Ability to procreate in most environments- reduced litter size
v. Highly sensitive tactile ability
B. Mary Leakey
i. found first evidence of bipedal footprints from millions of years ago
C. Australophithecines
i. were first classified hominines
D. hominids vs. hominines
i. hominid- a group consisting of all modern and extinct Great Apes
ii. hominin- a group consisting of modern humans, extinct human species, and all our
immediate ancestors
E. Lucy
i. Australopithecus afarensis- most complete and ancient hominid found at the time (1974)
II. Old Stone Age
A. Paleolithic Age
i. means “Old Stone Age” 2.5 million to 8000 BCE
B. Neolithic Age
i. means “New Stone Age” 8000 to 3000 BCE
C. homo habilis
i. first to use stone tools
ii. 2.5 million to about 1.5 million years ago
D. homo erectus
i. 1.6 million years ago to 30,000 BCE
ii. more intelligent, widely traveled, first to use fire, better technology, early language skills
likely
III. Modern Humans
A. homo sapiens
i. Neanderthals
a) 200,000 to 30,000 years ago
b) first to bury dead
c) large brain cavity- able to problem solve
d) likely died out through combination of interbreeding, war, and lack of food
ii. Cro-Magnons/ homo sapiens sapiens
a) 40,000 years ago to present
b) most like modern humans
c) able to plan ahead, allowing for larger populations
d) developed more advanced language for cooperation
IV.Technology and Art
A. Nomads
i. people who wander from place to place
ii. need tools and homes to be mobile
iii. Hunter-gatherers
a) nomadic people who constantly forage for plants and hunt animals to survive
 B. Paleolithic Art
i. cave drawings from charcoal, blood, and mud
ii. jewelry made of animal parts, seashells
V. Neolithic Revolution
A. really an agricultural revolution
i. prehistoric shift in human activity from hunting and gathering to agriculture resulting in
human settlements
B. many factors
i. rising temperatures made planting easier
ii. higher populations required less movement
iii. observation of surroundings brought new knowledge of plants and animals
C. slash-and-burn farming
i. ashes from burned areas fertilized soil
ii. farmers plant for 1-2 years, move on, come back when natural plants regrow
D. domesticating animals
i. hunters use knowledge of animal movements to begin taming them
ii. started by herding animals into kill zones, then eventually to boxing them in
VI. Villages Grow
A. as farming and domesticating increase, cultures develop
B. the areas this happened in are known as cultural hearths
i. Africa- Nile River Valley
ii. China- Huang He River
iii. India- Ganges and Indus Rivers
iv. Middle East- Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
C. each area specialized in certain crops, depending on the climate
VII. Villages become Cities
A. as populations continued to increase, society became more complex
B. irrigation developed in order to cultivate more crops to support higher populations
i. led to surplus food, allowing people to develop new skills, including pottery, metal
working, and weaving
a) people began trading goods and services
ii. new inventions like the wheel and sail allow trade between villages
C. social changes result as people develop new skills
i. classes depending on labor groups appear with varying wealth, power, and influence
D. religious beliefs begin to develop, usually centering on nature, animal spirits, and an idea of
the afterlife
i. people develop gods for rain, wind, etc to explain events and worship to prevent bad
things from happening
a) these develop into the first rituals, which later become traditions
VIII. Civilization
A. definition: a society characterized by established cities, specialized labor, complex
institutions, written records, and advanced technology
B. Characteristics of a civilization (first was Sumer in Mesopotamia)
i. advanced cities
a) cities are different from villages in both population and if the city is a center of trade
for a larger area
ii. specialized workers
a) ie: traders, government officials, priests, artisans-- allow for trade
iii. complex institutions
 a) government- a long lasting pattern of organization in a community
b) religion- developed temples dedicated to a widely recognized deity or deities
• temples became focus for economy and government
iv. record keeping
a) writing systems developed (most significant sign of advanced civilization)
• governments began collecting taxes and keeping records
• priests kept track of yearly religious ceremonies
• merchants kept track of sales and kept accounts for debts and payments
b) around 3000 BCE, Sumerian scribes developed cuneiform (means wedge shaped)
• earlier forms of writing involved pictographs
• cuneiform was written on wet clay tablets with a stylus, then baked in the sun to
make permanent
c) soon people began writing things other than records- poems, stories, etc
v. advanced technology
a) irrigation and new plows were necessary to support large populations
b) around 3500 BCE Sumerians developed a potters wheel to make jugs, plates, and
bowls
c) around 3000 BCE Sumerian metalworkers discovered how to make bronze, which
was a stronger metal than anything they had made before
• the time in the world varied, but in Sumer the Bronze Age began in 3000 BCE
and ended around 1500 BCE
IX. Civilization in Ur
A. Ur- one of the earliest cities in Sumer
i. flourishing by 3000 BCE
ii. highly evolved, with complex levels of society
a) priests at top
iii. started with stone tools, developed more advanced technology as time passed
iv. houses were mostly made of mud
v. bronze is eventually created and made into tools and weapons
a) weapons are given to well organized armies capable of defending the city
vi. money not yet invented, so barter system is in place
vii. center of life is massive temple
a) pyramid shaped with steps carved in
b) called a ziggurat, or mountain of god
c) sacrifices took place here and the temple had massive storage areas for offerings of
grain, fabrics, and gems