Early Humans: From hunting and gathering to farming

Big Idea #1 - Hunters and gatherers were nomads.

A nomads is a person who moves from place to place without a permanent home. Hunters and gatherers were always moving form place to place looking for food.

Big Idea #2 - Humans began to domesticate animals. People began to herd animals instead of hunt them. The began to domesticate or tame the animals for human use. Animals provided meat, milk, and wool. They also carried goods and people and pulled carts.

Big Idea #4 - Humans began to farm

People began to realize that they could plant seeds and grow their own food. They probably learned this by observing how plants began to grow on their own. With this new knowledge, people could stay in one place and grow grains and vegetables.

Big Idea #5 - Villages begin to grow As people began staying in one place, villages began to grow around them.

Jericho and Çatal Hüyük One of the oldest is Jericho in Israel. It dates back to about 8000 B.C. Another well-known ancient village is Çatal Hüyük (chahTAHL hoo YOOK) in present- day Turkey. It was home to some 6,000 people between about 6700 B.C. and 5700 B.C.

Big Idea #5 - People began to specialize Farming surplus made it possible for people to practice specialization or the development of different kinds of jobs. Because not everyone was needed for farming, some people had the time to develop other types of skills. They made pottery from clay to store their grain and other foods. Others used plant fibers to make mats and to weave cloth. This led to new type of clothing.