What is History?

Why study it?

Why break it into sections?
Why look at cause & effect?
 History
Comes from Greek - and means,
"inquiry, and knowledge acquired by
investigation."
It has its origins in the meaning: To
know; to see.
By studying history we can see and
know more about ourselves and the
present times that we live in.
 History in Time
Historical study often focuses on events and
developments that occur in specific blocks of
time. Historians give these eras (or periods)
of time names in order to organize ideas and
make generalizations about that time frame.
Eras tend to be longer periods of time.
Periods tend to be a shorter block of time.
 Early Eras of History
ERA 1: Beginnings Small groups of hunters and
gathers; global migrations;
Hunters/Gatherers 4,000 BC(E) slow population growth; no
written language.

ERA 2: From 4,000 Develop agriculture; cities,

states, & empires develop;
AGRARIAN BC(E) 1,000 populations grow; writing;
BC(E) different histories in different
world zones.

ERA 3: From 1,000 Manufacturing develops,

rapid growth in energy use;
Empires BC(E) - 300 increased life expectancies;
AD(CE) machines begin to do work
for us.
 Periods of the Empires Era
Early Emperors 24 BC(E) - 68 Battle of Actium, Augustus
Period AD (CE) Caesar (Octavian) gains
power, followed by Tiberius,
Caligula, Claudius, & Nero.

Division and 68 - 96 AD Civil War (4 empires) and

the Flavian (CE) Flavians take over
Dynasty (Vespasian, Titus, Domitian).

Five Good 96 - 180 AD Period of Prosperity, ruled by

Empires (CE) Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian,
Antonius Pius, & Marcus
Aurelius.
 How do they use Eras & Periods?
They use these to organize information and to
show the progression of civilization or
civilizations from one place to another.
This can be either positive or negative.

Activity: Divide Your Life into 3 Different

Eras and Each Era into 3 Periods
 Why Should We
Study History?
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, it
expects what never was and never will be.
- Thomas Jefferson

If you would understand anything, observe its

beginning and its development.
- Aristotle
 Cause & Effect
Complete this Web-quest:
http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~new192/webquest.html

When Finished Please Answer:

1. What was the effect of the Potato Famine on
Immigration in the U.S.?
2. What was the effect on the population of Great
Britain?
3. What impact did this have on different parts of the
world?
4. What are the multiple causes for these effects?
 Review
1. What is History? What does History Mean?
2. Why is it Important to Study History?
3. Why do you think Historians Break it into
Sections?
4. Why do you think Historians Look at Cause
and Effect so Much?
5. What is one Other Piece of Information You
Learned?