Emma,
Julian,
Kelly,
and Nathen
Modern Humans lived a short life. Modern
Humans made fire, houses, and came up with
the idea about domesticating animals and
planting crops. Join us as we learn more about
this fascinating group of hominids.

Modern humans originated from Europe. [1]
Later some of them moved to Asia, They lived
between 25,000 and 10,000 B.C. [2]

Modern humans look like what people look
like today, but obviously, they wore different
clothes. Homo Sapien Sapiens (modern
humans) were just a little shorter than the
average human today. The average male
looked like us because they were civilized, and
they were usually taller than the girls. The girls
were also civilized-looking and shorter than
people today. Homo Sapien Sapiens had
different skin colors, depending on where they
lived [3]

The modern humans would plant seeds of
different vegetables like corn. The modern
humans were hunters, and they would also
gather varieties of seeds like berries, roots, and
nuts. They also ate fish. They would catch
fresh game. It would be hard for the hunters to
catch the fish because since the fish move fast,
they wouldn’t always be able to catch the fish.
[4]


Modern humans would build permanent homes that
would last long and throughout the harsh winter. In
the summer, they migrated and followed the animals
and then lived in tents wherever they ended up. Their
winter homes were ice age huts, in tepee style, built
from woolly mammoth bones, branches, and covered
with animal skin. [5]
They made sure their hut was well done because they
used them for several years. Modern humans would
dig holes and insert poles into those holes. At the
point of the tepee, they would tie animal guts to hold
the poles together, and then lay fur over the hut to
cover the inside of the hut. Of course, there are many
ways to build a hut, and this was just one example.
[6]

Modern humans were first hunters, but then as time
went by, they evolved into farmers. They evolved
because they figured it was easier than going around
the forest chasing after food and looking for berries.
After everybody kept dropping little seeds as they
were looking for food, the seeds grew naturally into
crops. They later found out they could plant food in
there backyard anytime they wanted. That’s how they
became farmers, but they also learned that it would be
easier to find meat if they took baby cows and other
animals when young. They could raise them and/or
train them, and then if the modern humans got
hungry, they just killed one and ate it. During their
daily life, they would work and play with friends. [7]



Early humans made lots of tools like spears,
harpoons, and also things like arrowheads,
knives, bows, and axes. [8]
They used all these things to survive. They
used them to hunt, cook, and fish. [9]
They used other tools to do a lot of other things
like chopping wood making homes, and
making clothes. [10]



The modern humans would make fire with a
stick and a stone (flint and tinder). [11]
The modern humans would use the fire to
cook, for heat, for light, and to make jewelry
shine. [12] They would have to use special tools
to make a fire. [13]
The fire would protect them from dangerous
animals and when there was rain, the rain
would extinguish the fire, and if it would get
extinguished, the predators would attack them.
[14]

Early humans buried their dead. There is proof.
Peter Beaumont found an infant buried in a
cave. The skeleton was one hundred percent
complete. These clues make people believe
early humans were religious. [15]

Modern humans communicated in a way of
writing, but not writing letters. They
communicated on the walls of caves. Scientists
looked at modern humans’ bones and skulls to
see if they had a larger brain or small brain.
Depending how big their brain is, they can
communicate by painting. [16]

In cold weather, early man learned to soften
leather to make warm clothes that were
comfortable. They would sew it together with
animal guts using bones as needles. In warmer
weather, they would sew together grass or bark
because they are usually naturally cool objects,
better for warm-weather clothing. Modern humans
would wear necklaces that were made out of
feathers, teeth, shells, and flowers, and sometimes
even bones. Some people decorated themselves by
painting, and making tattoos, from natural dyes.
They would do that because we believe that they
might have a signature design. [17]
During the Paleolithic era, people used art to
express their emotions. Modern humans
painted scenes showing rocks, rivers, and
animals. They painted on cave walls, rocks,
and roofs. Another part of art they did was
making jewelry from shells and bones. As
well as jewelry, they made pottery, firing it to
give it a good luster and lots of durability.
They also made little statues of ivory and
bone. Modern humans crushed up colored
rocks to make paint. They used chalk for
white, charcoal for black, and iron oxide for
red paint. Modern humans used animals hair
to make paintbrush bristles just as we do
now. [18]



What were the modern humans clothes made
out of and how did they put them together?
How did they make their shelter and what was
it made out of?
Were there houses meant to be stationary and
did they take time building these homes? Why
or why not?



They made their clothes out of leather or
animal hides, and sometimes even grass or
bark.
They made their shelter tepee style, and they
made it out of branches and bones, and then
covered it in animal hides.
Yes, their houses were meant to be stationary,
and they took time on them because they used
them for many years.

In the end Kelly, Nathen, Julian, and Emma
thought that the modern humans were really
interesting. We learned that the modern humans
weren’t very different from the humans today.
The humans today and Homo Sapien Sapiens
were very much alike in physical appearance,
except for the height. Modern Humans were
shorter than us because Modern Humans were the
most civilized group of early humans. Now today
in human lives, we use many of the methods that
modern humans did.
[1] California Vistas Ancient Civilizations, Macmillan McGraw-Hill, NY, 2007, p. 81.
[2] Facchini, Fiorenzo, “A Day with Homo Sapiens,” Twenty-First Century Books, Connecticut,
2003, pp. 1 - 49.
[3] “Homo Sapien Sapiens.” Homo Sapien Sapiens. http://www.earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/.
[4]Ibid.
[5]Ibid.
[6]Ibid.
[7] MacMillan McGraw-Hill, p. 74.
[8] Kearns, Marsha, “Homo Habilis,” Early Humans, Creative
Teaching Press , CA, 1993, pp. 8 – 10.
[9] Ibid.
[10]Ibid.
[11] MacMillan McGraw-Hill, p. 75.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Ibid.
[15] MacMillan McGraw-Hill, p. 91.
[16] Ibid, p. 83.
[17] Mrdonn.org.
[18] MacMillan McGraw-Hill, p. 83.
California Visits Ancient Civilizations.
Macmillan/MacGraw Hill: New York, NY,
2007.
“Homo Sapien Sapiens.” Homo Sapiens.
http://www.earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/.
Kearns, Marsha.“Homo Sapiens.” Early Humans.
Creative Teaching Press: CA, 1993.
“Otzi the Iceman.” Early Human Class
Presentation by Lonnie Johnson on October 28,
2010.