The First Humans

Prehistory• The first people lived during

prehistoric times• Prehistory is the time before

writing.• If writing didn’t exist, how do

we know what life was like during prehistoric times?

• People who study the past use many types of clues, including fossils and artifacts, to learn what life was like long ago.

Fossils & Artifacts

Artifacts are remains of things that were made by people, not things that were alive.

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

Scientists use many clues to help them put pieces of the past together. Two kinds of clues are fossils and artifacts.

• Human beings first appeared in Africa.

• Later, they migrated all over the world.

• Migrate means to move from one place to another.

Out of Africa

All human life began in Africa! About 100,000 years ago, early humans migrated to other

parts of the world.

Hunters and Gatherers• The first people were

hunters and gatherers.• They were called this

because they spent most of their time hunting animals for food and gathering other things to eat, such as fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, and other plants that grew in the wild.

Hunters and Gatherers

• Hunters and gatherers used the animals they hunted for more than just food.– They also used animal

skins and furs to make clothes.

Hunters and Gatherers• Hunters and gatherers lived in small family

groups called bands. • They were nomads, which means that they

were people who traveled from place to place without having a permanent home.

• Their nomadic lifestyle was due to the fact that they often had to move around in search of food.

The Stone Age• The time period that the first people lived in

is known as the Stone Age. • Stone was the material that hunters and

gatherers used to make the very first tools.• The Stone Age can be divided into three

periods – The Old Stone Age (Paleolithic Era), the Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic Era), and the New Stone Age (Neolithic Era).

Tools• The first tools were made of stone and were

very simple. • Tools were mainly used to hunt animals and

prepare food.• Tools could also be used as a weapon in

case a wild animal attacked.• By allowing them to get food and protect

themselves from predators, inventing and using tools increased the first humans’ chances of survival.

Cavemen• Hunters and gatherers are

also sometimes called cavemen.

• During the Old Stone Age, people often took shelter in caves.

• They did not build permanent homes or houses.

Fire• During the Old Stone Age,

people did not know how to make fire.

• They would find fire that was already burning somewhere, light a branch, and carry the fire with them that way.

• When their branches and campfires went out, they would have to do without fire until they found something else that was burning.

Fire• Many years passed. Stone

Age people became smarter and learned how to make new tools and, yes, fire!

• That changed everything!• Fire was used to cook

food and to help keep people warm at night.

• Was the discovery of fire like this?

Middle Stone Age• During the Middle Stone Age, tools became more

complex. – Bow and arrow– Spears– Fishing hooks made of bone– Stone axes and knives with wooden handles

• People began to build their own shelters when they couldn’t find caves.– Pit houses were pits dug into the ground with branches and

leaves for roofs– Tents made of animal skins– Shelters made with wood, stone, clay, and bones

This cartoon is about the development

of what?

A. Art

B. Religion

C. Language

D. Tools

Language

• Language was one of the most important developments of the Stone Age!

• Only a spoken language existed.• No written records exist from this time

period, which is why it is considered prehistory – the time before writing.

Review

1. Who were the hunters and gatherers?

2. Why did the hunters and gatherers move around so much?

3. What were the first tools like and what were they used for?

4. Why was the ability to make fire so important?

5. What kind of advances were made during the Middle Stone Age?

QuestionsWRITE AND ANSWER THE

QUESTIONS!