The
Paleolithic
Age:
How did the 5 factors
influence the survival
and extinction of
early human
species?
What lessons can we
learn from them?
The Who, What, Where, When:
Prehistoric
Time before written record.
Roughly 99% of human time.
Consists of two periods.
Paleolithic
“Old Stone Age” when tools were
made by chipping and flaking.
Neolithic
Neolithic: “Neolithic Age” when
tools were made by grinding stone.
Hominids:
Members of the Human Species
both current humans and extinct.
Rapidly changing science.
Australopithecus
Earliest identified human
~4 million y.a. to 1 m.y.a. Lived in Africa
Homo Habilis
“Man with Ability” 2m.y.a.-1m.y.a.;
lived in Africa
Homo Erectus
“Man who walks upright” 1m.y.a – 200,000
y.a.
Lived in Africa, southern Europe and Asia
Homo Sapien Neanderthalis
100,000y.a to ?, lived
in Europe and Asia
Homo Sapien Sapien (Cro Magnon)
(Modern Man) “Man who
thinks” ~70,000y.a. to
present. Spread across
globe
Cro Magnon:
Name of modern
man before
Neolithic Rev.
Named after town
in France where
first remains were
found.
Lesson One:
Use of Resources and Tools in the rise of the
Paleolithic.
The Question: Why do Humans create tools and other material goods? How many
do we really need?
Lesson One: Humans developed technologies (tools)
to help them meet their needs for survival
The top 5 needs
for Survival
Humans, they’re
what’s for dinner.
Humans could
however make
tools to help them.
Humans developed
physical traits and
tools to help them
get food, shelter
and to reproduce.
Humans have no natural tools or weapons.
Therefore, they were at the bottom of the
food chain.
But, unlike other animals they had a
complex brain and opposable thumbs. With
these two things they could make
technologies (tools) to help them survive.
See next slides.
Physical Traits:
Could stand on two
legs Frees up
hands, can look
around, Small size,
doesn’t need a lot
to eat, but makes
them vulnerable.
Food Tools:
Termite Stick and
femur bone clubs.
Shelter: None
Repo: None
Australopithecus
Homo Habilis
Physical Traits:
Larger brain = more
complex tools
Larger Body – more
rugged but means
need more food.
Still needs all four
limbs to walk.
Food Tools: Oldavai
Pebble Tool. Still just
a scavenger
Shelter Tools: None,
lived in trees most
likely.
Repo: Nope.
Physical Traits: More Muscle and Bone
Mass- Extremely Tough, but even more
food needed.
Larger brain= Even More Sophisticated
Tools
First to walk on two legs all the time:
Allows them to migrate to new places.
Allows them to carry more stuff.
First Hunters with a Diverse tool kit:
Food Tools:
Achulean Hand Axe
Wooden Spears and clubs
Use Fire
Shelter:
First to begin living in caves.
First to possibly wear clothing.
Homo Erectus
Physical Traits:
Largest Body yet Bone almost twice
our size. But means needs a lot of
protein.
Larger Brain: Even more sophisticated
Tools.
New Evidence Suggests were capable
of speech. But is it language?
Food Technology:
•Use and Keep Fire as a tool
•Fire Hardened Spears
Neanderthal
•Stone tools for processing food
•Rough baskets for collecting food
Shelter Technology:
•Cave Dwellers
•Skin and hide clothing
•Repo: No Evidence
Physical traits: Not as much
muscle mass: required less food.
Largest Brain: Very sophisticated
tools
Food Technologies:
•Can Make own Fire
•Atlatl, slings, snares
•Pottery for storing food
Shelter Technologies:
Cro Magnon
(Modern Human)
•Burin
•Awls and Needles
•Clothing and Tents
Reproduction Technologies
•Decorative Items
•Status Symbols
•Earth Mother Statues
Atlatl
HOME
BURIN
AND
NEEDLE
Connections: Task One: You have 5 minutes
to list everything you personally own.
Swap lists with a partner. Categorize each
item that is used for survival: A=air; WWater; F=Food; R=Attraction Device;
S=Shelter.
Task Three: From your list of items you
own:
How many items on your list that are not
related to survival?
What is their purpose?
When in history do you think people began
creating these types of technologies?
What is the implication for our world that we
have so many more possessions?
Lesson One: Big Ideas Check
Historical Literacy Terms: Add to your list in
packet.
Atlatl
Rise and Fall Concepts
What are the 5 things humans need to survive?
Identify one most important technology for each of
the 5 species
What is the connection between brain size and tool
sophistication?
Lesson Two:
Human Culture (Behaviors, Beliefs, Arts) reshaped
the environment.
The Question: How did the practices of the early humans reshape the environment
they lived in to help them survive.
Warm Up: Think back to Quest For
Fire. Make a list of the ways that you
saw the Neanderthals changing their
environment. Then make a list of the
ways you remember the Cro Magnons
changing their environment.
Early Human Culture reshaped the environment to
help them survive:
Australospithicus
and Homo Habilis,
Homo Erectus,
Neanderthal,
Cro Magnon
They couldn’t and it wasn’t. They had very
little to no impact on changing their
environment. They had to deal with what
they were given or die.
