The Stone Ages and Early Cultures
Section 1
Prehistory - 28
 the time before there was writing
 to study prehistory, historians rely on the work of archaeologists and
anthropologists
Ancestor - 28
 relative who lived in the past
Mary Leaky - 28
 In 1959 she found bones in East Africa that were more than 1.5 million years old
 Believed that these bones belonged to an early hominid
Donald Johanson – 28 & 29
 Named his find Lucy
 Johanson could tell from her bones that she was small and walked on two legs
Discoveries of ancient bones give us information about - 29
 early humans and their ancestors
Homo erectus - 30
 Name means “upright man.”
 Knew how to control fire
 Once a fire was started by natural causes, such as lightning, people would use it
to cook food
Tools – 30 & 31
 Is any handheld object that has been modified to help a person accomplish a
task
 The sharp edge could be used to cut, chop, or scrape roots, bones, and meat
 Increased the chance of survival for early humans
Distribute – 33
 Divide among a group of people