PREHISTORY - Craven County Schools · PREHISTORY MISS GENOVESE. The Paleolithic Age Also called Old...

PREHISTORYMISS GENOVESE

The Paleolithic Age

● Also called Old Stone Age● People made tools and

weapons from stone● Began about 2.6 million

years ago○ lasted until about 8000

B.C.

Awesome Achievements of the Paleolithic Age

● Improved technology● Flint tools and weapons● Animal skin clothes● Ability to make fire● Cave art● Spoken language

The Paleolithic Age

● The first humans spent most of their time looking for food.○ Hunter-Gatherers

● Early people moved from place to place looking for food and to survive○ Nomads○ Originated from

Eastern Africa

Men Women

HuntedGathered nuts, berries, fruits; took care of children

Worked to find food

The Paleolithic Age

● At first, men used clubs to kill the animals.

● Over time, Paleolithic people created better tools and weapons which made hunting easier.

Adaptation

● Paleolithic people adapted to survive.

● Caves protected them from bad weather and wild animals.

● In places where it was cold, they made clothes from animal skins.

Think back to the 5 Themes of Geography. Which theme includes adaptation?

Remember our good old friend, MR. HELP!

Technology

● the use of new ideas and tools to do work

● first used by Paleolithic people

● Tools made of flint○ hard stone with sharp

edges.○ sharp knives and ax

heads

Adaptation: It’s…“lit”

● During the Paleolithic Age, people learned how to make fire.○ Cooked food○ Light○ Warmth○ Scared away predators

● How did early people create fire?○ Friction○ Hitting stones

together

Other Achievements

Art:

● Painted on cave walls ● Paints made from crushed rock

mixed with animal fat.● Animals painted in bright colors

Other Achievements

Spoken Language:

● Humans communicated through sounds and hand motions

● Spoken language made it easier for people to work together

● vocabulary grew and changed○ new ideas and new

technology require new words

The Ice Age

● long periods of extreme cold on Earth

● (100,000 B.C.) Earth begins to get very cold and thick sheets of ice moved across much of the land

● This was the beginning of Earth’s most recent Ice Age.

The Ice Age

● Ocean levels dropped because so much water was taken to form the ice.

● Land that was once covered by water was now above it. ○ One place this happened was

between Asia and North America.

Animals of the Ice Age

● Woolly mammoth● Woolly rhinos● Cave bears● Horses● Wolves● Bison● Reindeer

Scientists know they existed because of cave wall paintings of the animals.

Men of the Ice Age

● Males hunted for food.● When hunters brought back an

animal, it did not go to waste.○ Meat and organs = food.○ Skins = clothing, blankets,

and shelter○ Animal's stomach used for

carrying water. ○ Bones used for needles,

weapons, and different tools.

Women and Children of the Ice Age

● Prepared the food● Made clothing from the hides

of animals● Built shelters

Neolithic Age

● Ice Age ends and the Earth’s climate gets warmer

● People began to settle in one place○ Grew grains and

vegetables○ Domesticate animals

Farming slowly replaced hunting and gathering as the main source of food for people.

Neolithic Age

● Began around 8,000 B.C.● Lasted about 4,000 years● Agriculture was the biggest

change that took place

Agricultural Revolution

● The switch from hunting and gathering to farming

● Life changed when humans learned how to grow crops and tame animals○ steady food supply○ Population grew○ Nomadic lifestyle

decreased

Life in the Neolithic Age

● Villages and homes had shrines where gods and goddesses were honored.

● Neolithic people hunted and fished

● Early settled communities often had more and better food than nomads

Food is LIFE

● Better food → Healthier people → Population grew → More crops● Farmers grew more food than they could eat which lead to trade● Trade lead to new food

Specialization

● When people do tasks that match their talents

● People made:○ Jewelry○ Pottery○ Wove cloth

● Traded these goods for things they did not have

Roles

● Most men were farmers and protected the village.

● Women took care of the children and wove cloth.

Bronze Age

● Western Asians discovered that mixing tin and copper created bronze.

● Bronze tools and weapons were better and stronger than those made of stone.

● Bronze became widely used between 3000 and 1200 B.C. This period is known as the Bronze Age.

Emergence of Civilizations

● By the beginning of the Bronze Age, four great civilizations appeared in river valleys:○ Mesopotamia○ Egypt○ India○ China

● Written language developed

● Common Characteristics:○ Trade○ Cities○ Religion○ Government○ Social classes