Early Humans
The Paleolithic Age
What is history? History is the study of humans in the past, it tells us the things they did and the things that happened to them. People believe that history began only 5,500 years ago when people learned to write. Anything that happened before this is known as pre history. Anything we know about the earliest people comes from things that they have left behind. The people who dig up clues about the past are called archaeologists. They look for things such as weapons and tools which are also known as artifacts. They also look for pieces of plants and animals that were preserved in rock, these were known as fossils.
The earliest known period of human history is known Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It is called the Old Stone Age because the word Paleolithic means "old stone" in greek. Paleolithic people spent most of their searching for food. The Paleolithic people were hunters and gathers. They hunted animals, caught fish, and ate insects. They also nuts, berries, fruit, grains, and other plants. The Paleolithic people were always on the move to find food so this classified them as nomads. They traveled in groups of about 30 people because it was safer, and it made it easier for them to hunt for food.
They way they lived depended on where they lived. When they were in warmer places they need less clothing and shelter. And when they were in cooler places they needed protection from the cold, they would often take shelter in caves. The most common type of shelter the Paleolithic people was made of animal parts and wooden poles. The paleolithic people made some amazing discoveries during their time period. One of the main ones was learning how to tame fire. This helped them in many such as scaring off animals and lighting up the darkness.
Fire did not just light the darkness and scare away animals it was the key to their survival during the Ice Ages. The Ice Ages were periods of extreme cold, the last Ice Age began around 100,000 BCE and lasted until around 8,000 BCE. During this Ice Age sheets of thick ice covered parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. The Ice Ages were a threat to human life they risked death due to cold and hunger. Early humans had to constantly adapt by changing their diet and building sturdier shelter.
The Neolithic Age
After the last Age people started to change his way of life. They started to tame plants and animals for them to use. Animals provided them with many need resources like meat, milk, and wool. They were also used to carry goods and pull carts. People also learned to grow food, which meant they could stay in one place. Later farming replaced hunting and gathering. This change in the way people lived started the Neolithic age or the New Stone Age. This began around 8,000 BCE and ended around 4,000 BCE.
Some historians called the Neolithic age the agricultural revolution. Some of these historians believe that this is the most important event to occur in human history. Farming did not begin in one region and slowly spread across the world. People in different parts of the world discovered how to grow food at the same time.
People who were farmers for a living could stay in one place. As a result they began to live in villages, or permanent houses. During the Neolithic Age there were villages in Europe, India, Egypt, China, and Mexico. The earliest known of these was found in the middle east. And one of the oldest is Jericho which was between what is now Israel and Jordan.
There were many benefits that came with settled life. Settling brought Neolithic people grater security. And their steady food supplies meant healthier growing population. Villages produced more than enough to eat so they began to trade their extra food. People began to practice specialization since not everyone was needed to help with farming. These people also took part in trading. In the late Neolithic times people still made advances, such as making new tools out of better metal.
Some historians called the Neolithic age the agricultural revolution. Some of these historians believe that this is the most important event to occur in human history. Farming did not begin in one region and slowly spread across the world. People in different parts of the world discovered how to grow food at the same time.
People who were farmers for a living could stay in one place. As a result they began to live in villages, or permanent houses. During the Neolithic Age there were villages in Europe, India, Egypt, China, and Mexico. The earliest known of these was found in the middle east. And one of the oldest is Jericho which was between what is now Israel and Jordan.
There were many benefits that came with settled life. Settling brought Neolithic people grater security. And their steady food supplies meant healthier growing population. Villages produced more than enough to eat so they began to trade their extra food. People began to practice specialization since not everyone was needed to help with farming. These people also took part in trading. In the late Neolithic times people still made advances, such as making new tools out of better metal.