Early Man

Paleolithic and

Neolithic Era

Early Humans in the Paleolithic & Neolithic Ages

Archaeology is the study of the ancient and recent human past through

material remains. It is a subfield of anthropology, the study of all human

culture. From million-year-old fossilized remains of our earliest human

ancestors in Africa, to 20th century buildings in present-day New York City,

archaeology analyzes the physical remains of the past in pursuit of a broad

and comprehensive understanding of human culture. Archaeology helps us understand not only where and when people

lived on the earth, but also why and how they have lived, examining the changes and causes of changes that have occurred in

human cultures over time, seeking patterns and explanations of patterns to explain everything from how and when people

first came to inhabit the Americas, to the origins of agriculture and complex societies. The key tool used by archeologist is

carbon dating - the process of measuring radioactivity to determine the age of objects. In addition, these archeologists search

the world for artifacts (things like pottery, tools, and human remains) that can help explain the events of the past.

The First Humans Although science has given us more precise methods for examining prehistory, much of our

understanding of early humans still relies on considerable conjecture. Given the rate of new discoveries, the following

account of the current theory of early human life might well be changed in a few years. “Theories on prehistory (the before

written records) and early man constantly change as new evidence comes to light” (Louis Leakey).

The earliest humanlike creatures – know as hominids lived in Africa some 3 to 4 million years ago. Called

Australopithecines, or “southern ape-men,” by their discoverers, they flourished in eastern and southern Africa and were the

first hominids to make simple stone tools. In 1959, Louis and Mary Leakey discovered a new form of hominid in Africa

that they labeled Homo habilis (skilful human). The Leakeys believed that Homo habilis, which had a brain almost 50%

larger than that of Australopithecines, was the earliest tool-making hominid. Their larger brains and ability to walk upright

allowed these hominids to become more sophisticated in searching for meat, seeds, and nuts for nourishment. A new phase

in early human development occurred around 1.5 million years ago with the emergence of Homo erectus (upright human).

A more advance human form, Homo erectus made use of larger and more varied tools and was the first hominid to leave

Africa and move in to Europe and Asia.

Emergence of Homo sapiens & Neanderthals

Around 250,000 years ago, a crucial stage in human development began with the emergence of Homo sapiens (wise human

being). The first anatomically modern humans, Homo sapiens remains

were found in Africa. Recent evidence indicates that they began to spread

outside of Africa around 70,000 years ago (see map). These modern

humans soon encountered other hominids, such as the Neanderthals,

whose remains were first found in the Neander valley in Germany.

Neanderthals lived in Europe and Asia between 200,000 and 30,000 years

ago and riled on a variety of stone tools.

Moreover, Neanderthals were the first early

humans to bury their dead. At first

archeologist believed that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals competed for survival, with Homo

sapiens ultimately driving Neanderthals to extinction. However, in recent years, thanks to the

Human Genome Project that broke down the human DNA code, it was determined that Homo

sapiens and Neanderthals were having scandalous liaisons dating back tens of thousands of

years. Researchers conclude that Neanderthals had mated with humans. They estimated that the

DNA of living Asians and Europeans was (on average) 2.5 percent Neanderthal. They had to

reject a pure version of the out-of-Africa model. Instead, their model was closer to out-of-

Africa-and-get-to-know-some-Neanderthals-very-well.

Paleolithic Age One of the

basic distinguishing features of the

human species is the ability to make

tools. The earliest tools were made of

stone and so this early period of

human history (2,500,000-10,000

BCE) has been designated the

Paleolithic Age (Greek for “old stone”). For hundreds of thousands of years, humans relied on hunting and gathering for their daily

food. Paleolithic peoples had a close relationship with the world around them, and over a period of time, they came to know which

animals to hunt and which plants to eat. However, they did NOT know how to grow crops or raise animals. The hunting of animals and

gathering of wild plants no doubt led to certain patterns of living. Archaeologists have

speculated that Paleolithic people lived in small bands of twenty to thirty individuals. They were

nomadic (they moved from place to place) because they had no choice but to follow animal

migrations and vegetation cycles. Hunting depended on careful observation of animal behavior

patterns and required a group effort for success. This can be seen in the cave painting to the

right. Found in Vallon-Pont-d’ Arc, France, it depicts the animals that Paleolithic man hunted

for survival. The invention of the spear and later the bow and arrow made hunting considerably

easier.

Paleolithic peoples found shelter in caves and over time, they created new types of

shelter as well. Perhaps the most common was simple structures of wood poles or sticks

covered with animal hides. These shelters could also have been constructed with Mammoth bones as the framework. The systematic

use of fire, which began 500,000 years ago, made it possible for the caves and human-made structures to have light and heat. The

making of tools and the use of fire are two of the most important technological innovations of Paleolithic peoples and shows how crucial

the ability to adapt was to human survival.

