Migration, Settlement, and Demography from Prehistory to 600 BCE - AP World History: Modern

The Paleolithic Era refers to the history of humanity before the Agricultural Revolution. During the Paleolithic Era the vast majority of humans lived in small, nomadic group of hunter-gatherers. Society could not yet support large groups and agriculture was not developed until the Neolithic Revolution circa ten thousand years ago.

The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt existed from 2,050 BCE until 1,800 BCE It was a time of relatively weak leadership in Egypt and is generally less noteworthy than the Old or New Kingdoms. The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt collapsed following the invasion of the Hyksos people. The Hyksos were able to easily conquer the Egyptians, but they did not have an easy time ruling. After one hundred years of Hyksos rule, the Egyptians rebelled and overthrew their conquerors, thus establishing the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt.

Hominids are one of the earliest species that are thought to be precursors to human beings. They first emerged in southeast Africa approximately three million years ago.

Homo Sapiens, or modern humans (at least in terms of their evolution), are thought to have first appeared approximately two hundred thousand years ago in Sub-Saharan Africa. From there they eventually spread across the whole planet.

The Bantu Expansion is a term used to describe the migration of people with a common language across the continent of Africa. The Bantu language family developed in West Africa over tens of thousands of years. Approximately three thousand years ago the Bantu Expansion began as people began migrating south and east.

Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were the two major cities of the bronze age Indus Valley civilization (also sometimes called the Harappan civilization).

The Aryans arrived on the Indian subcontinent in 1,500 BCE. The Aryans were a nomadic people who had come from either Europe, Iran, or Central Asia, or possibly a combination of all three. They established the caste system in India and ensured that they would be placed at the top of the social hierarchy.

The Chavin culture was influential in the history of Peru. The Chavin lived in modern-day Peru and flourished from 900 BCE until approximately 200 BCE.

The earliest hominids are thought to have appeared approximately three millions years ago in southeast Africa.

The Indus Valley civilization thrived in modern-day Pakistan and India during the bronze age, from approximately 3,300 BCE until 1,300 BCE. Around 1,500 BCE the empire began to decline for unknown reasons. Most historians believe that a combination of crop failure and barbarian invasion led to the decline of the Indus Valley civilization, but it is not known for sure.

The Indus Valley civilization (also called the Harappan Civilization) arose in modern-day Pakistan (in the Indus Valley) approximately five thousand years ago.

The world’s first cities arose in the same place where the Neolithic Revolution first took place, ancient Mesopotamia, approximately eight thousand years ago. The earliest human cities always arose in areas that were suitable for large scale agricultural production, such as Mesopotamia, the Nile River, the Indus River Valley, the Yellow River Valley, and Mesoamerica.

The unified history of ancient Egypt is said to begin circa 3,150 BCE with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt by King Menes and the establishment of the first ruling dynasty of Egypt.

The Aryans were nomadic people, possibly from Europe, Iran, or Central Asia, who settled in northern India at the beginning of the Vedic Age.

The Harappan Civilization is often also called the Indus Valley Civilization. It is an ancient civilization that existed in modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India from approximately 3,000 BCE until 1,250 BCE.

Agriculture allowed people to grow a surplus of food, which allowed them to stay in one place. Previously, humans had to move from place to place as hunter-foragers to sustain a food source.

Early cities show historians and other scholars what effect urbanization had on culture. By examining ancient artifacts, today's historians can gain a glimpse into the cultures of the first cities and compare those to artifacts of pre-civilization to ascertain how cities changed culture.

We can see that as the dates in the table become more recent, the population grows quicker. We also know from history that the Neolithic revolution happened around 8000 BCE, and the time frame from 10,000 BCE to 5000 BCE shows the most rapid growth in the table.

The earliest evidence of human existence is in Africa. Homo sapiens probably began migrating out of Africa and into eastern Asia between 100,000 and 60,000 years ago.