Early Humans History is the story of humans in the past. Historians are people who study and write about the human past. Written histories began about 5,500 years ago, when people first began to write. The story of people really begins in prehistory—the time before people developed writing.

Tools of Discovery What we know about the earliest people comes from the things they left behind. Archaeologists hunt for evidence buried in the ground where settlements might once have been. They dig up and study artifacts—weapons, tools, and other things made by humans. They also look for fossils—traces of plants or animals that have been preserved in rock.

The Stone Age Anthropologists focus on human society and study how humans developed and related to one another. The early period of human history is called the Stone Age because people during this time used stone to make tools and weapons.

Paleolithic Age The earliest part of the period is the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It began roughly around 2.5 million years ago and lasted until around 8000 BC.

Hunter-Gatherers Early humans spent most of their time searching for food. They hunted animals, caught fish, ate insects, and gathered nuts, berries, fruits, grains, and plants. They were nomads, or people who regularly move from place to place. They traveled in bands of 30 or so members because it was safer and made the search for food easier.

Tribal Life Women maintained the campsite and gathered nuts, berries, and grains. Men studied the habits of animals and used tools to hunt animals. -hand axe -fire and traps -spears -bows and arrows

Adapting to the Environment People in warm climates needed less clothing and shelter. People in cold climates found protection in caves. Paleolithic people began to make shelters out of animal hides held up by wooden poles. Controlling fire was a life-changing discovery that gave warmth, provided protection from predators, and cooked food.

Ice Ages Fire was essential for life during the Ice Ages. The last Ice Age began about 100,000 BC and lasted until 8000 BC. Large thick ice sheets covered parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. Early humans had to adapt by changing their diet, building sturdier shelters, mastering fire, and using animal furs to make warmer clothing.

Language, Art, and Religion The development of spoken language made it easier for people to work together and pass on knowledge. Early people also expressed themselves in art. They crushed yellow, black, and red rocks to make powders for paint. They painted pictures of animals on cave walls. These pictures may have had religious meaning or brought luck to the hunt.

The Invention of Tools Paleolithic people were the first to use technology—tools and methods to help humans perform tasks. They often used flint rocks to make tools with sharp edges. To make hand axes or hunting spears, they tied wooden poles to pieces of shaped flint. As tool making skills increased, they crafted smaller and sharper tools like fish hooks and needles.

Neolithic Times After the last Ice Age ended, people began to change their way of life. They began to domesticate animals and plants for human use. Animals provided -meat-transportation -milk -clothing

New Stone Age Once people learned how to grow food, they could stay in one place to grow grains and vegetables. Farming gradually replaced hunting and gathering and brought about the beginning of the Neolithic Age, or New Stone Age, which lasted from about 8,000 BC, until about 4,000 BC.

Agricultural Revolution Some historians consider this revolution to be the most important event in human history. Farming began in different parts of the world as people discovered how to grow crops at the same time. (pg. 13)

Village Life Because villagers produced more than enough to eat, they began to trade their extra food surplus. They traded with people in their own communities and also with people who lived in other areas. They began to practice specialization, or the development of different kinds of jobs.

Artisans 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. They used plant fibers to make mats and to weave cloth. These craftspeople traded what they made for things they did not have.

Metal Tools In late Neolithic times, toolmakers created better farming tools by using heating rocks to melt the copper inside and then pouring it into molds for tools and weapons. After 4,000 BC, craftspeople in Asia mixed copper and tin to form bronze which was harder and longer lasting than copper. The Bronze Age lasted from 3,000 BC to 1,200 BC.

Ötzi The Iceman Ötzi lived 5,300 years ago, during the Neolithic Age. His frozen body was uncovered in the Alps, between Italy and Austria in Scientists study his body, clothes, and items found with him to uncover clues about his life and death. Imagine that you are going hiking. Make a list of the things you would bring with you.

Then and Now