From Prehistory to Civilization

Today we looked at a PowerPoint about prehistory and civilization.  Mr. Schick gave us questions, but I'm not going to answer them until I have all my notes with everything.  Here are the notes I have:

• From 3000-12000 BC
• Before Civilization: the Prehistoric Era

• 200,000 years ago a human species emerged in southwestern Africa
• 14,000 years ago, a worldwide human race existed
• prehistory: before things were written down
• Earliest prehistoric age is the Paleolithic age (Old Stone Age)
• Neolithic Age (New Stone Age) was marked by advanced tool making and the beginnings of agriculture
• Initially, humans were parts of migratory groups which hunted, fished and gathered plants for food
• The Agricultural Revolution
• Also known as the Neolithic Revolution, this was a shift from itinerant hunting/gathering to more permanent settlements centered on agriculture (beginning in southwestern Asia)
• Populations rose due to increased ability to care for young children
• Hierarchies appeared in village life; the status of women was lowered as women were confined more to domestic duties
• Invention of wheel and plow made it possible to produce enough food for storage
• Villagers were polytheists, worshipped multiple nature, human and animal gods
• The Earliest Cities: Mesopotamia
• The district known as Sumer occupied the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
• Population increased dramatically due to new irrigation techniques
• Cities and towns were founded, some with as many as 40,000 inhabitants
• better food storage allowed for diversity in professions: priests, tradesmen, artisans, politicians, farmers
• Kings emerged, as did family dynasties and the concept of the “city-state”
• Sumerians invented the earliest form of writing, known as “cuneiform”