Scientist who study origins? Archeologists Specially trained scientists who work like detective to uncover the story of people. They learn about early people by excavating (unearthing) Archeologist study bones Archeologists study artifacts - which are remains such as tools, jewelry, and other human made objects. These give us clues about how they live. Anthropologist Study culture or people’s way of life. They study artifacts and try to figure out how people lived. Paleontologist Study fossils which are evidence of early life preserved in rock. Fossils contain such evidence as fragments of bone or plants. Famous Scientist who study origins: Donald Johanson Donald Johanson was an American archeologist working on a dig in Ethiopia. In 1974 Johanson’s team found a complete skeleton of a female hominid which they nicknamed Lucy. Lucy is believed to have lived 3.5 million years ago which makes her the oldest hominid found to date. Mary Leaky In the mid 1970’s an archeologist named Mary Leakey led a scientific expedition in the Laetoli region of Tanzania (East Africa) In 1978 she and her team discovered footprints that resembled modern man. These foot prints were made by human like beings called australopithecines. Humans and other creatures who walk upright, like australopithecines, are called hominids

Hominids in Motion Both Lucy and the hominids that left their foot prints in East Africa were species of australopithecines. Walking upright helped early man travel They were able to spot threats and carry food and children They developed the opposable thumb. This helped pick-up objects and make tools Progress During the Old Stone Age The Old Stone Age is also called the Paleolithic Age Most of the Paleolithic Age occurred during the Ice Age. During the Ice Age glaciers advanced and retreated up to eighteen times The last Ice Age was 10,000 years ago Progress of man during the Old Stone Age Homo Habilis Homo Habilis appeared before Australopithecines vanished Appeared in East Africa about 2.5 million years ago. Homo Habilis means “man of skill” In the 1960’s Mary Leakey and her husband Louis found a Homo Habilis in Tanzania they named him “Handy Manny” because they found tools made of lava rocks. Homo Erectus is more intelligent Homo Erectus means upright man. Appeared approximately 1.6 million years ago Used intelligence to develop technology – ways of applying knowledge Made tools for digging, scraping, and cutting Was a skilled hunter First hominids to migrate from Africa and settled in India, China, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Homo Erectus was the first to use fire May have developed an early spoken language The Dawn of Modern Humans Scientist believe that Homo erectus developed in to Homo sapiens (or modern humans) Homo sapiens means “wise men” Homo sapiens have larger brains than Homo erectus

The Neanderthal way of life Were powerfully built Slanted brow, well developed muscles, and thick bones Lived between 200,000 and 30,000 years ago Had religious beliefs and burial customs Lived in shelters Made stone tools Cro-Magnons Emerge Appeared about 40,000 years ago Identical to modern humans Superior hunters who planned their hunts Advanced spoken language Better health due to more food from hunting may have led for them to replace Neanderthal Key Points to Remember About Early Man Life in early hunter-gatherer societies was shaped by their physical environment. Homo sapiens emerged in east Africa between 100,000 and 400,000 years ago. Homo sapiens migrated from Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas. Early humans were hunters and gatherers whose survival depended on the availability of wild plants and animals. Early human societies, through the development of culture, began the process of overcoming the limits set by the physical environment.

&bih=809&tbm=isch&tbnid=vVcJktuyTnYgAM:&imgrefurl= com/2002/ice_age.html&docid=WnuVIemKpKmDeM&imgurl= zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=710&vpy=405&dur=5522&hovh=269&hovw=187&tx=90&ty= 213&sig= &page=1&tbnh=140&tbnw=98&start=0&ndsp=2 4&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:0,i:138 hecked/media/36968/Artists- reconstruction-of-a-Cro- Magnon-an-early-version-ofhttp:// hecked/media/36968/Artists- reconstruction-of-a-Cro- Magnon-an-early-version-of