Paleolithic “Old Stone Age”

(500,000 – 10,000)

Extra-credit

1.Watch “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” – available on Netflix – take notes. Submit by 27th for up to 10 points onto essay (test grade)

1.paint a cave painting during lunch on Tuesday 24th for up to 10 pts (must sign up)

• Why did the Neanderthal close down the comedy club????

----- all his jokes were met

with stony silence.

Types of ScholarsAnthropologist - scientist who study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans

- Physical Anthropologist- Social Anthropologist

Archaeologist – one who studies artifacts

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Fossils & ArtifactsScientists use many clues to help them put pieces of the past together. One thing they must know is the difference between a fossil and an artifact.

Artifacts are remains of things that were made, not remains of living things.

Fossils are remains of living things (plants, animals, people), not things that were made.

Did early man live at the same time as dinosaurs?

Not a chance. Dinosaurs died out about 65 million years ago.

The first hominids (human-like primates) did not appear until 4.4 million ya (recent publication in 2009) named Ardi found near a village in Iran.

. There were animals that considered hominids tasty. Can you name a few?

Human Origins

Homo Habilis – First primate to walk on two feet. Found in the East African Rift Valley (2.4 million ya).

Brain Size – ½ size modern man. Tools – sharp flake tools for butchering animals. “Habilis” means “handy man” because of his tools.

Why did he start to

walk?

Olduvai Gorge,

Kenya

•Homo erectus stood about 5 feet and 6 inches tall.

•Homo erectus lived 1,750,000-200,000 years ago

•Pioneered the use of standard tools (such as the hand ax), big-game hunting, and the use of fire.

•Increase in cranial capacity - higher functions such as foresight, concentration, and reasoning.

Side-By-Side Comparison

What is the difference and why?

Homo sapiens sapiens, evolved probably from Homo erectus about 100,000 years ago. US! •increased body size

• a larger brain.

•specialized tools and cooking (this replaced the functions once served by the use of large teeth and heavy jaws.)

Neanderthals lived in Europe from approximately 105,000 to 35,000 years ago.

1. Modern DNA suggests they became relatives

2. Hunting technique focused on thrusting from trees – not for new open plains.

Why did the Neanderthal who has a greater brain capacity than Sapiens Sapiens die out?

Hunter-Gatherers

Followed herds of animals (reindeer, elk, mammoths, horse, and bison).

As nomads they traveled with few possessions along regular routes of seasonal migrations. 

What was the role of men? Of women?

Paleolithic humans

a. domesticated animals.b. discovered agriculture.c. were organized around well-defined social hierarchy.d. were a female-dominated society.e. were foragers.

• In the Paleolithic Era, the Sahara and the Nile River valleys were consist of rolling grass lands that sprang forth with abundant vegetation and food. Rock paintings show a landscape with grazing cattle in what is now the desert.

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This period of ample vegetation and rainfall lasted until about 30,000 BC. Then the climate began to dry up and the rolling grass lands started to recede and the food supply began to vanish.

Cro-Magnon ManAnother group of early men stood out during this period. Scientists nicknamed this group “Cro-Magnon man”.

Cro-Magnon man 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.

Cro-Magnon ManThese 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.

a. Written language.

b. Wheel.

c. Fire.

d. Stone Tools/Knives.

What was the most important invention by man?

Development of Fire

Fire was the most important discovery of ancient people.

•keep warm

•roast meat

•harden tips of wooden spears

•protect them from predators.

What was life like for a typical hunter-gatherer?

How many people traveled together?

Answer: About 20-30 (4-6 families)

What was the life expectancy back then?

Answer: Short – few people made it into their 30s.

What was the leading cause of death for teenagers?

Answer: Women – Childbirth, Men – Hunting accidents

 

Leisure Activities

¨     Story telling

¨     Music –

Flutes (leg bones), Drum (mammoth’s shoulder blade struck by an antler), rattles (mammoth’s jaw), and xylophone (mammoth’s hipbone that gave off different notes according to area struck).

¨     Art – Cave Paintings as at Lascaux, engraved antlers and bones, clay statues and stone pendants. 

40,000 ya

http://www.smashinglists.com/10-earliest-known-musical-instruments/

What does the earliest

piece of art look like?

The first generally accepted piece of prehistoric art is Venus of Willendorf (ca. 30,000 BC).

Limestone Fertility Symbol. Many such figurines were found around Europe. What does this suggest about the various peoples?

Notice that she has no face and instead has seven rings of braids wrapped around her head. Was 7 a mystic number at such an early time?

On Sept. 12, 1940 – Five teenage boys made the discovery of the century for paleolithic studies ….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnSq0c7jM-A&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

Great Hall of the Bulls

Shaft of the Dead Man –

Depicts a man being gorged by a mammoth. Notice weapon at feet.

How did they create these detailed pictures two stories above their heads without ladders or lights?