Early Man in the Paleolithic Age

Anthropologists believe that the earliest humans lived on the continent of Africa in around 2 million BCE Since these early humans did not know how to read or write, this period of time is called Prehistory/Prehistoric or the Stone Age To date this period of time even more specifically, anthropologists refer to this prehistoric period of time as the Paleolithic, or OLD Stone Age The Paleolithic Age is LONG!!!! It started in around 2 million BCE and ended in around 9000 BCE

During the Paleolithic Age, several species of early man existed along side one another in Africa - some died out while others continued to survive, depending on their ability to adapt to their environment (See chart and map on next pages) All species of early man were scavengers or nomads they tried almost anything to survive & were always on the move Anthropologists use the phrase hunters and gatherers to describe early man at this particular stage Hunters would bring back meat to other people left behind from a hunt Labor was organized by gender - males were responsible for hunting and protection of the group, while females gathered food from plants

Early man made & used basic stone tools, such as a hand axes , which allowed them to eat almost anything Early man began to use sounds to communicate w/one another Gradually, sounds were replaced by spoken language, which allowed early man to exchange thoughts and ideas, and pass on their culture from one generation to the next Early man also began to use fire for warmth, for safety from animals, and as a tool Early man began to cook food healthier, easier to chew & digest
***Keep in mind: the development of a new skill/tool often took thousands of years***

Paleolithic Technology
Create an advertisement or commercial for the following Paleolithic innovations:

1. The Hand Axe 2. Spoken Language 3. Fire

During the Paleolithic Age, the Earth experienced 4 periods of cold climate known as ice ages In each one, the average temperature around the world dropped dramatically During these periods, massive glaciers formed, which covered thousands of miles As more and more water froze, the sea level decreased by as much as 300 ft Early man either had to adapt to their new environment, migrate(move), or perish Early man chose to move to new continents such as the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia/Oceania They were aided in doing so by land bridges that connected the continents to one another

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/journey/

By about 50,000 BCE, one main species of early man, given the scientific name homosapiens (modern man), dominated the rest

Within this unique species, two distinct groups emerged One was Cro-magnon (a.k.a Modern Humans) The other were Neanderthal Both names, Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal, were taken from caves or valleys where scientists discovered their fossils

There is no clear way for scientists to tell if Neanderthals and Cro-Magnon knew_each other very well or if they lived in the same place at exactly the same time

For much of the time in the Paleolithic Age, both groups were evenly matched, with equal skills and tools

Neanderthals (see video) inhabited Europe & Asia in about 300,000 BCE Physically, Neanderthals were short & stocky, had big bones, a ridged brow, a sloped forehead, & broad nose to cool them down so they wouldn't sweat as much and therefore release heat in a cold Ice AGE They were extremely tough and could easily shrug off pain They hunted in small bands w/a plan - often using ambush_to kill large animals Neanderthals used fire, stone tools & spears (not very sharp) for hunting, had to move in close, and often got hurt/killed a lot by animals Overall, Neanderthals were less adaptable than Cro-Magnon men and therefore they eventually died out in 30,000 BCE

Cro-Magnon/Moderns entered Europe/Asia in 45,000 BCE, much later than Neanderthals Cro-Magnon looked physically similar_to modern humans, w/smaller skulls Cro-Magnon man became excellent inventors - at first, they too relied on same fire techniques & stone tools as Neanderthals, but they made vast improvements to both

Instead of stone for tools, moderns used antlers & animalbones (sharper/stronger) They made longer tools w/handles - some had curved surfaces while others had a fine point for piercing/engraving

Discovered better ways of hunting spear thrower, which was safer/go farther, bow & arrow, & learned that animals migrated w/season, so they camped at where food would be plentiful at a certain time of year

Discovered better ways to preserve food dug pits in frozen soil, acted as meat freeezers Discovered better ways to make fire dug fire pits lined w/ stones to hold/give off heat They invented kiln (ovens) as well as lamps by burning animal fat Overall, Cro-Magnons or moderns proved they were capable of adaptation and thus survival modern humans today are the descendants of Cro-Magnon

Cro-Magnon were the 1st artists in the world, creating cave paintings that date back to 31,000 BCE They used minerals as paint and applied it in several ways: w/fingers, w/animal hair brushes, and by blowing paint from a tube They painted on cave ceilings and walls and used light from torches of wood and lamps that burned animal fat in order to see in the dark Images in these caves were usually horses and bison, as well as cattle, deer, goats, bears, lions, and mammoths few humans appear They could not sign their names so they instead left hand prints The paintings may have shown that Cro-Magnon worshipped animals, or that they asked spirits of some kind to help them hunt animals The paintings may have also served as way to record their history