First Cultures

1. First Cultures Take a trip and learn about these ice age people. Without electricity or plumbing could you survive?

2. Early People Historians, Archaeologist, and anthropologist believe that human life began in Africa over 2 million years ago.

3. Early People Thousands of years ago, thick sheets of ice covered the northern part of the world. Animals were huge and covered with long, wooly hair.

4. Early People Old Stone Age or Paleolithic Era Stone tools were the most common tools used from about 70,000 years ago until about 12,000 years ago. This period of time when simple stone tools were used is called the Old Stone Age or Paleolithic Era.

5. Early People During the Old Stone Age, people also learned to make fire. This meant people could cook their food and keep warm in colder climates. Primitive Fire Video

6. Early People A recent discovery in South Africa, at a site called Blombos Cave, has shown that carved blades were made from animal bones. They were polished and stained and Archaeologist believe the creators of these blades must have had a sense of beauty.

7. Border Cave Another ancient cave in Africa has shown what life may have been like 40,000 years ago. The cave was on a side of a cliff and overlooked a grassy river valley. Herds of eland moved into the valley each year to graze. Since the cave was high on the cliff, the hunters could keep watch on the animals’ movement below. into Border Cave Another ancient cave in Africa has shown what life may have been like 40,000 years ago. The cave was on a side of a cliff and overlooked a grassy river valley. Herds of eland moved the valley each year to graze. Since the cave was high on the cliff, the hunters could keep watch on the animals’ movement below. Early People Border Cave, another ancient cave in Africa that shows what life may have been like 40,000 years ago. The cave was on a side of a cliff and overlooked a grassy river valley. Herds of eland moved into the valley each year to graze. Since the cave was high on the cliff, the hunters could keep watch on the animals’ movement below.

8. Early People Many clues about the past have been found in the form of artwork left in the caves. Archaeologists believe that the Border Cave people must have enjoyed beauty. They found see shell beads on a baby skeleton. The cave was 50 miles from the sea. This would have required real effort.

9. Ice Age Animals 11,000 years ago huge animals covered in fur roamed the Earth including the now extinct Mammoth. Discovery Channel Land of the Mammoth

10. Painters of the Cave Respected elders or shamans of the Stone Age pecked, painted, scratched, and smudged on the walls and ceilings of rock shelters and caves. This art was produced from about 32,000-11,000 years ago. It has been found in much of Europe, in northern Africa, Australia, southeast Asia, the four corners region of the United States and Baja California, Mexico. These clues left behind help in our understanding of what life was like then since there were no written records.

11. Painters of the Cave The first cave art was found in the 1860’s by French paleontologist Edouard Lartet in caves of southwestern France. The Aurignac objects were recognized as ancient by their proximity to Stone Age tools and bones of Ice Age animals. The discoveries triggered a craze for digging in caves and searching for objects but little attention was paid to the drawings on the walls.

12. Painters of the Cave Cave art most often portrays horses and bison, although mammoth or deer dominate at particular sites. Fish and birds are occasionally found in cave paintings or engravings, but are far more plentiful in portable art. Representations of insects and plants have been found in only a few portable objects.

13. Painters of the Cave The paintings were drawn with red and yellow ocher, hematite (blackish-red mineral), manganese oxide (green powder), charcoal, and clay. These pigments were mixed with cave water, animal fat or other liquid to form a paint. Arrows, stone tools, hollowed bones, fingers, sticks, animal hair, feathers or porcupine needles were the artist tools used. Stone, fat burning lamps provided the light necessary to see inside the caves, and scaffolds were built to reach the high walls.

14. Painters of the Cave The oldest cave paintings were found in Chauvet, France and were painted about 32,000 years ago. The discovery was in 1994 by three friends who enjoyed spelunking. Chauvet Cave website

15. Stone Age Technology Technology of the Stone Age people was wood, stone, or bone tools. These sharpened stones may not look like tools today, however, they were carefully crafted to make them into weapons or tools.

16. Stone Age Technology Early people discovered that they could sharpen a rock by hitting it against another stone called Flaking. Pieces of broken stone flaked off. After flaking, the stone had sharper edges than rock found in nature.

17. Stone Age Technology People developed new skills to improve their lives. They used fire for warmth and cooking. They also began making permanent shelters from materials in their environment. Archaeologist have found huts made from mammoth bones and tree branches.

18. Stone Age Technology Early people made tools for many purposes. Spears and arrows with stone points were used for hunting. Scrapers were made for cleaning animal hides. Animal parts were also used for making tools, needles, and thread. Long distance weapons such as the spear and bow made hunting safer.

19. Stone Age Technology In time, people discovered that they could use copper to make even stronger tools made of metal.

20. Stone Age People The people who lived during this time were able to use their environment to help them survive. Stone Age People Website

21. Beginning of Agriculture About 12,000 years ago, the Ice Age began to end. Earth became warmer, the glaciers shrank, and the levels of the oceans began to rise. People had migrated to most of the continents. Peoples lives had changed. Melting Ice caps video

22. Beginning of Agriculture As Earth’s climate warmed, the number of plants and animals increased dramatically. People began to settle in areas with an abundance of natural resources. This period when people began to settle permanently in one location is called the Neolithic Era, or the New Stone Age. In this period, about 12,000 to 6,000 years ago, people still used stone tools, but new tools for specialized purposes were added.

23. Beginning of Agriculture Agriculture began over a long period of time and in more than one place. Over time, farming provided a steadier food supply, especially since the big game animals in many areas were hunted out of existence. People learned to domesticate plants and animals. They planted wheat, barley, peas, and lentils. They domesticated wild goats, pigs, cattle and sheep. The dog was the first animal domesticated.

24. Catal Hoyuk In 1958, the world’s oldest city was discovered. The oldest layers of the mound date to around 7500 B.C.E. Catal Hoyuk Website

25. Did you survive your trip through the ice age?