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Chapter 2

Chapter 2. The Stone Ages and Early Cultures 5,000,000 years ago – 5,000 years ago. The First People. Section 1 P. 28 - 34. Prehistory. Prehistory - the time before writing Archaeologists & anthropologists do the research Hominids - early ancestors of humans

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Chapter 2

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  1. Chapter 2 The Stone Ages and Early Cultures 5,000,000 years ago – 5,000 years ago

  2. The First People Section 1 P. 28 - 34

  3. 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

  4. 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)

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. Early Human Migration Chapter 2 Section 2 Pages 36-39

  18. 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

  19. 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

  20. 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

  21. 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

  22. Beginnings of Agriculture Chapter 2 Section 3 P. 40-43

  23. 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

  24. 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

  25. 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

  26. 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

  27. 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

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