By: Kerrie DeLiberis

How did Paleolithic humans use controlled fire? The Paleolithic people discovered fire and it was probably one of the greatest discoveries of this time. They used fire to cook the hunted meat, scare off other people and animals, for light, and for heat. Control of Fire

How has control of fire affected modern life? Now we use controlled fire for many things, such as:  Stoves/Cooking  Heat Sources  Light (candle) These things help us survive without them it would probably be hard.

What is bipedalism and why was it important? Bipedalism is standing on two appendages this was important because they could use their hands for tools easier. Mary Leakey, an archeologist and anthropologist, discovered footprints at Laetoli that we believe is evidence that around 3.7 million years ago our ancestors became bipedal. Bipedalism

How has bipedalism affected modern life? Bipedalism has made it possible to do many things, such as:  Walking  Running  Jumping  Doing basically any sport If we did not have bipedalism we would not be able to do any of these things.

How did Paleolithic humans decorate themselves? Paleolithic people made body paint and jewelry out of the nature around them. They made it by hand. Some humans discovered this when they saw the Cro-Magnons. Personal Decorations

Do we decorate ourselves? We do decorate ourselves although it is different than the Paleolithic time. Most of the time it is not as bright but now makeup is our personal decoration. Many teens wear makeup, mostly girls. Now a lot of people wear jewelry it is not all handmade now we use machines to make it.

Why were stone tools so important? Paleolithic people discovered stones could be used as tools by themselves or combined with sticks. This was important because these tools made it easier to hunt and cook food. An example of a tool is a spear. A spear was a sharpened rock connected to the tip of a stick. The Paleolithic humans could throw it at animals for food. Some rocks were used as knives to cut and skin meat. They also used a bow and arrow that was made from stone. Stone Tools

How do we use stone tools today? Well we don’t exactly use stone tools today but the tools we do use are based on Paleolithic tools. We use knives that are just like the Paleolithic knives. Also we have made better bow and arrow not made from stone. The tools we have today are made of different kinds of metals and materials.

What is agriculture and why is it important? Agriculture is growing food and domesticating (taming) animals. Women gathered the plants, eventually learning they could grow their own seeds that will make crops. This was important because everyone could stay in a permanent home instead of moving for food. Also taming animals helped them carry heavy items over long distances. Also gave milk and meat. Surplus food was another thing agriculture brought, they had enough food for the long winters. Agriculture

How do we use agriculture in modern life? Agriculture is much different now, we use machines and satellites to grow our crops. We also have plows. Many of the foods we eat are made from the meat vegetables, and grain farmers grow, like hamburgers.

What kind of shelter did Neolithic people have? Since they didn’t have to search for food anymore people started building permanent homes. Neolithic people had houses made of mud brick and sometimes added braches or stone to make the roof stronger. These houses lasted long and were round or rectangular with one or more rooms. They had ovens and basin built into the floor for storing food. Permanent Shelters

Are our houses like Neolithic houses? In some ways our houses are like Neolithic houses. Our houses have rectangular shape and sometimes our houses are made of brick, too. Unlike Neolithic houses most of the time we have a lot of rooms and a full kitchen.

What kind of occupations did Neolithic people specialize in? Now that people didn’t need to spend time gathering food they could specialize in one job. Some of the jobs were sewing, building, jewelry making and tool making. Some people in Çatal Höyük developed weaving. Specialized Occupations

Do we specialize in jobs today? We specialize in many jobs today, actually some jobs are the same as in Neolithic times. We have professional sewers, builders, toolmakers and jewelry makers too. We also have many other jobs like doctors, teachers, news reporters and many more.

Why was pottery important to Neolithic humans? Neolithic people started using clay pottery to cook food and to store it. They used to use animal skins or grass baskets but those could not last because of the high temperatures. Clay pottery could last in the high temperatures used for cooking. Pottery

Do we use pottery now? We don’t use pottery as much as the Neolithic people did. We use it for decoration and some people make it as a hobby. Our pottery is much more decorative, painted bright colors. Not many people use clay pottery for cooking, we have pans now.

Why was writing so important Sumerians? Writing, also called Cuneiform, had many different “stages”. **Pictograph -simple, represented real objects, limiting **Ideograph - single or combined pictographs, ideas/ actions **Phonogram -symbols that represented a syllable, “kur” “li” **Cuneiform -horizontal rows, wedge-shaped lines Professional writers were scribes, they used sharpened reeds to write on clay tablets. Only few people learned to write mostly boys. Writing

Is our writing like Cuneiform? Our writing is a lot different, but we still have horizontal rows like Sumerians. We no longer use symbols but letters. WE use straight lines just like Sumerians, too.

Why was the wheel so important to Sumerians? The wheel was important to Sumerians because it helped them carry their traded goods to and from their home. Also, they could use the wheel for the plows so they could push it without straining themselves. Wheel

How do we use wheels today? We use wheels on vehicles and many types of transportation. They make traveling easier just like they did for the Sumerians.

What were organized armies? Organized armies were one of the king’s responsibilities. They fought for the land because there were city-states that were often attacked by neighbors. Organized Armies

What kind of organized armies do we have today? Today, we have a large military system. There is the: - Army - Navy - Marines - Air Force This is like the Sumerian armies because they are both organized and the weapons they use are alike.

Why were written laws important to Sumerians? The first written laws started in Sumer. These laws were important because they kept people from doing dangerous things. Also if someone does something and someone thinks it’s wrong they can just see if it is against the law. No one could make up a fake law because the laws were written. Also laws made Sumer more peaceful. Written Laws

How are our laws like Sumerian laws? Our laws are written like Sumerian laws, these laws are enforced like they were in Sumer. The laws now are very different than the laws in Sumer but they are still helping make it peaceful.