TIMELINE

Cosmic à Paleolithic (Gaiac) àNeolithic àAncient àClassical àModern à Cosmic à Ecozoic

• Cosmic - The formation of the stars and cosmos
• Paleolithic (Gaiac) - Early humanoids lived in caves  (2.5 million to 10,000 B.C.)
• Neolithic - Stone Age (9,000 to 3,000 B.C. )
• Ancient -   Early Middle Ages: time of written history (3,000 to 400 AD)
• Classical - Medevil, Renaissance, Baroque (1100 to late 1800s)  
• Modern -  Age of electricity, atomic power, computer, phones (1900's to present day)
• Ecozoic - What is happening geologically at a certain time period 

Connecting the dots as we say is the best way to paint a picture of history. Creating a timeline with the type of individuals living in that time period begins to formulate what life was like during that period. Being able to show from where we came from to where we are going gives humans a grounding in self-identification. Progression and development are what have made the large contribution to shaping our future. This self-identification allows for a person or people relate to one another and the way we interact with one another.

https://www.ancient.eu/timeline/civilization/

Early Humans...

LUCY - is what scientists call the first and oldest form of the hominin species. Paleontologist said that she (Lucy) was an ape-like creature that was part of "The species Australopithecus afarensis inhabited East Africa more than three million years ago". A link between man and ape was shown to be from the earliest understanding of humans. A study of these beings allowed scientists to analyze human development and form a parallel in early childhood rearing and dependencies in the family or tribe hierarchy. 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200403092009.htm

Let's see what Big History is all about...

What is Big History? The term Big History is something I did not grow up with. Other terms such as "Big Bang", "History of the world", and "In the beginning" are the more traditional and familiar phrases I have heard pertaining to human history.

Is this a new concept to you or have you heard of it before? Overall, this is not a new concept. In fact, this concept of human history has been taught before any modern inventions. As modernization came to be, it allowed for the formally written recording of this re-told human story.

Does it seem logical to you that history could be taught this way?  Yes, in researching what Big History means, the understanding of the past is a hard thing to do. With so many limitations that we as humans have had in the technology of the last century. I did find an article and project that summed up a direct and complementary way of learning what Big History is, "Big History examines our past, explains our present, and imagines our future. It's a story about us." (Cynthia Stokes Brown - https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home).

This simplified way of conveying a jammed pack theory to all is a better way for me to understand and relate to human history. This "relating" is what makes it personal to me which allows for me to be connected. What are we if not connected to history? We are just primordial ooze with no direction. And direction is what humans need and desire to make sense of something we are discovering.

From the Big bang to dinosaurs, walking upright to learning how to fly has inspired us all to strive for more knowledge. This drive that helps us learn from our history to under the future is inherent to us already, so why not teach in this manner.

The use of a timeline has greatly enhanced our delivery of periodic phases and the focus of a particular time to discuss in detail. There are three sources that have been added to help understand the clarity of the use of a timeline in a chronological order to help teach Big History in today's classes.


Big History: https://www.bighistoryproject.com/home

Smithsonian Institute:  https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-evolution-timeline-interactive

Graphic Illustration:  https://andreimarius.com/human-history-timeline