The Origin of Humans and Early Human Societies

• How long have anatomically modern humans been around?

  Roughly 200,000 years
• What is the main tool historians use to study the past?

  Writing
• How can scientists date things that happened before writing?

  Through techniques like radiocarbon dating and potassium-argon dating
• What do archaeologists study to learn about prehistory?

  Fossils, tools, and artifacts from burial sites
• Why is our understanding of history constantly evolving?

  Because new discoveries and techniques can challenge what we thought we knew
• What is prehistory?


  The period before written records existed in a culture or society
• What is history?

  The period after the invention of written records in a culture or society
• How long have anatomically modern humans been around (estimated)?

  Between 200,000 and 300,000 years
• What is the main tool historians use to study the past?

  Written records
• Why do historians need to be careful with written records?

  Records may be in a dead language, or transmitted orally and changed over time
• What do archaeologists study to learn about the past?

  Fossils, artifacts (human-made items) from ancient structures and burial sites
• How do archaeologists estimate the age of artifacts?

  Techniques like carbon dating, stratigraphic dating, with help from linguists and geneticists
• Why is it difficult to create detailed stories about the distant past?

  There are limited sources and uncertainty in interpreting evidence
• How should historians approach historical evidence?

  Carefully read, source, interpret, contextualize, and compare with other sources
• Why is history constantly evolving?

  New discoveries and tools can challenge our understanding of the past
• When did Homo sapiens evolve?

  Between 200,000 and 300,000 years ago
• When did Homo sapiens develop language?

  Around 50,000 years ago
• When did Homo sapiens begin migrating out of Africa?

  Between 70,000 and 100,000 years ago
• What is unique about Homo sapiens compared to other species?

  Successfully populated and adapted to diverse environments globally
• What is a hominid?

  An early humanlike creature
• When did hominids diverge from other primates?

  Between 2.5 and 4 million years ago
• What shared trait did all hominids have?

  Bipedalism (walking upright)
• What are two theories about why hominids evolved?

  1. Aridity hypothesis: adapted to dry climates
  2. Savannah hypothesis: adapted to living on ground due to shrinking forests
• When did hominids start making tools?

  Approximately 2.3 million years ago (Homo habilis)
• When did some hominids migrate out of Africa?

  Around 1 million years ago (Homo erectus)
• What is the family that includes human beings?

  Hominidae (meaning human-like)
• How are Hominidae further divided?

  Hominini (includes humans) and Ponginae (orangutans)
• When did humans diverge from chimpanzees?

  About 5 million years ago
• What were early hominins like?

  Arboreal simians (lived in trees, ate fruit, walked on four legs/knuckle-walked)
• Why did hominins come down from the trees? (Possible reason)

  Aridity or savanna hypothesis: fewer trees due to climate change
• Give an example of an early hominin.

  Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy)
• How can we tell about hominin diet from their skulls?

  Size and shape of jaw muscles (e.g., sagittal crest for tough food)
• What advancements did Homo erectus have compared to earlier hominins?

  Used fire and stone tools
• What 3 things contributed to Homo sapiens' success?

  Tools, fire, and language
• When did Homo sapiens start migrating out of Africa?

  Around 100,000 years ago