Prehistory Notes

Human Evolution:

-Fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago are found only in Africa

-we became bipedal over 4 million years ago

-15-20 different species of early humans

-Homo Erectus, our ancestor, is about 2 million years old

-early humans migrated out of Africa around 2 million years ago

-more advanced traits including complex symbolic expression, art, and elaborate cultural diversity, emerged mainly during the past 100,000 years, and especially the last 60,000.

-modern humans didn’t migrate out of Africa until about 60,000 years ago

Paleolithic Age and prehistory  (2,500,000-10,000 B.C.)

       -Prehistory: the period for which we have no written records.       

       -Our information comes from archaeology, anthropology and biology.

       1. Archaeology: studies the structure of past societies by analyzing artifacts. Examples: tools, household items, weapons, buildings, artworks, religious figures, etc.

        2. Anthropology: focuses on culture by studying artifacts and human remains/fossils

        3. Biology/genetics/DNA as seen in the Journey of Man video we watched

Old Stone Age=Paleolithic Age (“Paleo”=old; “lith”=rock, stone; “ic”=of, pertaining to)

        -Designates the earliest period of human history

        -2,5000,000 to 10,000 B.C.

        -Hunted game and gathered nuts, berries, fruits, and wild grains

        -Nomadic: followed vegetation cycles and animal migrations

        -Probably lived in bands of twenty to thirty people

        -Life focused around finding food

        -Both men and women found food; men hunted and women gathering

        -Women probably stayed closer to camp because of children

        -Early shelter: caves, then houses and huts, used wood frames and hides

        -Used fire systematically as long ago as 500,000 years

         -Fire: source for warmth during the last ice age (100,000 to 8000 B.C.)

*Key feature: technology (tools)

       Technology: what we make to sustain ourselves and control our environment. Most common early tool was the stone axe.
-Over centuries, developed tools: spears, bows, arrows, harpoons, fishhooks