Hominids and Hunter-Gatherers

Investigating prehistory Historians rely on written records- Did hominids write? Archaeologists- study/analyze material remains like tools, pottery, weapons, clothing, jewelry Anthropologists- study bones of our ancestors and their culture (way of life, beliefs, values, practices)

Early Hominids Australopithecus- 4 million years BC S/E Africa 500 cm³ brain size First hominid to walk upright Homo Habilis- “handy man”, 2.5 million years BC 700 cm³ brain size E Africa First to make stone tools

Early Hominids Homo Erectus- “upright man”, 1.6 million years BC Africa, Asia, Europe 1,000 cm³ brain size First to leave Africa Neanderthal- 200,000-30,000 BC, Europe and SW Asia, 1,450 cm³ brain, first to have ritual burials

Prehistory Most of our existence is prehistoric Paleolithic Age-Old Stone Age- hunters and gatherers. Neolithic Age-New Stone Age-farmers and herders. Picture below-Neandertal and Cro-Magnon skulls that were comtemporaries about 40,000 years ago. Both survived the last Ice Age and the Old Stone Age, but Neandertal became extinct while Cro-Magnon evolved into modern man Most of man’s existence was in the Old Stone Age. Use of stone tools and fire developed. Lived by hunting and gathering Lived in small scattered groups of 20 to 60. Life spans were short (29 for female, 33 male) Impact on the land was not great-population remained small.

Early Hominids Cro-Magnon- Homo Sapiens- 40,000 (or 150,000) to 8,000 BC Europe Brain size 1,400 cm³ brain size Fully modern humans First to create art, more organized

http://www. hunterian. gla. ac http://www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk/collections/museum/hominid/australopithicus/australopithicus.shtml

Hunter-Gatherers Mode of Production- the way goods and services are produced, used, and traded Hunter-Gatherers- nomads who obtained food, clothes, shelter from plants and animals

The Bering Strait today

Land Bridge quicktime beringlandbridge1l.mov

Hunter-Gatherers They hunted wooly mammoths, elk, reindeer, musk oxen, wooly rhinos, saber-toothed tigers, etc They hunted with stone spear tips called Clovis points

Clovis points

Stone Axe

Folsom Point

Darts and Fish hook

Animals

Animals

Animals

Animals

Shelter

Shelter