The Paleolithic Age

Lesson 3.1 Hunters-Gatherers

The Paleolithic Age

• The Stone Age is the early period in human history when people began using stone to make weapons and tools.• The earliest part of this period was the Paleolithic Age, which began about 2.5 million years ago and lasted until around 8000 B.C.

Surviving in the Paleolithic Age

• Paleolithic people were nomads, or people who moved from place to place in search of food for survival.• Paleolithic people survived by hunting and gathering.

Finding Food/Men’s role

• Men learned to hunt large animals by developing tracking methods, and over time by developing tools and weapons.

Finding Food/Women’s Role

• Women stayed close to the camp, and were responsible for looking after the children and searching nearby woods and meadows for berries, grains, and nuts.

Stone Age Families

• Some scientists believe Paleolithic men and women worked together as pairs to find food for themselves and their children.• These groups made up the first families.

The Invention of Tools

• The methods Paleolithic people used to hunt and gather food were part of their culture , as were the tools they used.• Technology, tools and methods used to perform tasks, were first used by Paleolithic people.

A recreation of one of the oldest known dental drills. A tool with a flint tip was used to fix tooth decay. Remember- this was BEFORE the invention of anesthetic!

Technology

• People learned to make cutting tools from a hard stone called flint.• Spears and bows and arrows for hunting.• Harpoons, spears, and fishhooks for fishing.• Scraping tools for cleaning animal hides.• Needles from animal bones.

Technology

• New technology affected where people settled.

Changing to Survive

• Climate effected how Paleolithic people lived.• People in cold climates made clothing from animal skins to stay warm and sought natural shelter, or constructed shelter using wood, animal hides, bones, and in some cases, ice and snow.

Changing to Survive

• On the other hand, people in warm climates needed little clothing or shelter.

Fire Sparks Changes

• Life became less difficult once Paleolithic people learned to make fire.• Fire was used for:• Warmth• Light • Protection from wild animals• As a hunting tool• Cooking• As a Meeting Place

Fire Sparks Changes

• Archaeologists believe Paleolithic people learned to create fire with friction by rubbing two sticks together.• They also discovered that a certain stone, iron pyrite, gave off sparks when struck against another rock. These sparks could be used to ignite dry grass or leaves.

Language and Art

• An important advancement that happened during the Paleolithic Age was the development of spoken language.• Before this time, people communicated through sounds and physical gestures.• Spoken language was required for knowledge to be passed on.

Language and Art

• Another way people communicated was through the use of art.• Cave paintings have been found all over the world.

Language and Art

• Artists used crushed yellow, black, and red rocks and combined them with animal fat to make paints.• Few humans appear in the paintings, mostly animals – lions, oxen, panthers, etc.

The Ice Age

• People used tools to help them survive during environmental disturbances.• The Ice Ages were long periods of extreme cold that affected the earth.

The Ice Age

• Ice sheets, or glaciers moved across the earth.• As glaciers grew larger, the water level of oceans was lowered.

The Ice Age

• Low sea levels exposed a strip of dry land connecting the continents of Asia and North America. • This land bridge allowed Paleolithic people to move southward to settle in various regions.

How did the Ice Ages Effect Humans?

• Humans had to adapt in many ways to survive the cold temperatures.• Diets were enriched with fat.• Sturdier shelters were made. • They learned to make warmer clothing using animal furs.

How did the Ice Age Effect Humans?

• The Ice Age lasted about 90,000 years, ending between 9000 and 8000 B.C.

Prehistory:The time before writing was developed

Paleolithic Age 2.5 million years ago - 8000

B.C.

“Paleo” = Old “lithic” = Stone

The early period of human history before writing was developed is known as the Stone Age

NomadicThose who regularly move from

place to place

Paleolithic People Nomadic

Hunter-Gatherers Hunted animals, caught fish,

ate insects.

Gathered nuts, berries, grains, and plants.