In the following essay, I will explain what evidence scientists use to study the life of humans before written history was developed. In addition I will explain how the Cro-Magnon people differ from the H.Erectus. Also, I will explain what great change came in the Neolithic period, and why it was so important. Moreover, I will list and explain the five characteristics of civilization, and explain what different kinds of activity went on in Sumer. Scientists usually use written documents in order to figure out what has happened in the past, but when scientists try to explore one specific period of time in which written documents, were not yet developed, they face special challenges. What scientists do in these special circumstances is …show more content…
to call in archeologists, which are people who study the past by looking at remains and artifacts found that relate to that specific time period. What archeologists do is to try to find remains and artifacts relating to that specific time period, and then research those artifacts in order to find out what happened in and around that time period. For example, if one of the artifacts an archeologist finds is bones, he can then tell what the people looked like, how tall they were, what kind of food they ate, how long they lived, and the possible diseases they might have had. Anthropologists study culture, and by studying the artifacts archeologists have dug up, they can tell how people’s cultural behavior was during that time period. Paleontologists also contribute to the evidence scientists use to study the life of humans before written history was developed, by studying fossils , which is evidence of earlier life preserved in rocks. Examples of fossils are teeth, skulls, and other types of bones. By studying these fossils, paleontologists can determine the date and time these fossils belong to. Archeologists, Anthropologists, Paleonthologists, as well as many other scientists, work as a squad, in order to make new discoveries as to how prehistoric people lived. The Cro-Magnon people differ from the H.Erectus in a plentiful amount of ways. First off, H.Erectus appeared before the Cro-Magnon and were the first hominids to migrate from Africa. Fossils and stone tools show that groups of H.Erectus hunters settled in India, Southeast Asia, Europe and China. In addition, according to anthropologists, H.Erectus were the first people to use fire. The ability to use fire was an amazing advantage in favor of the H.Erectus. It helped them in so many ways, such as using it in cold climates to keep warm, cooking food, and scaring off attacking animals. It also probably helped them settle new lands. H.Erectus also may have been the first to develop the beginnings of spoken language. This is another advantage in favor towards the H.Erectus. Due to being able to communicate to one another, teamwork was involved a lot, such as in planning hunts, and cooperating in other tasks. They also probably started to name places, objects, animals, and plants, as well as being able to exchange ideas. The Cro-Magnon on the other hand, are identical to modern humans, while the H.Erectus were not. The Cro-Magnon were strong and about five and one half feet tall. The Cro-Magnon also migrated like the H.Erectus and were believed to migrate from North Africa to Europe and Asia. The Cro-Magnon were smarter than the H.Erectus, and have planned and executed their hunts in a more strategical and smarter way. They stalked their prey, studied the habits of animals, and therefore survived more easily. Their elaborate and advanced skill in spoken language has also helped them to plan and accomplish difficult projects. The Cro-Magnon did everything the H.Erectus did in a more efficient and elaborate way, and more. There were great changes that came in the Neolithic period and these changes were extremely important.
These great changes were the start of agriculture and the start of animal domestication. The start of agriculture was a major factor in the improvement of civilization. Due to agriculture, women didn’t have to keep searching for fruits, berries, roots, and grasses, like they usually did. Scientists don’t really know how and why agriculture came to be in this time period, but believe it had to do with the change in climate. Due to the start of agriculture, women just had to plant their fruits and berries instead of going out of their way to try to find their resources. In addition, due to agriculture, resources wouldn’t run out and it also led to a settled way of life. Another great change that came in the Neolithic period was animal domestication. The expert knowledge of hunters on wild animals played a key role in animal domestication. Due to animal domestication, hunters didn’t have to keep hunting and wasting their resources, all they had to do was to get one male and one female animal together in a barn, and more food would be produced. Agriculture and animal domestication were the two great changes that came in the Neolithic period, and both led to a settled way of …show more content…
life. The five features of civilization include the following, advanced cities, specialized workers, complex institutions, record keeping, and advanced technology.
