PREHISTORY

Dinosaurs died out about

65 million years ago. The

first human like hominids

did not appear until

around 4 million years

ago.

Did humans live with dinosaurs?

NO!!

PREHISTORY

From the beginning of human evolution about 4

million BC to the invention of writing about 3500 BC.

Prehistory is divided into 2 periods : the Paleolithic

and the Neolithic.

The Paleolithic “Old Stone Age”

4 million BC – 8000 BC

Period during which human evolution occurred.

The 4 main groups we will study are:

-Australopithecus

-Homo Erectus

-Neanderthal Man

-Cro-Magnon Man or Homo Sapien

Humans are hunters and gatherers

Humans are continuously on the move, they do

not settle in one area. They are nomadic.

The Paleolithic ends with sedentarization and the

discovery of agriculture.

Why Did Some Apes EVOLVE?

The East Side Story Rift Theory

After a natural catastrophe which

would have left a huge rift in the

eastern part of Africa, the apes

living to the east of the rift become

isolated in a new environment

without jungles.

Lost in this new environment

without the safety of trees and in

desperate search for food, these

apes have to either adapt or die out.

Those who adapt need to learn to

walk upright in order to see above

the tall grasses of the savanna and

watch out for predators.

Are we still evolving…….. “Anthropologists believe wisdom teeth, or the

third set of molars, were the evolutionary answer

to our ancestor’s early diet of coarse, rough food

– like leaves, roots, nuts and meats – which

required more chewing power and resulted in

excessive wear of the teeth. The modern diet

with its softer foods, along with marvels of

modern technologies such as forks, spoons and

knives, has made the need for wisdom teeth

nonexistent. As a result, evolutionary biologists

now classify wisdom teeth as vestigial organs, or

body parts that have become functionless due to

evolution.”

Footprints in wet

volcanic ash dated

3.6 million years old.

Australopithecus Skull

Chimp vs Human brain

Australopithecus

Look at the difference in the shape of the pelvis. Look at the difference in brain size…..

What did our early ancestors look like?

Name : _Australopithecus_________________________

Date of first appearance: _4 million BC______________

Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa___________________

Physical Characteristics: _Resembles an ape; small in

height; small brain; powerful jaw; short legs, long arms;

sloping forehead; prominent brow ridges ____________

Language : _Does not talk. Makes sounds, gesticulates,

facial expressions ________________________________

Eating habits:_scavenger, small prey, gathers fruits. Ate

meat raw ______________________________________

Tools used / inventions :_roughly chipped stones, weapons

made of bones, uses branches as clubs. Live in small

groups (about 15); no clothes; life expectancy : 20 years of

age. ____________________________________

SKULL

DAILY

LIFE

TOOL USED

Homo Habilis

Skillful man – the first species to have the

opposable thumb which allows the

manipulation of small objects.

Homo Habilis

Homo Erectus

CHIMP HUMAN HOMO

ERECTUS

Name : _Homo Erectus (upright man)_________________

Date of first appearance: _1.5 million BC_____________

Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa, Europe, Asia________

Physical Characteristics: _vertical posture; could manipulate

small objects; brain twice as large as Australopithecus; arms

become shorter, legs are longer; remains ape-like with

powerful jaws _________________

Language : _Beginning of language __________________

Eating habits:_hunter and gatherer; eats meat cooked ____

Tools used / inventions :_uses fire; makes stone axes that are

sharp; invents the spear; begins hunting large prey in groups

– uses natural traps (cliffs, marsh) to capture large animals;

live in groups of 20 to 30 people; life expectancy : 20 years

of age ____________________________________

SKULL

DAILY

LIFE

TOOLS USED

Name : __________________________________________

Date of first appearance: ____________________________

Continent(s) inhabited :______________________________

Physical Characteristics: _vertical posture; could manipulate

small objects; brain twice as large as Australopithecus; arms

become shorter, legs are longer; remains ape-like with

powerful jaws ____________________________________

Language : _______________________________________

Eating habits:_____________________________________

Tools used / inventions :_uses fire; makes stone axes that are

sharp; invents the spear; begins hunting large prey in groups

– uses natural traps (cliffs, marsh) to capture large animals;

live in groups of 20 to 30 people; life expectancy : 20 years

of age

SKULL

DAILY

LIFE

TOOLS USED

Found in 2001 in

Georgia, small

country north of

Turkey.

Neanderthal

4034 cal/jour

Neanderthal

We used to believe that humans evolved

from Neanderthals….In reality, we lived at the

same time as this species and for still

unknown reasons, homo sapiens survived

and Neanderthals disappeared….

WHY?

- A disease wipes Neanderthal out and humans

are able to survive.

- Neanderthal is unable to adapt to changes in

climate and environment? They needed more

calories per day than Homo Sapiens. If food

becomes scarce, Neanderthal would suffer

more than Sapien.

- Neanderthal is unable to reproduce in

sufficient numbers and eventually disappears.

Most probably a combination of various factors .

Neanderthal life was very hard

and very dangerous. They

were tough survivors. Many

bones of Neanderthals show

signs of this tough life –

crushing wounds to the legs,

shattered arms, stab wounds,

blows to the head, missing

limbs, damaged eye sockets,

arthritis. What is most

interesting about these

traumatic injuries is that they

show signs of healing. This

means the crippled members

of the group were fed,

protected, and helped to move

by others – the beginnings of

empathy. Neanderthal also

buried their dead and placed

flowers with them.

