CHAPTER 2The Stone Ages and Early Cultures5,000,000 years ago – 5,000 years

ago

The First PeopleSection 1P. 28 - 34

Prehistory Prehistory - the time before writing

Archaeologists & anthropologists do the research

Hominids - early ancestors of humans

Ancestors - relatives who lived in the past

Mary Leaky (1959) Found bones of a hominid from

1,500,000 years ago In East Africa

Donald Johanson (1974) Found bones of a hominid from

3,000,000 years ago Named her “Lucy” Lucy could walk on two legs & stand

upright Tim White (1994)

Found hominid remains from about 4,400,000 years ago

Hominids and Early Humans

Over time, hominids became more like modern humans

The four major groups of hominids are: Australopithecus Homo habilis

(not included in top picture) Homo erectus Homo sapiens

(The following slides will discuss each one)

Australopithicus Lived 4 million to 2

million years ago Found in Africa Stood upright Walked on two legs Brain was 1/3 the

size of ours Was 4 to 4 ½ feet

tall Males could be

twice as tall as females

Homo Habilis Homo = man Habilis = handy Larger brain than

autralopithecus About ½ the size of

modern human brains Lived in Africa 2,500,000 – 1,600,000

years ago Used simple, stone tools

for cutting & scraping Certainly walked on two

feet

Homo Erectus Name means “upright

man” Hominids first lived in

Africa, but migrated to Asia & Europe

Lived from around 2 million to 500,000 years ago

Controlled fire Heat & cooking

Used stone tools like the ax

Homo Sapiens Name means “wise man” Appeared in Africa around

200,000 years ago People living today are

homo sapiens Migrated around the

world Could create fire Used a variety of tools Developed language

The Stone Age

Hominids and the first homo sapiens lived during the Stone Age

The Stone Age is divided into three periods Based on the tools people

used Tools – handheld objects

changed so a person can complete a task

Paleolithic Era Old Stone Age 2,600,000 -10,000 years ago

Mesolithic Era Middle Stone Age 20,000 to 10,000 years ago

Neolithic Era New Stone Age 10,000 to 5,000 years ago

Early Tools Choppers

Tools with one sharpened side could be held in a person’s hand 2,600,000 years old Found in Tanzania (East

Africa) Used to process food

Cutting, chopping Scraping roots, bones or

meat Used for 2,000,000

years

Later Tools Hand ax

Made from flint – easy to shape & could be sharp

Used on trees, for digging, and cutting animal hides

Wooden handles Could attach to sharp

points Spears

Could be thrown Could stand farther away Could hunt larger animals

Deer, horses, bison, mammoths

Societies Society – community

of people who share a common culture

Have languages, religions, and art

Early people lived in small groups

Lived in temporary shelters (like caves) & moved to new places when food ran out

Hunter-Gatherers Hunter-gatherers – people

who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruit, and nuts to survive

Men were hunters Might hunt in groups to

chase herds over cliffs Safer and more productive

Women were gatherers Stayed near camps and

took care of children

Language May have developed

to make hunting easier

May have helped people form relationships

May have helped resolve problems

May have helped distribute (divide) food

Art Carving

Figures were carved from stone, ivory, bone

Painting People & animals

painted on cave walls May have taught

people how to hunt May have had

religious meanings

Religion

We know little about early religious beliefs

Graves containing food and artifacts have been found May be proof of

religion developing during the Stone Age

Early Human MigrationChapter 2Section 2Pages 36-39

Ice Ages Stone Age people

migrated around because earth’s climate changed Migrate - to move

Ice Age - long period of freezing weather Lasted from 1,600,000

to 10,000 years ago Ocean water froze,

exposing land that is covered with water today

Land Bridge - strip of land connecting two continents Allowed people to travel

to new places on foot from Asia to North America

Settling New Lands Hominids migrated from

Africa to Asia before they died out

Human migrated all around the world

By 9000 BC, humans lived on all continents around the world, except Antarctica

They figured out how to cross water and mountains

They followed herds of animals and food

Clothing and Shelter People had to adapt to new

climates, land, and food as they migrated

For warmth Made fire Sewed animals skins

together for clothing Shelter

Lived in caves at first Some places didn’t have

caves, so they built their own homes

Pit houses - Pits in the ground covered with branches and leaves

Tents of animal skins Structures of wood, stone,

clay, bones

New Tools and Technology Developed during the

Mesolithic Era (Middle Stone Age) 10,000-5,000 years ago

Invention of fishing hooks and fishing spears with hooks made of bone

Bow and arrow Canoes hollowed from

logs Pottery Keeping pets to help hunt

and for protection

Beginnings of AgricultureChapter 2Section 3P. 40-43

The First Farmers Neolithic Era

New Stone Age Began 10,000 years ago in

Asia, but closer to 5,000 in other places

Learned to polish stones Saws, drills

Make fire People used fire before this,

but didn’t know how to MAKE it

People learned to farm in the Neolithic Era

Neolithic Era ended when Egyptians learned to make tools out of metal

How to start a fire:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts_IOyOboRI

Plants The Ice Age ended as Earth

warmed up New plants grew & people

settled near the plants Barley, wheat

People figured out they could plant seeds and grow the plants they wanted “Neolithic Revolution” First happened in SW Asia

Domestication – process of changing plants/animals to make them more useful People picked the largest grains

or sweetest-tasting foods Agriculture – farming

People produced their own food Changed society

Animals Domestication of

animals cut down on hunting wild animals

Sheep & goats were used for milk, meat, wool

Large animals could pull heavy loads Cattle

Improved survival

Farming Changes Socieites Neolithic Revolution

brought changes People could do other

things, besides finding food

Cloth/clothes made from wool or animal skin or plant fibers

People stayed in one place to tend their crops

Population grew Towns developed People performed

religious ceremonies

Skara Brae, Scotland

Neolithic Religion

Megaliths – huge stones used as monuments or places for religious gatherings

Probably believed in gods/goddesses connected to: Air, water, fire, earth Examples:

Thunder God Worship of certain animals

Some people prayed to their ancestors

Worship ideas of early people are still held by some modern cultures

Easter Island Megaliths were built over 1000 years later