The First Human Populations 22/08/2018

Prehistory Prehistory is the first major period of humanity. It lasted millions of years. It begins with the first human beings and ends with the invention of writing. Everything we know about this period comes from material remains. 22/08/2018

The 3 most important periods At first, during the Paleolithic period, the first human beings were hunter gatherers and nomads. During the Neolithic period they learned to farm land, domesticate animals and the first towns appeared. Later, they discovered metals, which marks the last period of Prehistory. 22/08/2018

Hunter-Gatherers The first human beings appeared more than 2 million years ago. Their most important activity was finding food. They fed themselves by hunting, fishing and gathering fruits and wild plants. They learned how to make tools using stones, bones and animal horns. They made lances, arrows and needles. The hunters were nomads. They made shelter from tree trunks and animal skins or slept in caves. Fire was very important to keep them warm. 22/08/2018

Neolithic period Men and women learned how to farm the land and domesticate animals. This was the beginning of agriculture and livestock. The first things grown were cereals (wheat, barley and rye). The dog was the first domestic animal. Later they domesticated goats, sheep and pigs. They also invented ceramics and the spindle to weave fabrics. 22/08/2018

The Metal Age At the end of prehistory humans learned to make tools from metal. This last period is known as The Age of Metals. The first metal used was copper. Later on they used bronze and iron. They heated the metals to very high temperatures to make tools. They made megaliths made out of big blocks of stone. They were built for religious reasons. Stonehenge in England is a very famous example. 22/08/2018