EARLY MAN

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EARLY MAN
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Clues from Archaeology

• Archaeologists use fossil bones, tools, and other
  artifacts to learn about the earliest people.
• The fossil record of early humans shows that
  brain size and tool making ability grew over the
  centuries.
• The Old Stone Age, the very beginning of tool
  making, began about 2.5 million years ago and
  lasted until around 10,000 B.C.

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The Ice Age

• During the Ice Age, about 2.5 million years ago
  until about 12,000 years ago, glaciers advanced
  and stretched over large areas of the earth.
• During the colder periods of the Ice Age, early
  humans had to learn to make shelter, fire and
  clothing.
• As water froze, ocean levels dropped, allowing
  land bridges to arise and enabling early humans
  to colonize every continent except Antarctica.

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Making Tools

• Tools enable people to take advantage of a wide
  range of natural resources.
• The earliest toolmakers used the same tool for
  many purposes. By the time of Homo sapiens,
  toolmakers made tools for specific purposes.

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• The ability to make tools was a key factor in the
  survival of early humans.

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Using Language

• Scientists believe that as brain size increased,
  so did early humans ability to create and use
  language.
• Language allowed early humans to share
  information, work together, and to pass on
  knowledge and traditions.

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Early Fire Users

• Homo heidelbergensis used fire to live in cold
  regions, cook food, and to scare off dangerous
  animals.
• Homo heidelbergensis were hunter-gatherers.
  This means they hunted wild animals and gathered
  wild plants for food.

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• For about 7,000 years, Homo heidelbergensis lived
  in groups of 20-30 people that traveled over the
  year to find food.

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The Neanderthals Community Builders

• Neanderthals lived in Europe in large groups of
  20-50 people.
• Neanderthals probably had a strong sense of
  community and took care of one another.

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• Neanderthals seem to be the earliest people
  concerned with life after death.

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Cro-Magnons Modern Humans

• The Cro-Magnons looked like modern people and
  lived like modern hunter-gatherers.
• The Cro-Magnons made advanced tools such as spear
  throwers.

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• The Cro-Magnons carved sculptures and painted
  cave walls and ceilings.

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Living in Settled Communities

• People eventually stopped wandering in groups and
  settled down in one place.
• The discovery of agriculture led to a surplus of
  food and a rise in population.

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Taming Animals and Sowing Seeds

• By carefully selecting and sowing seeds of
  productive plants, people influenced the plants
  in their environment.
• As people tamed animals, they were able to herd
  them and use them as a renewable resource.

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Farming as a Way of Life

• By 7000B.C., people had developed agriculture,
  growing plants and raising animals for food.
• Agriculture allowed farmers to grow surplus food
  for trading, and to support more people on small
  plots of land.
• Agriculture allowed people to specialize in
  different jobs, leading to the beginnings of
  village life.

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A Large Neolithic Town

• Catal Huyuk is the largest Neolithic town found
  in the Middle East so far.
• People lived in houses, farmed, and made arts and
  crafts.

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Trade in the Neolithic World

• Archaeologists have found evidence that Neolithic
  villages traded a variety of items, including
  tools and food.
• Trade enabled villages to survive by supplying
  items they could not provide for themselves.

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A City on the Plain

• At the city of Ur, people began to dig canals
  from the riverbeds to irrigate--supply water to
  their fields.
• Irrigation allowed farmers to control water and
  the surplus of food.

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Features of a City

• In cities, people learned to get organized, by
  leaders, to work together.
• As labor began to get more specialized, many
  different kinds of jobs were created.

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• Cities developed different social groups, with
  some people richer and more powerful than others.
• People in cities were able to develop
  long-distance trade.

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An Early Civilization

• A civilization is complex society with a stable
  food supply, specialization of labor, a system of
  government, social levels, and a highly developed
  culture.
• Many early civilizations around the world grew up
  near river valleys.