Name : _Neanderthal Man (valley in Germany)________

Date of first appearance: _ 300 000 years ago___________

Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa, Europe, Asia_________

Physical Characteristics: _Compared to humans, short

limbs and stocky bodies (to adapt to cold climates); very

muscular, very powerful; larger brain than humans;

prominent brow ridges; receding forehead and chin_____

Language : _language is more elaborate_______________

Eating habits:_hunting, fishing, gathering, creates traps to

capture prey ; thrust rather than throw their spears; possible

cannibalism; _____________________________

Tools used / inventions :_Sharper and more efficient tools;

spears with sharp stone attached to the end; have religious

beliefs – they are the first to bury their dead; take care of

each other when injured; most die before 40, 50% before

20 yrs of age____________________________________

SKULL

TOOLS

DAILY

LIFE

Name : _Neanderthal Man (valley in Germany)________

Date of first appearance: _100 000 BC______________

Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa, Europe, Asia_________

Physical Characteristics: _Compared to humans, short

limbs and stocky bodies (to adapt to cold climates); very

muscular, very powerful; larger brain than humans;

prominent brow ridges; receding forehead and chin_____

Language : _language is more elaborate_______________

Eating habits:_hunting, fishing, gathering, creates traps to

capture prey ; thrust rather than throw their spears; possible

cannibalism; _____________________________

Tools used / inventions :_Sharper and more efficient tools;

spears with sharp stone attached to the end; have religious

beliefs – they are the first to bury their dead; take care of

each other when injured; most die before 40, 50% before 20

yrs of age____________________________________

SKULL

TOOLS

DAILY

LIFE

Cro-Magnon

Modern Humans – also known as Homo sapiens

Cro-magnon is physically like modern humans.

Cro-Magnon invents the

needle which allows him to

make clothing that keep him

warm.

This allows Cro-

Magnon to travel

everywhere in the world

and to adapt to various

climates.

The First Artist

What makes humans and our ancestors

different from animals?

Obviously, many things….

But why do we know more

today than humans did 100,

500 or 1000 years ago?

If you teach a lion how to jump

through a hoop of fire, will he show

his offspring (babies) how to do the

same?

Humans teach each other what they learn! When

Erectus learnt to control fire, all species that

followed him also knew how to make fire

because knowledge was passed on from one

generation to the next. Cro-Magnon benefits

therefore from all the accumulated knowledge of

the previous species as well as from his ability to

continue to learn and adapt.

Name : _Cro-Magnon (cave in France)________________

Date of first appearance: _195 000 years ago____________

Continent(s) inhabited :__Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas,

Oceania_________________________________________

Physical Characteristics: ______Resembles modern man;

adapts to all climates; intelligence is well developed;

benefits from experience and knowledge of previous

species__________________________________________

Language : _complex language______________________

Eating habits:_hunting, fishing, gathering_____________

Tools used / inventions :_make needles from bones to sew

clothing; uses a wide variety of tools; the first artist –

created cave paintings, sculptures, jewelry; the band

becomes much larger______________________________

SKULL

TOOL

DAILY LIFE

THE NEOLITHIC “The New Stone Age”

8000 BC to 3500 BC

-Period which begins with sedentarization and the discovery of agriculture

to the invention of writing.

Important Changes

- Warming of the climate

- Discovery of agriculture and the domestication of

animals

- Humans are no longer always on the move, they

become sedentary.

axe

The Agricultural Revolution -Humans develop agriculture in the Fertile Crescent, a region where

the soil is very fertile. The first civilization emerged in Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamia

The Fertile Crescent

Mediterranean

Sea

Black Sea

Caspian

Sea

Red

Sea

Persian

Gulf

Tigris

Euphrates

Nile

AGRICULTURE &

DOMESTICATION OF

ANIMALS

Life expectancy

increases

Population

increases

Development of

permanent villages and

eventually small cities

Division of labour –

specialized trades

(potter, blacksmith,

basket weaving…)

The beginnings of commerce

BARTER

The trading of goods

SEDENTARIZATION

Neolithic share surplus

hunt barter skilled trades

Fertile Crescent nomadic power

domestication villages Paleolithic

gather family agriculture

sense of ownership tribe large territories

food reserves sedentary conflicts

Using all the words below, explain how humans were

initially nomadic and became sedentary. Describe the

main characteristics of the two lifestyles.

During the Paleolithic, humans are nomadic and travel over

large territories. They are hunters and gatherers and they

share their food amongst the members of their tribe. During

the Neolithic, humans become sedentary in the Fertile

Crescent because there is an abundance of food in this area.

They live in small villages and each family has their own

house. They must make food reserves in order to be

prepared for the unexpected. They begin to have a sense of

ownership and want to protect their belongings. This brought

about conflicts amongst the villagers because the more

possessions you own, the more power you have. They then

discover agriculture and begin domesticating animals. The

production of a surplus of food allows for the beginning of

skilled trades, such as the potter and the blacksmith. It is

also the beginning of barter, the trading of goods.

Permanent villages Agriculture and

domestication of animals

Use of copper

5 Early Centers of Civilization

During the Paleolithic, humans lived off hunting and

gathering and were nomads. Around 8000 BC, they

became food producers developing agriculture and

livestock breeding. They then built permanent homes

grouped in villages and claimed a territory, which

they could then exploit. They adopted a sedentary

lifestyle. The surplus production led to the

emergence of new skilled trades, which led to a new

division of labour; these surpluses promoted trade,

sometimes over long distances.