Early Cultures Section 1 The First People Main Ideas Scientists study the remains of early humans to learn about prehistory Hominids and early humans first appeared in East Africa millions of years ago ID: 629427
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Slide1
Chapter 2: The Stone Ages and Early Cultures
Section 1: “The First People”Slide2
Main Ideas
*Scientists study the remains of early humans to learn about prehistory.
*Hominids and early humans first appeared in East Africa millions of years ago.
*Stone Age tools grew more complex as time passed.*Hunter-gatherer societies developed language, art, and religion.Slide3
Key Terms and People
*prehistory *Paleolithic Era
*hominid *hunters-gatherers
*ancestor *society*tool ***academic vocabulary: distributeSlide4
Prehistoric people …
learned to adapt to their environment
made simple tools
used fireused languageSlide5
Stop and Think
If you were there….
You live 200,000 years ago, in a time known as the Stone Age. A local toolmaker has offered to teach you his skill. You watch carefully as he strikes two black rocks together. A small piece flakes off. You try to copy him, but the rock just breaks. Finally, you learn to strike the rock just right. You have made a sharp stone knife!
How will you use your new tool?Slide6
Scientists Study Remains
Historians call the time before writing
prehistory
Mary Leakey found bones in East Africa that were 1.5 million years oldThese bones belonged to
hominids
, or early ancestors of humans
An
ancestor
is a relative who lived in the past
Donald
Johanson
also found bones; he named these bones “Lucy”Slide7
“Lucy”
Finding the Skeleton, LucySlide8
Four Major Groups of Hominids
Hominids
and Early Humans
Australopithecus “southern ape” 5 million years ago
Homo
habilis
: “handy man” 2.4 million years ago
Homo erectus
: “upright man” 2 - 1.5 million years ago
Homo sapiens
: “wise man” 200,000 years agoSlide9
Stone Age Tools
The first part of the Stone Age is called the
Paleolithic Era
.
The First ToolsFirst found in Tanzania (East Africa)
Size of an adult’s fist
2.6 million years old
Stone struck with another rock to make a sharp edge
Used mostly for processing foodSlide10
Stone Age Tools
The first part of the Stone Age is called the
Paleolithic Era
.
Later ToolsHand ax and spear
Used to break tree limbs, dig, and to cut animal hides
Could hunt larger animals: deer, horses, bison, mammothsSlide11
Hunter-Gatherers
Hunted animals and gathered plants
Made tools
: What kind of tools were made?Used fire: What did they use fire for?Created art: What kind of art did they create?Slide12
Hunter-Gatherers
Society
They formed a
society
to help one another survive
Men: made tools and did the hunting
Women: gathered plants and cared for childrenSlide13
Hunter-Gatherers
Language, Art, and Religion
Language
was the most important development in the Stone Age
Communicated through cave paintings
Possible religious beliefs because graves were discoveredSlide14
What do you know?
Refer to the chart on pages 30 and 31
1. When do many scientists believe the first modern humans appeared?
2.What characteristic did
Homo erectus
have that modern humans also have?
3. Which early hominid had a brain about half the size of modern humans?
4. Which early hominid migrated around the world?Slide15
Evaluate
Think about the advances made by prehistoric humans. Using a graphic organizer, like the one below, rank the three advances you think are most important. Then write a sentence explaining why you ranked the advances in that order.
1
2
3