Early Man and the Stone Age
decade: a period of 10 years
century: a period of 100 years
circa or c.: a word historians use when they are not sure of an exact
date. It means “around’, or “about”.
BC: a term used to identify events that happened before the birth of
Jesus Christ
BCE: another way to say BC; it means “before the common era”
AD: a term used to identify dates after Jesus’ birth. It comes from the
Latin phrase “anno Domini” which means “in the year of our Lord.”
CE: another way to say AD. It means “common era.”
prehistory: the time before there was writing. Writing is thought to have
been invented about 5,000 years ago.
To learn about prehistoric times and the very first humans, we
must rely on fossil remains and artifacts discovered by archeologists
and anthropologists. Discoveries of ancient bones give us information
about early humans and their ancestors, but not all scientists agree on
the meaning of these discoveries. Scientists develop theories based on
what they find, since there are no written records to tell us specifically
about these times.
fossils: a part or imprint of something that was once alive. Bones and
footprints preserved in rock are examples of fossils.
tool: a handheld object that has been modified to help a person
accomplish a task (do a job, or work)
artifact: a simple object (like a tool or ornament, coin, pottery, or toy)
showing human workmanship or modification; objects created and used
by humans.
archeology: the study of the past based on things that people left
behind.
**archeologist: a person who studies archeology
“The purpose of history is not the reader’s enjoyment at the moment of
perusal (reading it), but the reformation (improvement) of the reader’s
soul, to save him from stumbling at the stumbling block many times
over.”
Polybius, The Histories, vol. XXXVII
primary source: an account of an event created by someone who took
part in or witnessed the event.
**treaties, letters, diaries, laws, court documents, royal commands,
or an audio or
video recording
secondary source: information gathered by someone who did not take
part in or witness the event.
**history book, documentary
hominid: early ancestor of humans
ancestor: a relative who lived in the past
Lucy: the hominid found by Donald Johanson in 1974 in east Africa.
Lucy is thought to have lived about 3.5 million years ago. She was small
and walked on two legs.
“We reluctantly headed back toward camp . . . I glanced over my
right shoulder.
Light glinted off a bone. I knelt down for a closer look . . .
Everywhere we looked
On the slope around us we saw more bones lying on the surface.”
Donald Johanson, describing his discovery of Lucy in
Ancestors: In Search of Human Origins
homo habilis: “handy man” – more closely related to modern humans
homo erectus: “upright man” – these people walked completely upright
like modern people do; they could control fire
Fire: used to cook food, for warmth, and for protection against wild
animals
homo sapien: “wise man” thought to have appeared in Africa about
200,000 years ago
migrate: move
During the Old Stone Age, climate patterns around the world
changed, transforming the earth’s geography. In response to these
changes people migrated to different areas.
Ice Ages: about 1.6 million years ago, many places around the world
began to experience long periods of freezing weather.
**During the Ice Ages, people believe the ocean levels dropped,
leaving a land bridge (strip of land that connected continents) between
Asia and North America, which allowed people of the Old Stone Age to
migrate around the world.
** Humans began to migrate from east Africa to southern Africa
and southwest Asia. From there they migrated east across southern Asia,
and then on to Australia. From southwestern Asia, humans also
migrated north into Europe. (Geographic features such as high
mountains and cold temperatures delayed migration northward into
northern Asia and Europe.) From northern Asia, people moved into
North America – probably crossing a land bridge. Once in North America,
people followed herds of wild animals down throughout North America
and into South America. By 9,000 BC, humans lived all over the world,
on all continents, except Antarctica.
People had to learn to adapt to new environments. Their food,
clothing, and shelter depended upon the resources they found in the new
places where they moved.
Paleolithic Era: (Early Stone Age) It lasted from about a million years
ago until about 10,000 years ago. During this time, people were huntergatherers and fishermen, but not producers of food. They used stone
tools which became increasingly sophisticated. They learned to control
fire and acquired language. During this time, people began to live in
societies, or small groups of people who shared the same culture
(common rituals, religious beliefs, and language.)
Mesolithic Era: (Middle Stone Age) tools became smaller and more
complex. People invented hooks for fishing and the bow and arrow. They
also learned to make canoes and pottery.
Neolithic Era: (New Stone Age) People learned to polish stones to make
tools like saws and drills. People also learned to make fire, giving them
the ability to cook food, keep themselves warm, and have protection
against wild animals. This age ended about 5,000 years ago in most
places, when people learned to use metals to make tools.
Neolithic Revolution: tremendous developments brought great change
to Neolithic societies:
Fire
Tools
Agriculture
The greatest change during this time was that people went from being
gatherers of food to producers of food. After a warming trend in the
climate, new plants (barley, wheat) began to grow in some areas. People
learned to take the seeds from these plants and grow their own crops.
Domestication: the process of changing plants or animals to make
them more useful to humans.
Agriculture: farming either of plants or animals
Learning to use animals for their own purposes meant that people did
not have to follow wild herds of animals. They could settle down and
keep sheep, goats, or cattle for milk, meat, and wool. They also trained
animals to help them carry loads or pull large tools used in farming.