Scientists believe that life began on the continent of Africa
3.6 million years ago
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65 Million Years Ago DinosaursDinosaurs died out about 65
million years ago. The first human like hominids did not appear
until around 3 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! Not that early man had it easy, but he did
not have to fight dinosaurs!
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Very Early Humans How do scientists know about an early man who
lived 3 million years ago? Lucy told them!
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Lucy In 1974, a skeleton was found in Africa. The bones were
those of a female, about 20 years old or so when she died.
Scientists named her Lucy. About 3 million years ago, when Lucy was
alive, she was about 4 feet tall and weighed about 50 pounds.
Scientists suspect that she fell into a lake or river and drowned.
Scientists are like CSIs. They can tell a great deal from a
skeleton, whether it's a year old or 3 million years old!
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Homo Habilis (Handy Man) The Stone Age refers to the materials
used to make man-made tools. In the Stone Age, man made tools out
of stone. Handy Man was one of the first hominids to use stone
tools. Hunters & Gatherers: The Old Stone Age people were
hunters/gatherers. We know this because scientists have found
fossils and artifacts, which reveal traces of their life. These
people did not plant crops. They gathered wild fruits, nuts,
berries, and vegetables.
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Homo Erectus (Upright Man) Many years passed. Another group of
man was born. Scientists nicknamed this group Upright Man. Upright
Man did know how to make fire. That changed everything! People
began to cook their food, which helped to reduce disease. People
collected around the fire each night, to share stories of the day's
hunt and activities, which helped to form societies.
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Upright Man These Stone Age people were about the same size as
modern humans. Their tool-making skills were considerably improved.
Their weapons included stone axes and knives. Because Upright Man
could make fire, he was free to move about in search of food. He
did not have to worry about freezing. He made warm clothes from
animal skins. At night, he built a campfire to cook his food and to
stay warm.
Slide 10
Homo Sapiens (Wise Man) Another group of early men stood out
during this period. Scientists nicknamed this group Wise Man. Homo
sapiens lived in Europe. This group did not live a life of constant
struggle for survival because they worked together to provide food
for their tribe.
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Homo Sapiens These Stone Age people learned to cure and store
food for the long winter. They used traps, which allowed them to
catch food while they were busy doing something else. Fisherman
used nets woven from vines and fishhooks. Some groups built rafts
and canoes to catch bigger fish in deeper waters. They made
clothing and jewelry. They invented the bow and arrow.
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Homo habilis (Handy Man) Homo erectus (Upright Man) Homo
sapiens (Wise Man)
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Role of Artifacts www.texasbeyondhistory.net/
rubin/images/artif... Let us know more about ancient cultures
Somewhat limited theories have formed to attempt to explain the
past
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Paleolithic Era was a period of time that lasted until about
10,000 years ago.
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By hunting animals and gathering roots, berries, leaves, and
seeds.
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Paleolithic Era people eventually began to hunt in groups.
These antlers may have been used as a disguise during the hunt.
Cave Art showing men hunting in groups
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Man used stone, wood, and bone tools to survive
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Bow found in Denmark Bone Harpoon Hand Axe Flint Blades used to
sharpen tools
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Why did it develop? Make hunting in groups easier?
Relationships? Resolve issues over distributing food? Scientists
arent sure
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Lascaux France The existence of cave paintings was discovered
by accident. Around 1940, during World War II, some kids were
playing in a field in Lascaux, France. They stumbled across a cave
entrance. It had been hidden by the tree roots. The walls were
covered with cave paintings! Once people knew the paintings
existed, they looked for more such caves, and found them.
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There was another important development the discovery of fire
There was another important development the discovery of fire.
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Many Stone Age people were Nomads, or people who had no settled
home.
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Man Leaves Home About one million years ago, Hominids began to
slowly leave Africa. These early people began to populate the
world. By 9000 BC humans lived on the 6 major continents. They did
not need a boat. The Ice Age was here! They traveled across land
bridges that were exposed because the oceans were lower.
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Tools are smaller and more complex Between 10,000 -5,000 yrs
ago Hooks, bow/arrow Canoes Pottery Domestication of dogs
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The Neolithic Era lasted until about 6,000 to 12,000 years
ago.
Slide 36
During the Neolithic Era, people began to settle in one
place.
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Man began to change his diet and eat grains and small
animals.
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Agriculture is the raising of crops and animals. (farming) The
development of agriculture began over a long period of time and in
more than one place. People no longer needed to travel great
distances to gather food.
Slide 41
People learned how to domesticate plants and animals. To
domesticate means to change something to be useful to people. Early
people learned to care for plants such as wheat, barley, peas, and
lentils. The first farmers also domesticated wild goats, cattle,
and sheep.
Slide 42
Man domesticated wild wheat. Ancient charred wheat grains are
shown in the picture above.
Slide 43
Thousands of years ago, an ear of corn did not make much of a
meal. (top) It took thousands of years of careful breeding for ears
of corn to reach their present size. (bottom)
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People still used stone, bone, and wooden tools, but some new
tools were added by using copper and bronze.
Slide 45
These early farming tools date back to around 8,000 years ago.
The axe, bottom, was used for clearing; flint sickles, left, were
used for harvesting cereal crops; a flat rock and rounded stone,
center, were used for grinding flour; and perforated clay slabs,
upper right, were probably used to ventilate bread ovens.
Slide 46
Neolithic Revolution Use plant fibers/wool to make clothes
Build permanent settlements Population increases Towns Established
religions Megaliths Deities four elements, animals, or
ancestors
Slide 47
Early Humans 1.What is a hunter-gatherer? 2.What is a Stone
Age? 3.Why was the ability to make fire so important? 4.How could
early humans travel from Africa to Australia without a boat? 5.What
did Cro-Magnon man paint on cave walls? 6.Why did Cro-Magnon man
paint on cave walls? Questions
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Sources: Early Humans
http://presentations.pppst.com/EarlyHumans.ppt
http://presentations.pppst.com/EarlyHumans.ppt Paleolithic and
Neoloitich Eras http://www.lvwildcats.com/apps/download/2/81gLTM
ufgymUaX2uyJRBfPjrUNl5iEs2UnJ0jxnsxE5TJFWU.pptx/Paleolithic_and_Neolithic_Eras.pptx