Chapter Digging Up the Past Lesson 1: Early Gatherers and Hunters KMS

Prehistory The time period before people developed a system of writing and a written language

I. Studying Prehistory (before reading and writing) A. Artifacts Archaeologists draw conclusions about prehistoric people by analyzing and studying artifacts.

2. The place where archaeologists dig to uncover artifacts is called an excavation site.

a. Archaeologists: study ancient people and artifacts

b. Artifacts: objects made and used by people long ago.

3. Prehistoric people did not leave behind books or other writings 3. Prehistoric people did not leave behind books or other writings. They left other objects called artifacts.

4. Artifacts also show us what natural resources early people used from their environment.

5. Artifacts tell us that early people hunted and what tools they used.

6. Examples of artifacts are tools, weapons, pottery, or jewelry made by early people.

B. The Stone Age The early period of human history is called the Stone Age. That’s when people made tools and weapons from stone.

2. The Stone Age was a prehistoric time when people used mostly stone tools,

but they also used wood, horn, antler, and bone tools.

3. The Stone Age is divided into two periods: the Old Stone Age (Paleolithic)and the New Stone Age (Neolithic).

C. Paleolithic Age The earliest part of the Stone Age is the Paleolithic Age, or Old Stone Age. It began about 2.5 million years ago and lasted until about 8000 B.C.

2. In Greek “Paleo” means “old” and “lithic” means “stone” , thus the Old Stone Age.

3. The Old Stone Age lasted a long time, but little progress was made in technology.

4. During this time early modern humans developed.

5. Archaeologists study artifacts to learn about prehistoric people 5. Archaeologists study artifacts to learn about prehistoric people. We know the early people were hunters and gatherers.

D. Hunters and Gatherers 1. The first humans spent most of their time looking for food. They hunted animals and gathered, or collected, plants, nuts, and berries. For this reason, early people are known as “hunters and gatherers.”

2. The men hunted the large animals like buffalo, bison, wild goats, reindeer, etc. depending on where they lived.

3. The women stayed close to camp, usually near a body of water and looked after the children and gathered berries, nuts, fruits, and grains.

4. Along coastal areas they fished.

5. Early people moved from place to place looking for food 5. Early people moved from place to place looking for food. People who move from place to place in order to survive are called nomads.

Nomads’ main activity was searching for food.

Early Hunter Gatherers Video part 1

E. Culture 1. Culture is a way of life for a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs. 2. The methods the Paleolithic people used to gather and hunt their food and their tools were part of their culture.

3. Technology –tools and methods to perform tasks was first used by the Paleolithic people.

a. Paleolithic people probably made fire by creating friction a. Paleolithic people probably made fire by creating friction. They rubbed two pieces of wood together until the wood became so hot it caught on fire.

b. They also started fires by hitting one stone, iron pyrite, against another. This would create a spark that could set dry grass or leaves on fire.

c. People also developed spoken language instead of just sounds and gestures. d. They also expressed themselves through art. They painted their caves with paints made from crushed rock mixed with animal fat.

F. Ice Age 1. About 100,000 B.C. thick sheets of ice, or glaciers, covered much of the land. Early people had to adapt, or change if they were to survive. This was the beginning of Earth’s most recent Ice Age.

2. As the glaciers began to shrink, the land underneath the glaciers was uncovered. Plants and animals could live on this land.

During the Ice Age, the seas were lower than they are today. A land bridge, called Beringia , connected Asia to North America.

5. Beringia is part of one theory as to how the first people made it to the Americas.

6. Animals also migrated between Asia and North America. 7 6. Animals also migrated between Asia and North America. 7. Archaeologists think nomadic hunters followed herds of animals across the land bridge into the Americas.

END of CHAPTER 3 LESSON 1 POWER POINT.