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Y7 Early Humans 1_ Paleolithic

The document discusses the origins and lifestyle of early Homo sapiens, highlighting their emergence in Africa over 150,000 years ago and their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, which involved nomadic movement in search of food and water. It also covers human migration due to climate changes, including the transition from Africa to Asia and North America via the Bering Land Bridge during the Ice Age. Additionally, it describes the tools used by these early humans for survival and hunting.

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htoomyatboneshein
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10 views31 pages

Y7 Early Humans 1_ Paleolithic

The document discusses the origins and lifestyle of early Homo sapiens, highlighting their emergence in Africa over 150,000 years ago and their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, which involved nomadic movement in search of food and water. It also covers human migration due to climate changes, including the transition from Africa to Asia and North America via the Bering Land Bridge during the Ice Age. Additionally, it describes the tools used by these early humans for survival and hunting.

Uploaded by

htoomyatboneshein
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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EARLY HUMANS

The First Homo Sapiens

◼ Historians are not sure exactly where the first Homo sapiens, or modern
humans (like us), appeared.
◼ However, the earliest fossils have been found in the south and east of
Africa. They are believed to be more than 150,000 years old.
◼ Africa had warm, pleasant weather and plants and animals grew well
there.
Hunter-Gatherer lifestyle
How did humans feed themselves?
They gathered plants to eat, hunted animals and fished. They didn’t keep
domesticated animals and didn’t plant crops.
What tools did they use?
They made:
● tools out of wood, stone or bone
● clothing and shelter from animal skins
● pots for cooking or storage from clay or plants
Hunter-Gatherer lifestyle
Why did they move around?
Early humans constantly had to find both food and water.
They were nomadic, moving from place to place, following the animals or the
seasons.
It meant they didn’t always have permanent shelter and didn’t have many
possessions.
Discuss at your table:
How would you pass your day as a hunter-gatherer?
Make a timetable.

Video
Hunter-Gatherer:

Nomadic (adj):
Hunter-Gatherer:
A person who finds food by hunting, fishing, and gathering wild grains, fruits,
and nuts.

Nomadic (adj):

Moving from place to place, usually following animals or seasons. Being a


nomad.
HUMAN MIGRATION
IN THE STONE AGE
◼ You’re a happy human living in Africa 135,000 years ago.
◼ You’re a happy human living in Africa 135,000 years ago.
◼ Your ancestors have lived here forever and for them, food and water
were plentiful, so their lives were comfortable.
◼ You’re a happy human living in Africa 135,000 years ago.
◼ Your ancestors have lived here forever and for them, food and water
were plentiful, so their lives were comfortable.
◼ Your family has noticed that the traditional water sources dry up before
the rains come, and the animals don’t come by very often. Even the fruit
is smaller.
◼ You’re a happy human living in Africa 135,000 years ago.
◼ Your ancestors have lived here forever and for them, food and water
were plentiful, so their lives were comfortable.
◼ Your family has noticed that the traditional water sources dry up before
the rains come, and the animals don’t come by very often. Even the fruit
is smaller.
◼ What do you do?
Climate Change

◼ Some groups of humans left Africa around 135,000 years ago for Asia
when the grassy lands of Africa turned into a desert.
◼ Warmer temperatures encouraged modern humans to spread into
Europe and throughout Asia
◼ Lower sea levels allowed humans to travel around South East Asia on
foot.
HUMAN MIGRATION ROUTES
How did early humans get across the
Bering Strait, and move from Asia to
North America?

The sea level was lower at the time, so


more land was exposed. This was the
Bering Land Bridge.
The Ice Age
❏ Then, around 100,000 years ago, the Earth’s Ice Age:
climate got colder. This period, known as the A time when the
Ice Age, lasted until 9,000 years ago. temperature is much
❏ This made it more difficult for early humans lower, and sheets of ice
to find food. They needed more meat and fat. and mountain glaciers
❏ They had to build better shelters and learn cover much of the
how to use animal fur. land. Earth has had
❏ Lower sea levels and ice sheets allowed several ice ages.
humans to go to new places.
Hunter-Gatherers
in the Ice Age

❏ During the Ice Age


humans lived by
following and hunting
the large herds of
animals that roamed
across the land.
❏ They hunted woolly
mammoth, bison and
deer.
How do you catch a woolly mammoth?
It’s bigger than an elephant.
You have about 20 friends with you.
You can all run quite fast.
You have some stone spears and axes.
You have fire.

Any ideas?

We’ll share in class next time.


STONE AGE
TOOLS
Consider what you
could use these
tools for…
From China, 100,000 years old
Hammer stone, used for
butchering animals
From Kenya, 2.3 million years old
Used for scraping and cutting food
From India, 80,000 years old
Hand-axe
From Ethiopia, 30,000 years old
A spear point
From Africa, 30,000 years old
Awls for pushing holes in animal skins

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