1. The Origin
of Humans

2. 65 Million Years Ago
No matter what you may have seen in the movies, early man did not live during the same period in history as dinosaurs!
Dinosaurs died out about 65 million years ago. The first human like hominids did not appear until around 3 million years ago.

3. Fossils & Artifacts
Scientists use many clues to help them put pieces of the past together. Early humans did not write their history, so it must be interpreted.
Fossils are remains of living things (plants, animals, people), not things that were made.
Artifacts are remains of things that were made, not remains of living things.

4. What can fossils or artifacts tell us?
How people moved
How people hunted
What was important to early people
How long people lived
Age of each being
Advances in technology

5. How did we learn about ancient humans?
Lucy --> Oldest skeleton found
3.5 million years old
Found in Ethiopia
Named Lucy because the archeologists were listening to a Beatles song called “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

6. Early Discoveries

7. The Paleolithic Age
“Paleolithic” --> “Old Stone” Age
2,500,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE
Made tools
hunting (men) & gathering (women)  small bands of humans
NOMADIC (moving from place to place)

8. Fun Test: Try to pick up a coin without your thumb
Stage 1
4,000,000 BCE – 1,000,000 BCE
Hominids --> any member of the family of two-legged primates that walks upright
Australopithecines – Human like beings
An Opposable Thumb- thumb can cross the palm
Fun Test: Try to pick up a
coin without your thumb

10. The Paleolithic Age Humans during this period found shelter in caves.
Cave paintings left behind.

11. Stage 2
1,6000,000 BCE – 30,000 BCE
HOMO ERECTUS ( “Upright Human Being” )
Larger and more varied tools --> primitive technology
First hominid to migrate and leave Africa for Europe and Asia.
First to use fire ( 500,000 BCE )

12. Stage 3
200,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE
HOMO SAPIENS ( “Wise Human Being” )
Neanderthals ( 200,000 BCE – 30,000 BCE )
Cro-Magnons ( 40,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE )

13. Stage 3 NEANDERTHALS: Neander Valley, Germany (1856)
First humans to bury their dead.
Made clothes from animal skins.
Lived in caves and tents.

14. Stage 3 CRO-MAGNONs: Homo sapiens sapiens ( “Wise, wise human” )
By 30,000 BCE they replaced Neanderthals.

15. Gorilla Skull
Gorilla Skull

16. The Neolithic Age Nomadic lifestyle  settled, stationery lifestyle.
“Neolithic”  “New Stone” Age
10,000 BCE – 4,000 BCE
Gradual shift from:
Nomadic lifestyle  settled, stationery lifestyle.
Hunting/Gathering  agricultural production and domestication of animals.

17. What are the benefits/costs of each lifestyle?
Nomad
Stationary
Move where the food is
No steady incoming of food
Experience new land
Increase in trade and cultural ideas
Steady food
Develop technology
Develop own culture
Can destroy the land
Sheltered ideas