Stone Age Man

What is history?

the record of events resulting from man’s relationships with nature and his culture

Pleistocene Era

Ended about 12,000 years ago. Last major Ice Age.

Era when man as we know it first appeared. Continents had moved to their current positions

Over/undersized animals (mega fauna) existed such as: giant pigs camels (mammoths,

mastodons), small horses.

Megafauna

giant animals like woolly mammoth

Hominids

man-like creature

First found in Africa in the Olduvai Gorge, in 1959 by Mary Leakey. Believed to be 1.8 million years old!!

Africa

= considered birthplace of all human kind

Australopithecus:

:1st Discovered by Donald Johanson, Ethiopia, 1974. Lucy was her name.

Both robostus and africanus

robostus

- plant eater

africanus

use tools to kill animals

Homo Habilis

“ handy man “ Used simple stone tools.

Homo Erectus

“ upright man “. Could use fire if found in nature. Made and used tools. More than 1 species of hominid alive at one time. Believed to be 1st hominid to leave Africa.

Homo Sapiens

“ thinking man “. Man-like creatures with large brain (thinkers)

Neanderthal Man:

Early form of homo-erectus, lived in Europe and adjacent Asia & Africa.

Lived in caves, created tools and wore clothes, and practiced religion, introducing burial

practices. Worshipped “mother earth” and believed in rebirth.

People started getting buried because …

the smell, attract predators, religious beliefs

Cro-magnon:

Later man, replaced Neanderthal. Found in Europe and considered fore-runner to

modern man. They left paintings on wall caves

animism

all things found in nature have a soul.

PALEOLITHIC ERA:

1. Old Stone Age (Paleolithic)

A. Characterized by the use of chipped stone implements

B. Time: from c. 3.5 million years to about c. 9000 BC

C. Man a nomadic hunter and food gatherer.

D. Man made crude tools of stone, wood, bone, horn and controlled fire

E. Religion belief in magic and in a here after: animism

NEOLITHIC MAN:

2. New Stone Age (Neolithic)

Time: from c. 9000 BC to about 4000 BC in the Near East, much later in Europe.

A. Characterized by the use of polished stone implement

B. Village life substituted for nomadic existence.

C. Domestication of plants leads to agriculture. New food production leads to rapid growth of population.