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Early Humans Study Guide 2014
1. How do archeologists learn about/study the past?
2. Why do historians read diaries and letters from the past?
3. Differentiate between the terms innovation and artifact.
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4. Why did many early civilizations develop near water?
5. Based on our activity in class, which question about the past does cave art most help to answer?
6. What types of artifacts might a paleoanthropologist examine?
7. Identify and describe physical characteristics of Africa that enabled early humans to survive there:
8. What capabilities helped the Homo habilis (Handy Man) hominids survive?
9. What capability or practice helped Homo habilis survive against animal attacks?
10. Why were the Homo sapiens sapiens (Doubly Wise) considered to be more cultural than earlier groups of hominids?
11. How did the development of new capabilities by hominid groups impact their society?
12. What factor first influenced the migration patterns of early humans?
13. How might it have been possible for hominids to migrate to other continents?
14. Why did early hunter-gatherers begin to cooperate in social groups?
15. Paleoanthropologists have found bones from Homo sapiens (Neanderthals) that show signs of serious breaks that had healed. What does this suggest about a capability or practices of these hominids?
16. Which new capabilities enabled hominids to survive in colder climates?
17. How did people in the Paleolithic Age get their food?
18. Why were pre-Neolithic people largely nomadic?
19. What changes occurred as a result of the Neolithic Age?
20. Why was the Fertile Crescent the site of many early settlements?
21. What was the greatest benefit to people when early farmers domesticated plants and animals?
22. Why did people in the Neolithic Age live together in larger groups, compared with earlier times?
23. Which change resulted from building permanent shelters?
24. How did dividing up the work help communities produce more to meet their needs?
25. Why did Neolithic people trade?
26. How did trade help Neolithic people make stronger tools?
27. What most likely happened as a Neolithic trader traveled and traded?
28. Explain why a discovery ended the Neolithic Age?
29. Which factors most limited the spread of settlements in early civilizations?
30. What was the main function of the central government in early civilizations?
31. Which factor is most important in uniting a large civilization?
32. Why did early agricultural civilizations interact with each other?
33. What developed most immediately after the rise of civilizations?