A city is not just a large group of people living together. What really distinguishes a city from a village is that a city is a center of trade for a larger are. Specialized workers are needed in a city for it to flourish, such as traders, government officials, and priests. Complex institution is very important in a city, one form of institution would be government. Complex institution is basically the pattern of organization in that community, and plays as a key factor in the flourishment of a city. Record keeping is also very important, without records, things would be forgotten, bills wouldn’t have been paid due to no records of debt, laws wouldn’t have been recorded, and the city as a whole wouldn’t flourish. Improved technology is key in the succession in any civilization. When a large amount of people live together, new tools are always needed to solve problems. Improved technology makes everything easier, such as in farming, and protecting your civilization if you are under
attack. Different kinds of activity went on Sumer. Ur is one of the earliest cities in Sumer. Ur did amazing in making their civilization flourish. They had an agricultural economy, the way the Ur did their agriculture was very smart, digging ditches that ran from the green patches to the source of water, making agriculture very easy, and granting the Ur food surpluses, keeping the economy thriving. In the city everyone goes about their daily lives, people living in windowless, one story box like houses, the rich sometimes living in two story houses. Metalworkers would make weapons for the army, and potters would make pottery. In the city of Ur, trade was booming, since money was not yet invented, barters were done instead, and whenever a complicated barter occurred, a scribe would be involved. A scribe is a professional record keeper, and the records would be written in cuneiform, which was the type of writing at the time. In the city of Ur, in the middle of the city, was a ziggurat, which basically was their religious temple. In their religion the priest would often drag goat or sheep up the 100 stairs leading to the ziggurat for a sacrifice. These were the numerous amount of activities that occurred in Sumer. In denouement, I have explained what evidence scientists use to study the life of humans before written history was developed. I have also explained how the Cro-Magnon people differ from the H.Erectus, and have explained the great changes that have came in the Neolithic period, and why it was so important. In addition I have explained the five features of a civilization, and the different kinds of activity that went on in Sumer.
They were characterized by densely populated permanent communities (villages) governed by a political leader, the chief at the central location. Roads and bridges linked the communities. The cities were well planned to encourage urban development and offer sustainable growth. The villages also formed social groups with the same political and social territories.
As farming procedures improved and therefore allowed for surplus, the Sumerian civilization began to grow not only in numbers, but also in the complexity of how it functioned on every level; its religious leaders became more powerful, its degree of specialization more complex and inventions and discoveries came fast...
Paleolithic is often referred to as the Old Stone Age. "Paleo" means old and "lithic" means stone. The Neolithic time period is often referred to as the New Stone Age. "Neo" means new and "lithic" also means stone. The Paleolithic culture or way of life began about 2.5 to 2 million years ago. The Paleolithic Period ended at different times in different parts of the world, generally around 12,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East. When the Paleolithic period ended, the Neolithic period took over and began 12,000 years ago somewhere in the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is characterized by the beginning of farming, the domestication of animals, the development of crafts such as pottery and weaving, and the making of polished stone tools. Life changed dramatically between Paleolithic and Neolithic times.
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt are a factor of the evolution of civilizations in present-day. Though, it wouldn’t occur if both of these ancient civilizations didn’t develop into successful ones. There are three similar components that led Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia to become prosperous. These are the locations, their way of life, and their beliefs. All of these elements will be explored more thoroughly throughout this essay.