The Neolithic Revolution The end of the last ice age around 10,000 BCE was followed by what is called the Neolithic Age

(Greek for “new stone”). The Neolithic age (10,000-4,000 BCE) was a time of significant change in the living patters of the people of the

world. The greatest change during this time was the shift from hunting animals and gathering plants for sustenance to producing food by

systematic agriculture. The planting of grains and vegetables provided a regular supply of food, while the domestication of animals, such

as sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs, added a steady source of meat, milk, and fibers such as wool for clothing. Larger animals could also be

used as beasts of burden. The growing of crops and the taming of food producing animals created a new relationship between humans

and nature. Historians like to speak of this as an agricultural revolution. This ability to acquire food on a regular basis gave humans

greater control over their environment and enabled them to give up their nomadic ways of life and begin to live in permanent settled

communities. This increase in the food supply led to a noticeable expansion of the population. These settlements are referred to by

historians as Neolithic farming villages or towns. These towns could be found in Europe, India, Egypt, China, and Mesoamerica, the

oldest and most extensive ones were located in the Middle East. Jericho, in Canaan as well as çatal Hüyük are two of the very oldest.

Çatal Hüyük was 32 acres in size and had an estimated population of six thousand people.

The Neolithic agricultural revolution had far-reaching consequences. As communities stored food and accumulated material

goods, they began to engage in trade. In the Middle East, for example, the new communities exchanged such objects as shells, flint, and

semiprecious stones. People also began to specialize in certain crafts, and a division of labor developed. The change to systematic

agriculture in the Neolithic Age changed the relationship of men and women. Men assumed the primary responsibility of working the

fields and herding animals, keeping them out of the home. Women stayed behind caring for the children and tending to the performing

other household tasks required considerable labor. These new roles would lead to the practice of patriarchy, or a society dominated by

men. Between 4,000-3,000 BCE the use of metals marked a new level of human control over the environment and its resources. These

new metals would lead to new tools and weapons that were far more useful than the older stone instruments.

Entry Ticket

P Paleolithic or Neolithic? N Created “Cave Art”

Developed Agriculture

Developed Oral Language

Developed Weaving Skills

Domesticated Animals

Invented the first tools, including simple weapons

Learned how to make and use fire

Made Pottery

Lived in Clans

Nomadic

Used Advanced Tools

Vocabulary Terms List - Prehistory (Paleolithic and Neolithic)

Directions: Use p. 7-18 in the textbook to find the definitions. Then, draw a picture or symbol of the term to

help you remember.

Term Definition Symbol or Picture

Archaeologists

Fossils

Technology

Paleolithic Age

Artifacts

Hunter-gatherers

Nomads

Cave paintings

Neolithic

(Agricultural Revolution)

Neolithic Age

Domestication

Civilization

Specialization

Artisans

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MIGRATION MAP (USE PAGE 10 IN BOOK)

**For each step use a different color unless otherwise noted

1. Draw a square around the “Cradle of Life”

2. Mark the spot Mary Leaky discovered hominid footprints

3. Mark the spot Louis Leaky discovered 2 million year old tools

4. Mark the spot Donald Johanson finds “Lucy”

5. Using 2 different colors indicate 3 Homo erectus and 3 Homo sapiens fossil sites

6. Using the same 2 colors you chose for number 6 draw the migration route forboth Homo erectus and Homo sapiens.

7. Shade in the area where Neanderthals where known to exists

***Do NOT glue instructions into notebook***

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Early Cave Art

1. Why is the picture on the left important to early man?

2. What do you believe the handprints on the right are a symbol of?

3. What purpose does cave art have for early humans, why was it necessary?

Neolithic Revolution Document The Neolithic Revolution also changed the way people lived. In place of scattered hunting communities, the farmers

lived in villages. Near groups of villages. small towns grew up, and later cities too. Thus the Neolithic Revolution made

civilization itself possible. (The Ancient Near East). Within the villages, towns and cities, it was possible for people to

specialize in the sort of work they could do best. Many stopped producing food at all, making instead tools and other

goods that farmers needed, and for which they gave them food in exchange. This process of exchange led to trade and

traders, and the growth of trade made it possible for people to specialize even more.

Source: D.M. Knox, The Neolithic Revolution, Greenhaven Press

1. How did the Neolithic Revolution change how people live?

2. Instead of producing food, what did some start doing?

3. What is the advantage of specialization and why is it important for a civilization to grow?

This extract summarizes the findings of several archaeologists in the 1950s and 1960s.