Temporary impact on environment.
Hunting might burn grassland. Might
modify a hole in the ground and call it
home.
Could build shelters and make clothes to
make the environment more suitable
Begin to tame wild animals and change
their nature.
Lesson Two: Big Ideas Check
Historical Literacy Terms: Add to your list in packet.
Rise and Fall Concepts
Which human species had the biggest ability to
change their physical environment?
Historical Connections:
Complete the following statement:
Cultures that can change their environment will….
Lesson Three:
The environment reshapes the culture.
The Question: How did the environment of the early humans shape their cultures.
Warm Up: What are the 4 aspects of culture?
Can you give an example of each for
Neanderthal and Cro Magnon for each aspect
from Quest for Fire.
L3: The environment was responsible for the
development of early human cultures.
Australospithicus
and Homo Habilis,
Homo Erectus,
Neanderthal and
Cro Magnon
Culture was just about survival.
Behaviors: Food and Repro
Art: Tools for hunting
Beliefs: ?
Institutions: Family Tribes
Start to develop more sophisticated
cultures:
Language Behavior: Neanderthals can
communicate, but not language
Cro Magnons develop first actual
languages.
L3: The environment was responsible for the
development of early human cultures.
Hunter Gatherer
Institutions
Men hunt (sometimes successfully), while
women gather. Women actually keeping
clan alive. Gender roles were probably
equal.
Nomadic
Behaviors
Neanderthal and Cro Magnon moved from
location to location following herds of
animals and staying in warmer climate
Development of
Arts
Cave Paintings
Carving
Lascaux Caves
HOME
HOME
Lesson Three: Big Ideas Check
Historical Literacy Terms: Add to your list in packet.
Nomad,
Hunter/Gatherer
Lascaux Caves
Rise and Fall Concepts
The behaviors of the earliest humans were based around
getting what?
What are the advantageous to being nomadic?
What are the advantageous and disadvantageous to a hunter/
gatherer society?
How did early humans use art to help them survive?
Historical Connections:
Who is better off, Nomadic Hunter Gatherers or our
modern life style? Bullet three pieces of info from
your notes about Paleo Hunter Gatherers that would
support your statement.
Lesson Four:
Governments and Religions organize and inspire
people.
The Question: How did the environment shape the two most significant cultural
institutions; Government and Religion.
Warm Up:
If you had to describe government as only
serving one function – What would it be?
If you had to describe Religion as only serving
one function – What would it be?
L4: The environment helped create governments and
religions.
Religion probably
developed as a
reaction to death
and birth.
Australopithecus,
Homo Habilis,
Homo Erectus
Neanderthal
There were many things to die of in the
Prehistoric time. Birth also was critical and
unexplainable. Because this was such a
mystery, religious beliefs developed. They
believed that by honoring the spirits the spirits
would keep them alive.
Probably had some sort of proto religion in that
they probably reacted to death like modern
chimps.
Developed first proof of spiritual beliefs:
Burial with grave goods people take goods
wherever they were going.
Animal Cults: Animals possessed spirit that the
Clan could use if they collected parts of the
animal
Shaman: Doesn’t hunt or gather – collects herbs
and items for medicine and magic charms for
the protection of clan
L4: The environment helped create governments and
religions.
Cro Magnon
Earth Mother Statues: Worship of
Mother Nature to control birth and
fertility
Animism: Worship of animal spirits
Animal cults like Neanderthal
Cave paintings could have been to
capture and control spirits of
animals
Ancestor Worship: Dead buried in
homes of living to always be
amongst them, like Nean. Buried
with grave goods.
L4: The environment helped create governments and
religions.
Early Humans
organized into
early governments
Neanderthals and Cro Magnons were
organized into tribes. A group of extended
family
Tribe was lead by the Tribal Chieftan.
What traits would these early Hunter
Gatherer societies look for in their
Chieftan?
What decisions would they need to make?
Lesson Four: Big Ideas Check
Historical Literacy Terms: Add to your list in packet.
Shaman, Earth Mother Goddess, Animal Cults
Rise and Fall Concepts
The earliest religions were probably formed as humans tried to
control which two aspects of life.
What evidence do we have of Aus, religion?
Neanderthal?
Cro Magnon?
What powers did Paleo Chiefs have over the tribe?
Historical Connections:
What similarities do we have with Paleolithic
Religion?
In what ways are our needs for government the
same or different?
Lesson Five: The Fall of the Paleolithic People
The Question: Which factors were responsible for the extinction of the earlier human
species?
Warm Up: Make a prediction. What
factors do you think may have
contributed to the extinction of the early
human species?
L5: The Fall of Early Human Species in the
Paleolithic
Australopithecus,
Homo Habilis,
Homo Erectus
The Environment altered the culture
Neanderthal
Environment altered the culture:
Neanderthal relied on Ice Age animals, with end
of last Ice Age, large animals like Mammoth
died off. Food supply of Neanderthal
disappeared.
Changes in weather patterns (Cooling and
Drying of Africa) altered the food supply too
much.
Relationship with Neighbors:
Cro Magnon may have become more aggressive
as food sources got scarce.
None of the early species seems to have had
the ability to change their culture to respond to
changes in the environment.