Through examining these texts, it is evident that the advantages historians have when drawing on evidence such as this is that they can easily reveal certain social and cultural values of the society from which the authors came from, just as easily as it shows social and cultural values of the society of which it was written about. The limitations for historians when collecting written evidence is that some key features of the complex civilizations written about were often left out or could be easily misinterpreted or
12,000 years ago, the discovery of agriculture triggered such a change in society and the way in which people lived that we now call this important era in time the “Neolithic Revolution.” Traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyles were cast away in favor of more permanent settlements and a reliable food supply. Agriculture helped form cities and civilizations, and because crops and animals could now be farmed to meet growing demand, populations skyrocketed from around five million people 10,000 years ago, to more the more than seven billion people that walk this earth today.1
The Neolithic Revolution was the period in time where agriculture was created. Many people question whether the transition from nomads to settlements was a positive or negative impact in human history. The transition brought upon; population increases, lack of crucial vitamins, various diseases and even deforestation. I believe that the Neolithic Revolution was a negative impact on humans because of all the risks that came with it. Before the Revolution people were happily living a nomadic lifestyle. They painted, had dedicated faith, sang, told stories, and had more time to bond with their families. The transition increased health risks, warfare and the laziness of people. It brought on social classes which lead people to only think about
The development of cities is essential in the development of a civilization. Egypt’s cities began close to the Nile River. The Nile ran directly through the land and was the main attraction to settlers. It flooded every year, and in doing so, it fertilized the ground and allowed the growth
Watkins, Jeffery. Regents Prep: Global History: Change & Turning Points:, "Neolithic Revolution." Last modified 2003. Accessed March 23, 2012. http://regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/change/neo.cfm
The blessing and curse of the Agricultural Revolution is advocated with its augmentation and dissemination. Taking the stipulative definition of “blessing” and “curse” from the original premise, one can only superimpose the layman’s terms of “negative” and “positive”. Upon examination of the two classifications within the Neolithic Period and ancient Mesopotamian civilization one can confirm the premise. Therefore, the agriculture revolution was a blessing and a curse for humanity. Human society began to emerge in the Neolithic Period or the New Stone Age. This new age began around 9,000 B.C.E. by the development of agriculture in the region surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and what is commonly referred to as “The Fertile Crescent” located in West Asia.1 The very development of agriculture had benefited humans by no longer having to move about in search of wild game and plants. Unencumbered by nomadic life humans found little need to limit family size and possessions and settled in a single location for many years. One negative aspect of this settling is that the population increased so much so that wild food sources were no longer sufficient to support large groups. Forced to survive by any means necessary they discovered using seeds of the most productive plants and clearing weeds enhanced their yield.2 This also lead humans to develop a wider array of tools far superior to the tools previously used in the Paleolithic Period or Old Stone Age. The spread of the Agricultural Revolution in the Neolithic Period also cultivated positive aspects by creating connections with other cultures and societies. Through these connections they exchanged knowledge, goods, and ideas on herding and farming.3 Another major positive aspec...
The separation of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages mark a great divide in the lives and cultures of prehistoric peoples. Many aspects of everyday life were modified to suit a new standard of living. Society, Economy, and Technology were greatly affected by the "Agricultural Revolution" that spawned the Neolithic Age.
One of the most significant inventions was introduced during the Neolithic period. It was the shift from hunting animals and gathering plants to the production of food. People no longer had to travel long distances to search for water and food because they learned how to grow
Centuries before Julius Cesar, Galileo, Aristotle, Socrates, and albert Einstein; There was an ancient civilization that arose out of nowhere. They Settled upon the Tigris, and Euphrates Rivers, known as the fertile crest of Mesopotamia. These settlers are known as the Sumerians. The Sumerians were an agricultural society, who lived off their crops and the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to trade goods. So when presented the terrible question “Why they existed?” The Sumerians believed that they existed to serve their gods by worship and dedicated work. Through the Sumerian Literature, architecture, and artwork the Sumerians let their purpose be known.
According to The Society for American Archaeology, the definition of Archaeology is, “to obtain a chronology of the past, a sequence of events and dates that, in a sense, is a backward extension of history.” The study of ancient civilizations and archaeology is rather ambiguous due to the primitive nature of the time period. With little imagery and even less textual evidence, professionals in the field must work diligently when studying their subjects. Naturally, archaeologists cannot see or communicate with those whom they are studying, so they must be extraordinarily meticulous when analyzing past cultures. This relates to all aspects of the ancient world including; foods, raw materials, artifacts, agriculture, art work and pottery. All of these elements can collectively provide new and innovative information to curious archaeologists who may wish to gain a better understanding of those who came before us. This information is equally beneficial for both historians and archaeologists who plan to compare the histories of societies from all around the world. In the world of archaeology, archaeologists strive to better explain human behavior by analyzing our past. Therefore, the study of archaeology is a key element in understanding a time before our own.
Cities are the central feature of a civilization. The first cities emerged shortly after farmers began cultivating fertile lands along river valleys and producing surplus foods. These surpluses allowed the population to expand. As population grew, some villages expanded into cities. These cities rose independently in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.