1.1 Studying the Past and Early Humans

Notes

Historians and scientists use different kinds of evidence to learn about the time before writing, called prehistory.

• Archaeologists study artifacts (objects made by people) and sites. Anthropologists study human cultures. Paleontologists study fossils.
• Primary sources come from the time studied (a tool, a letter). Secondary sources are later interpretations (a textbook).
• Radiocarbon dating estimates the age of once-living material, such as bone or charcoal, up to about 50,000 years old.
• Homo sapiens appeared in Africa about 300,000 years ago and later spread to every continent except Antarctica.
• The Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age) lasted until about 10,000 BCE. People were nomadic hunter-gatherers who used stone tools, controlled fire and made cave art, such as at Lascaux in France.
• Dates: BCE (Before Common Era) counts down toward year 1; CE counts up. 3000 BCE is earlier than 2000 BCE.