From Stone Tools to Settled Life

The Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras

The story of human civilization is a long and fascinating journey. Two important periods in this journey are the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. These eras mark significant changes in how our ancestors lived, worked, and interacted with their environment.

Lesson Goals

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to explain the impact of the development of agriculture, explain the difference between nomadic and sedentary, and locate the geographic locations that best support human settlement

Vocabulary

Nomadic

Moving around a lot or living by traveling from place to place without settling down in a permanent home

Hunter-Gathere

A member of a nomadic people living chiefly by hunting and fishing and harvesting wild food

Neolithic Revolution

The transition from hunter-gatherer to agricultural societies

Agriculture

The cultivation of food and goods through farming, produces the vast majority of the world's food supply.

Specialization of Labor

When some people in a city stop growing crops and take other jobs, this usually happens because there is a surplus of food.

Domesticated

Over time an animal would go from a wild or natural state to a life in close association with and to the benefit of human

Suplus

A quantity of goods that could be produced more than what was needed to sustain the population

Irrigation

The process of artificially applying water to land to help grow crops, lawns, and landscape plants

The Neolithic Revolution marked a significant change in how early humans lived. Before this time, people were nomadic hunter-gatherers, moving from place to place to find food. Then, they learned to domesticate animals and grow crops, which allowed them to settle in one area. This created a food surplus, meaning they had extra food. With more food available, not everyone needed to farm, leading to specialization of labor, where people could focus on different jobs. These changes helped civilizations develop. People built permanent settlements near rivers, using irrigation to water their crops. They adapted to human-made (like farms) and physical geographic features (such as mountains and rivers) to create thriving communities.

What are the characteristics of a civilization?

Watch the video and then list 4 traits of a civilization

The Paleolithic Era: Life as Hunter-Gatherers

The Paleolithic era, also known as the Old Stone Age, began about 2.5 million years ago and lasted until around 10,000 BCE. During this time, humans were nomadic hunter-gatherers. They:

Lived in small groups, moving frequently to find food.
Simple stone tools were used for hunting and gathering.
Hunted wild animals and gathered plants for food.
Created cave paintings and small sculptures.
Developed language and early forms of religion.
Paleolithic people were completely dependent on nature. They had to adapt to their environment rather than changing it to suit their needs.

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