Early Cultures

Early humans were hunter-gatherers until they discovered agriculture. An advanced society developed because of agriculture…people stopped being nomads and settled in an area, grew their own food and made machines to make life more efficient.

History IDs• Ancestors

– A relative who lived in the past.

• Society– A community of people who share a

common culture.

• Hunter-gatherers– People who hunt animals and gather

wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive.

• Migrate-– to move

• Domestication-– changing plants or animals to make

them more useful to humans.

• Agriculture– Farming

• Tool– Any handheld object that has been

modified to help a person accomplish a task.

• Ice Age– Long periods of freezing weather

between 1.6 million to 10,000 years ago.

• Paleolithic Era– The “old stone age” from 2.5 million years ago to

about 10,000 years ago.

• Neolithic Era– The “new stone age” from about 10,000

years ago to about 5,000 years ago.

Geography

• At times in our planet’s history, huge sheets of ice and snow called glaciers covered large areas of the earth.

• Glaciers would advance and retreat ~ there were warm periods and periods of intense cold. During the cold, glaciers would advance; during the warm, they would retreat

• After the Ice Ages, the ocean level dropped and exposed land bridges.

• This allowed people to migrate around the world ~ to follow the animals they hunted into new lands.

• This also forced people to move and adapt to new environments.

Economics & Politics

• There was no real need for economics OR politics in the hunter-gatherer cultures.

• They took care of each other and needs were met• Men were hunters, women were gatherers and child-bearers• No ruler ~ usually just an older man/woman that was

respected

Religion

• Worship of God, gods or spirits• Prayed to ancestors• As populations grew, they performed religious

ceremonies• Early humans probably believed all things in

nature had a spirit– Some think cave paintings honor spirits of animals

killed for food

Society and Culture

• Early humans lived in small groups• Started out as Hunter-gatherers• When they moved to farming and survival was

more certain, people began to focus on activities other than finding food

• They began to build permanent settlements and populations grew

• Agriculture allowed for an advanced society to develop

Science and Technology

• Prehistory – time before writing was invented but we know tools were used

• Stone Ages – divided into 3 periods based on types of tools used.– A. Paleolithic Era – “Old Stone Age”

• 1. Tools:– A. Used to process food– B. Sharpened stones – choppers– C. Hand ax– D. Spear– E. Increased chances for survival

Tools of the Paleolithic Era

Science and Technology cont.• 2. Language – developed to improve communication• 3. Art

– A. Carved figures out of stone, ivory and bone– B. Painted and carved images on cave walls to teach religious

beliefs, express themselves and teach hunting practices

• 4. Clothing – animal skins sewn together• 5. Shelter – provided protection from the cold

– A. Caves– B. Pit houses– C. Tents made of animal skins– D. Permanent structures made of wood, stone, clay or animal

bones

B. Mesolithic Era – “Middle Stone Age”1. More Complex tools

- Fish hooks and spears- Bow and arrow- Canoes- Pottery- Pets

C. Neolithic Era – “New Stone Age”1. Tools

-saws and drills -made fire2. Learned to plant seeds and grow crops – agriculture3. Domestication of plants and animals