HIST 0101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Neolithic, Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus
Document Summary
The time period up until humans began producing written documents. Oldest and most complete skeleton of a hominid. Began when humans started using tools for hunting. Males mostly hunted while women gathered and cooked. First caveman because of discovery of fire. Began when humans learn to make specialized stone tools, which leads to them farming. Since humans are now farming, they shift away from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Families and villages replace the nomadic bands. Also led to a steep rise in population. Villages also began trading with each other. Eventually, metalworking began replacing stone tools, leading to the bronze age (3000--1000 bc) and progressing into the iron age (after 1000 bc) Located between the tigris and euphrates rivers. Called the cradle of civilization and the fertile crescent . Cuneiform, the first written language, was developed. Gilgamesh was the first written story, called an epic. The surplus in agriculture meant people could spend time doing other things besides farming.