… The first archaeological evidence for the domestication of cereals, and some of the earliest for the domestications of

animals, comes from a broad region stretching from Greece and Crete in the west to the foothills of the Hindu Kush

south of the Caspian in the east. Here are found the wild plants from which wheat and barley were domesticated, whilst

it is only in this zone that the wild progenitors [ancestors] of sheep, goats, cattle and pigs were found together, for the

latter two had a much broader distribution than wild sheep and goats.

By the tenth millennium B.C.E. people who relied upon hunting and gathering were reaping wild barley and wild wheat

with knives, grinding and grain and using storage pits. By the sixth millennium there is evidence of village communities

growing wheat and barley, and keeping sheep and goats. In Greece and Crete in the west, in southern Turkey, and

Galilean uplands of the eastern littoral [coastal region] of the Mediterranean, in the Zagros mountains of Iran and Iraq,

the interior plateau of Iran, and in the foothills south east of the Caspian. Subsequently the number of domesticated

plants grown was increased, including flax, for its oil rather than for fiber, peas, lentils and vetch [plants used for food].

By the fourth millennium the olive, vine fig, the crops which give traditional Mediterranean agriculture much of its

distinctiveness, had been domesticated in the Mediterranean. Cattle and pigs are thought to have been domesticated

after sheep and goats. Cattle were used as draught animals, and for meat; not until the late fourth millennium is there

evidence of milking in South West Asia ….

Source: D.B. Grigg, The Agricultural Systems of the World, Cambridge University Press

1. What does it mean to domesticate and what resources were domesticated?

2. Which areas of the world were first to start this process?

3. How does domestication help a civilization become stronger?

This is an artist's recreation of the village of Atal Hiiyiik in

what is today Turkey. The village had a population of between

5,000 and 6,000people and was built around 6800 B.C.

1. List three reasons why you think the village may have been set up the way it was:

i.

ii.

iii.

2. From what you know what would you find in the areas around the village?

Directions: In which era does each of the following characteristics belong? Write each of the following

characteristics in the correct part of the Venn diagram.

Paleolithic Era Neolithic Era 2.5 Million B.C.E. – 8,000 B.C.E. 8,000 B.C.E. – 3,500 B.C.E.

Nomad First spoken languages

Pottery Hunter-gatherers

First use of fire Weaving

Cave paintings Gender equality

Permanent settlements Old Stone Age

New Stone Age Simple stone tools

Advanced projects Cloth clothing

Domesticated animals Clans

Migrated from Africa Ice Age

Advanced stone tools Farming

Animal skin clothing Stonehenge

Villages

The Invention of Farming

Ten years ago, someone in your clan discovered that if you plant some of the seeds that you gathered, they

will grow even more food! The clan has started farming it has been very successful.

The invention of farming has made three important changes in your lives:

• Permanent settlements – you now live in one place, next to your farms, rather than wander as nomads

chasing down food.

• Extra food – since you continued to hunt and gather, in addition to farming successfully, there is more

food than your growing clan can eat.

• Population increase – with less travel and more food, there are more babies and more of them

survive, which means there are more people.

**For the first few years, you all worked together to farm (and do some hunting and gathering on the side)

and build shelters. Now, it is clear that you have extra food and also extra workers, and your clan faces some

issues that you’ve never had to deal with before.

Read the questions first and record your personal reactions. Next, in your group of village elders, discuss your

solutions

1. You have too much food and some of it spoils before it can be eaten. There are too many people

producing food. If some people do not work on producing food, what should they do? How will they

eat?

Personal Reaction Village Decision

2. In the past, you hunted during all seasons. Now, you harvest crops in the fall and eat them all winter,

when there are no animals to hunt. Some people have complained that they believe their neighbors

are taking more than their share of food during the winter. What should you do?

Personal Reaction Village Decision

3. Some people believe that the land they work on and the tools they use should belong to them – if their

land produces more food, they should get more food. Are they right?

Personal Reaction Village Decision

4. Your people are used to a small group roaming over a large land area. Now you have more people in a

smaller space, and some of those people are starting to fight. One man even killed another man, and

the dead man’s family wants revenge. How can you stop the killing?

Personal Reaction Village Decision

5. Your village is thriving to the point where other villages are starting to take notice. A messenger

comes from a neighboring area wishing to trade. In the last elder meeting questions were raised about

whether we should open up trade with other villages or risk attacking them and taking the land for

ourselves. What should we do?

Personal Reaction Village Decision

The Five Features of Civilization

Advanced Cities

•

•

Specialized Workers

• _______________ is the development of skills needed for

one specific kind of work

• Skilled workers who make goods by hands are called

_____________________

Complex Institutions

•

•

•

Record Keeping

• Needed to keep track of ______, ______ and

___________

• Need for ______________

• __________ were people who used writing to keep

records

• _____________ (“wedge-shaped”) was created in

_______ and was the ___________________

Advanced Technology

•

•

•

• ______________ refers to a time when people began

using ___________ to make tools and weapons