People travelled in small groups, we think these groups could have been extended family groups. Old Stone Age people had two ways of obtaining food, by hunting and gathering. Gathering is finding wild berries and other plants to eat. We sometimes call these people hunter-gatherers. Would you have liked to live in the Paleolithic Era? In the next chapter, we will look at four important sites that show evidence of Paleolithic people.
The Old Stone Age Paleolithic Era -from the beginning of human existence until around 12, years ago Why do we call this time in history the Stone Age? Using a hammer stone for flaking.
Which stone do you think is harder, the object stone, or the hammer stone? Old Stone Age people hunt a sabre-toothed tiger; why are the spears considered composite tools?
Woolly Mammoth herd. A Paleolithic settlement. Notice what materials are used for building temporary homes. Giotto's Site Penfield. Mister Giotto's Home Page. Class notes. Giotto's Online Textbook. They cooked their prey, including woolly mammoths, deer and bison, using controlled fire.
They also fished and collected berries, fruit and nuts. Ancient humans in the Paleolithic period were also the first to leave behind art. They used combinations of minerals, ochres, burnt bone meal and charcoal mixed into water, blood, animal fats and tree saps to etch humans, animals and signs.
They also carved small figurines from stones, clay, bones and antlers. The end of this period marked the end of the last Ice Age , which resulted in the extinction of many large mammals and rising sea levels and climate change that eventually caused man to migrate.
They get their name from the distinctive mounds middens of shells and other kitchen debris they left behind. During the Mesolithic period about 10, B. They often lived nomadically in camps near rivers and other bodies of water. Agriculture was introduced during this time, which led to more permanent settlements in villages.
Finally, during the Neolithic period roughly 8, B. They domesticated animals and cultivated cereal grains. During this time, humans lived in small groups as hunter-gatherers, with clear gender divisions for labor. The men hunted animals while the women gathered food, such as fruit, nuts and berries, from the local area. Simple tools made of stone, wood, and bone such as hand axes, flints and spearheads were used throughout the period.
Fire was controlled, which created heat and light, and allowed for cooking. During the end of the Paleolithic, specifically the Middle and or Upper Paleolithic, humans began to produce the earliest works of art and engage in religious and spiritual behavior, such as burial and ritual.
Paleolithic humans were nomads, who often moved their settlements as food became scarce. This eventually resulted in humans spreading out from Africa beginning roughly 60, years ago and into Eurasia, Southeast Asia, and Australia.
By about 40, years ago, they had entered Europe, and by about 15, years ago, they had reached North America followed by South America. During about 10, BCE, a major change occurred in the way humans lived; this would have a cascading effect on every part of human society and culture.
That change was the Neolithic Revolution. A typical Paleolithic society followed a hunter-gatherer economy. Humans hunted wild animals for meat and gathered food, firewood, and materials for their tools, clothes, or shelters. As the Paleolithic era progressed, dwellings became more sophisticated, more elaborate, and more house-like. At the end of the Paleolithic era, humans began to produce works of art such as cave paintings, rock art, and jewelry, and began to engage in religious behavior such as burial and rituals.
Early men chose locations that could be defended against predators and rivals and that were shielded from inclement weather. Many such locations could be found near rivers, lakes, and streams, perhaps with low hilltops nearby that could serve as refuges.
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