Chapter 3
Early Humans
and the
Agricultural
Revolution
Paleolithic Age
• Paleolithic – “Old Stone Age”; time of hunters and
gatherers
• Nomads – people who move from place to place
• Things made by humans long ago are called artifacts
• Men hunted; women stayed close to camp
• Culture – way of life for a group of people who share
similar beliefs and customs
• Technology – tools and methods to perform tasks
• Climate affected how people lived
Paleolithic Age (cont.)
• Fire
o Life became less difficult
o People gathered around fire to share stories and cook
•
Language and Art
o
o
o
•
Spoken language was developed
People expressed themselves through art
Cave paintings have been found all around the world
Ice Age – long period of extreme cold
o
o
Low sea levels exposed a “land bridge” connecting Asia and North America
To survive people had to adapt (ex. Increased fat intake)
Neolithic Age
•
•
•
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Neolithic – “New Stone Age”; farming revolution
Gradually, farming replaced hunting and gathering
Domesticate – tame animals for human use
Agricultural Revolution – some historians consider it to be
the most important event in human history
o
o
o
o
o
Farmers saved some grain to plant
Constant supply of food could be produced
Populations grew faster
Settled communities began forming
Farming spread all over the world
Neolithic Age cont.
• Life in the Neolithic Age
o People settled near water, especially rivers
o Communities grew – people were more secure
o Farmers grew more food than they needed and began to trade this surplus
(amount that is left over)
o Less people were needed to farm so they became artisans or skilled workers; this
is known as specialization or training for a particular job
o Men farmed and women took care of the children
o Bronze – a metal created by mixing copper and tin
• Stronger than copper but expensive; most used tools and weapons made of
stone
Civilizations
• Humans continued to develop more complex cultures, or
ways of life
• These complex cultures are called civilizations
• Four great river valley civilizations began about 3000 BCE –
Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China
• Early civilizations developed cities and formed
governments
• Trade increased – allowed for the exchange of goods
and ideas
• Religions started to help people explain their lives
• People invented ways of writing to pass on information