Paleolitic and Neolitic

Paleolitic and Neolitic

1. THE P REHISTOR IC AGE

2. 1. What is Prehistory? We can define prehistory as the period of human development during the time before the discovery of writing. Prehistory extends from t h e e m erg e nce o f o ur f i r s t a n c e s t o r s , about five million years ago, t o t h e i n v e n t i o n o f w r i t i n g , about 5,000 years ago.

3. Prehistory is divided into three periods: The Palaeolithic Age extends from the appearance of our first ancestors to about 11,000 years ago. Human beings lived from hunting and gathering. The Neolithic Age began about 11,000 years ago. Groups of human beings started to live in villages. They practised agriculture and raised cattle. The Metal Ages began about 7,000 years ago. Human beings learned to use metals to make objects.

4. 2. What were early human beings like?

5. A U S T R A L OP I T H E C U S These appeared about five million years ago. They were very similar to chimpanzees. However, the Australopithecus normally walked on two feet . HOMO HABILIS These appeared two million years ago. Their brain was bigger. Their name “habilis” means skilful. They made stone tools and lived from hunting and gathering

6. HOMO ERECTUS These appeared one and a half million years ago. They walked upright . This was the first species to live outside Africa . They lived in Europe and Asia. They discovered fire .

7. H O M O A NT E C ESSO R The r e m a i ns oldest in ap p ea r e d in h u m an Europe A t a p u e r c a , S pa i n . T h e y ar e 8 , years old.

8. NEANDERTHAL MAN Neanderthals s p ec i e s w h o were l i v ed a d i f f ere n t in E u r o pe 150,000 years ago. They were stronger than we are but shorter. They were the first species to bury their dead . It seems they were able to speak .

9. HOMO SAPIENS Our species appeared in Africa about 130,000 years ago. Homo sapiens were slimmer but taller than Neanderthals. They were able to make finer tools. They also created art .

10. 3. How did people live in the Palaeolithic Age? Life in a cave Many activities were carried out in the open air during daytime

11. Life in the Palaeolithic Age The first human beings: Lived from hunting , fishing and gathering wild fruit They were nomadic : they did not live in a fixed place. They lived outdoors , in caves , or in wood huts . They were organised in small tribes , made up of members of the same family.

12. Palaeolithic Stone Age = Men and women made tools and objects of stone . They used them to hunt and cut animals' skins and meat. Fire was discovered about half a million years ago. It was an extremely important discovery. Early human beings used fire to heat their caves, cook food and drive wild animals away

13. Rites and beliefs Our ancestors believed in supernatural forces which helped them in hunting or when giving birth. They also thought these divinities caused disease and death. That is why they had different rites to ask these divinities for help. They buried the dead . They also buried weapons, jewellery and food with the bodies.

14. 4. What was Palaeolithic art like? About 35,000 years ago, human beings started decorating caves with paintings. This type of art is called cave art .

15. Palaeolithic paintings had the following characteristics : ● Animals , such as deer, bison, horses and mammoths, were often represented. The paintings were realistic . The relief surface of the cave was used to give them volume. Several colours were used. Minerals were mixed with egg white to make the colours. Animal hair was used to make brushes.

16. 5. How did people live in the Neolithic Age? In the Neolithic Age, human beings learned how to domesticate animals and cultivate plants Neolithic means “new stone”

17. How did agriculture start? The discovery of agriculture took place about 11,000 years ago. Human beings observed that plants grew when seeds fell on the ground. This is how agriculture started. Cereals were cultivated: Wheat was cultivated in the Middle East and Europe Rice was cultivated in Asia Corn was cultivated in America

18. In this period, goats, sheep, oxen, horses and dogs were domesticated

19. Farming and agriculture made it possible for people to settle in a particular area. When they had enough food, they started to store it. A pot

20. They became sedentary and built villages , generally located near rivers. Work become specialised in the villages. Some people worked the land, other people raised cattle, and the rest were artisans. This series of changes is called the Neolitic revolution .

21. 6. How did people live in the Metal Ages? About 7,000 years ago, human beings began to make metal objects . The first metal they used was copper, but it was not very strong. Later, they used bronze and iron to make tools, weapons, and jewellery.

22. 7. What were Megalithic monuments? In the last years of the Neolithic Age, and during the Metal Ages, monuments were built with big blocks of stone. These were called megaliths . Menhir D o l m en Stone circles