Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages The Stone Age Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages

Bell Ringer The oldest human footprints in the world were unearthed at Laetoli, near Olduvai Gorge, in Tanzinia. Group A What do you see? What do you think these footprints feel like? Group B Write a one-paragraph (4-6 sentences) story about the person who left these footprints. Group C What can these footprints tell us about the early humans who left them behind? Write at least 5 sentences. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dzb_XwxtB0

The oldest human footprints in the world were unearthed at Laetoli, near Olduvai Gorge, in Tanzinia. These footprints led Owen Lovejoy to conclude that even these early hominids walked with an upright, striding gait just as modern humans do.

The Old Stone Age or the Paleolithic Era, was a period of time that lasted from about 2 million BC to 10,000 BC

How did man survive? Man survived by hunting animals and gathering roots, berries, leaves, and seeds.

Hunted Animals Mammoth Wild Boar Reindeer

Roots, Berries, and Other Plant Life Gathering... Roots, Berries, and Other Plant Life Scurvy Grass Crowberry Shabby Inkcaps Wild Cabbage Morel Goosebury

Where did people live during the Paleolithic Era? People were nomadic. There were no permanent homes. Because people hunted and gathered, they would have to move where the food was. Homes were temporary places like caves, huts or animal-skin tents.

Old Stone Age (Paleolithic Era) Shelters

Tools Simple tools and weapons, made from materials at hand Stone, bone, wood They could not make smooth stone, so their tools were chipped stone and not sharpened.

How did people dress during the Paleolithic Age? Invented clothing Clothing was made primarily from the fur of the animals that had been killed for food. The climate during the time was cold, so people dressed to stay warm.

Government Tribal society: Clan controlled by elders or the powerful (according to age)

Economy There was no concept of private property. Everything was shared and belonged to the tribe.

Same groups as yesterday Bell Ringer Same groups as yesterday Group A What is a hunter-gatherer society? (2 sentences) Group B How is a hunter-gatherer lifestyle different from our own today? (3 sentences) Group C Explain why hunter-gatherers were nomadic. (3 sentences)

Paleolithic Age & Cave Art Found all over Europe, Asia, Australia & Africa Painted deer, horses, buffalo, bulls, cows, & stick-figure people Lie deep in the caves Main colors were red & black, with a little yellow, maroon & violet. Paint was made out of materials ground into animal fats. The following pictures are from a Cave in Lascaux, France: 

Discoveries Fire Rough Stone Tools

In a handful of pierced seashells found in a South African cave, scientists believe that they have discovered the world’s oldest known jewelry and the earliest reliabile evidence of creative symbolic thought at work. The 41 tiny shells, unearthed at Blombos Cave, were strung as beads more than 75,00 years ago, making them at least 30,000 years older than any other reliably dated personal ornaments…. http://www.krsh.com/morningshow/blindedarchive/JewelryEverAppropriate.htm

The New Stone Age (The Neolithic Era)

The New Stone Age (The Neolithic Era) The New Stone Age or The Neolithic Era started in about 7,000 BC.

Man began to change his diet and eat grains and small animals.

The Development of Agriculture Agriculture is the raising of crops and animals. The development of agriculture began over a long period of time and in more than one place. People no longer needed to travel great distances to gather food.

People learned how to domesticate plants and animals. To domesticate means to train something to be useful to people. Early people learned to care for plants such as corn, wheat and beans The first farmers also domesticated wild goats, cattle, and sheep.

Ancient charred wheat grains are shown in the picture above. Man domesticated wild wheat.

Domesticated Corn Thousands of years ago, an ear of corn did not make much of a meal. (top) It took thousands of years of careful breeding for ears of corn to reach their present size. (bottom)

The New Stone Age (The Neolithic Era) During the Neolithic Era, people began to settle in one place (sedentary lifestyle).

New Stone Age (Neolithic Era) Tools People still used stone, bone, and wooden tools, but some new tools were added by using copper and bronze.

Advanced Tools These early farming tools date back to around 8,000 years ago. The axe, bottom, was used for clearing; flint sickles, left, were used for harvesting cereal crops; a flat rock and rounded stone, center, were used for grinding flour; and perforated clay slabs, upper right, were probably used to ventilate bread ovens.

Clothes Animal skins In some places, people were able to make fabric from the wool of their sheep

Government Military and religious leaders had authority Monarchy (kings and queens) emerged.

Economy Private Property—ownership of land, livestock and tools

Health Neolithic people were shorter and had lower life expectancy. Diseases like tooth cavities and typhoid emerged. Women had more children because the lifestyle was no longer nomadic.

Art Wall Paintings

Main Discovery Agriculture Tools with Polished Stone