Chapter 1 notes
Lesson 1
Time line: A-F (page 54-55)
Vocabulary:
- Ice Age
- Glacier
- Archeologist
- Specialize
- Surplus
- Civilization
- Descendent
What is Beringia & how did people cross to the new land?
Beringia is a major land bridge that connected Siberia and Alaska, allowing migration to new lands. The land bridge came from dropping sea levels due to icebergs forming during the Ice Age.
Who were the Hunter Gatherers?
They were the early people who followed the animals to new lands. They lived in caves and used animals skins and meat for survival. They were nomadic meaning they continuously moved never settling on one place
Who were the early people of Mexico?
The Native Americans who grew the three sisters (corn, beans, and squash). They were specialized in various trades or skills.
Who were the Olmec?
One of the earliest cultures to live in the southeast of Mexico. They were very powerful and created calendars, played various ball games and carved huge stone statues.
Who were the Maya?
A culture that lived from 300AD to 900AD who traded with the Olmec. They created a more accurate calendarand built large cities and pyramids. They also wrote poems and songs.
Chapter 1 Lesson 2 notes
Vocabulary:
- Irrigation
- Canal
- Pueblo
- dry farming
- adobe
- kiva
Who were the Hohokam?
A group of people who lived in Arizona around 300AD. They had an extremely dry climate, yet they were still able to turn the desert into fields of corn, beans, squash (3 sisters), and cotton.
How did the Hohokam water the desert?
They used an irrigation system with canals and fans that helped to push water for hundreds of miles.
What was life like for the Hohokam?
The Hohokam farmed, trapped small animals, made houses of straw that were partially underground, created pottery, jewelry, baskets, and cotton clothing. Each person was responsible for one of the trades.
How did the Hohokam civilization end?
In 1500, they faded away from wars and overcrowding, which led to people separating into smaller groups.
Who were the Pueblo People?
The people who moved into the Arizona desert and lived around the Hohokam, their name Pueblo means village.
What is dry farming?
Channeling rain water and snow melt into holding basins, then the water is released into drains for plants
How did the Ancestral Pueblo people live?
They were cliff dwellers building houses made of adobe into a cliff. Adobe kept the houses cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They lived in the four corners and had villages with various crafts and trades.
What was Chaco Canyon?
The largest pueblo city, it had over 650 houses and was the center of trading. The money they used was turquoise.
How did the ancestral people fall?
By 1300, the pueblo civilization fell due to drought, wars, diseases and the breaking apart of their group as people left to join other civilizations.
Chapter 1 lesson 3
Vocabulary:
- mound
- obsidian
- palisade
Who were the early Mound Builders?
Settlers in the Ohio & Mississippi River Valley, they were known for their cone or mound shaped houses. Their houses had high walls and represented animal like shapes. Also known as the Adena, they trapped fish & birds, and gathered plants from the river bank.
What was life like for the Adena farmers?
They had lots of rain, which allowed them to grow pumpkins, sunflowers and goosefoot. They traveled along rivers in canoes, spreading their culture. They created large mound shaped tombs for their deceased (dead), helping them to the next world. Their culture seems to have ended due to the rise of another group, the Hopewell
Who were the Hopewell?
A group that lived in the Mississippi River Valley, who also created huge burial mounds with big ceremonies. Their cities were built in shapes of ovals, circles, and squares with high solid walls of dirt to protect from enemies. They studied the sky and measured the seasons by the angle at which the sun shined on them.
What was life like for the Hopewell?
The Hopewell grew the three sisters along with pumpkins & sunflowers. They used obsidian (a glassy rock from volcanoes) to make knifes, ceremonial pipes, pottery, jewelry, and weapons. They were a wealthy group due to their skill at farming, but by 400AD they disappeared for reasons unknown.
Who were the Mississippians?
A group that lived in the Mississippi River Valley from 700AD-900AD. They used a circle of trees to predict the seasons, they were extremely skilled farmers, and they also used mounds to bury their dead.
Cahokia was the greatest Mississippian city, containing over 20,000 people. The Mississippian’s civilization fell due to climate change, wars, and disease by 1300AD.