The Dawn of HistorySection 2
Paleolithic Age• “The Old Stone Age”• The earliest period of human history•2 million B.C. – about 10,000 BC
•Anthropologists found evidence of early human life in East Africa•1959: the Leakeys found bones of an early
HOMINID (humanlike primate)•1974: Donald Johanson found “Lucy” in Ethiopia
(another hominid)• This evidence leads scientists to believe that the
earliest people lived in East Africa, and later migrated to Europe and Asia
• Paleolithic people lived in small hunting/food-gathering groups (20-30 people)•Men hunted; women gathered • They were nomads: moving from place to place as they
followed animals and ripening fruit• They also adapted to their environment by making simple
tools and weapons• We even see the development of language to communicate
while hunting• Sometimes it was difficult to survive, especially during the
ice ages
• We found evidence of early religious beliefs from about 30,000 years ago• They believed that spirits and forces lived in animals, objects, or dreams• This is called animism
• Cave paintings show pictures of horses, deer, and buffalo with small stick figures• Almost as if they were praying to the spirits to help them hunt
• Small statues were also found of pregnant women and other womanly figures• Suggests they worshipped women for the continuation of life; and earth-mother
goddess (gives of food and life)
• At the end of the Stone Age, some people buried the dead with great care• Dead buried with tools, weapons, etc.—suggests they believed the afterlife was
similar to life on Earth
Neolithic Age• “New Stone Age”• Begins 11,000 years ago• Humans learn how to farm (REVOLUTIONARY!) and settled
into permanent villages• Nobody knows exactly where farming first started• Either in the Middle East and spread or farming developed
independently in different regions
Neolithic Agricultural Revolution•People also began to domesticate, or tame, some
animals they had hunted•Becoming food producers meant a growing
population, which meant more communication between different communities
•Also a change in society•Women lose status as men begin to dominate
family, economic, and political life•Council of “elders” is also formed•War increased as food ran out; and some men
gain status as warriors•We also see the beginning of wealth and status
as more people start to gain more land than others
• To successfully farm, Neolithic people had to develop technologies to keep their plants growing• They developed the first calendar to keep track of
crops• Some villages had workshops where villagers would
make tools
