Anthropologist
Focus on human society. They study how humans developed and how the related to one another.
Archaeologist
Hunt for evidence buried in the ground where settlements might once have been.
Artifact
Weapons, tools and other things made by humans.
Fossil
Traces of plants or animals that have been preserved in rock.
Nomad
A person who moves from place to place without fixed homes.
Technology
A tool or method that keep people preforming tasks.
Domestication
Tame animals for human use.
Specialization
The development of different kinds of jobs.
Hominids
Creatures that walk on two legs. Human beings are the only hominids alive today. They rest are extinct.
What is the Stone Age?
The prehistoric period of human history when people used stone to make tools and weapons.
What is the Paleolithic period?
The earliest part of the Stone Age or called the "Old Stone Age".
Who were hunter-gatherers?
Nomads of the Paleolithic period.
How did Paleolithic people live?
They spent most of their time searching for food. They hunted animals, caught fish, ate insects, and gathered nuts, berries, fruits, grains and plants. They were always on the move because they did not have fixed homes.
How did Paleolithic people adapt to their environment and use tools to help them survive?
The way they lived depended on where they lived. Those in warm climates needed little clothing and shelter. Those in colder climates took protection from the weather in caves or animal hides over wooden poles.
Who learned to use fire and how did it help them?
The Paleolithic learned to use fire. It helped keep them warm, lit the darkness, scared away wild animals and cooked food.
What were the Ice Ages and how did it affect the Paleolithic people?
Long periods of cold with thick sheets of ice covering parts of Europe, Asia and North America. Paleolithic people needed fire to survive. They had to change their diet, build sturdier shelters and make warmer clothing from animal furs.
What was the role of language, art and religion in the Paleolithic period?
The Paleolithic people developed the spoken language which made it easier for them to work together and pass on knowledge. The made drawings on cave walls from crushed rock powder which may have held religions meaning or explained people's role in the uni
Who invented tools?
The Paleolithic people were the first to use technology/tools by using a stone called flint. By striking flint with a stone, they could make it flake into sharp edged pieces and make axes and spears. Over time they grew more skilled and created fish hooks
What was one of the most important advances of prehistoric people?
The creation of stone tools.
What is the Mesolithic Age and what happened during this time and why did it end.
After the last Ice Age, people entered the Mesolithic Age which means "middle stone". People changed from hunting animals to herding them. They began to domesticate animals which provided meat, milk and wool, but remained nomadic. It ended when people lea
When did the Neolithic period start?
It started around 8000 BC when people learned plant and grow their own food. Farming began to replace hunting and gathering and people began to build villages and claim lands for their farms.
Why was farming important?
Historians refer to farming as the agricultural revolution because it greatly changed many areas of early people's lives. Many consider it to be the most important event in human history.
What were some of the things that happened as a result of the farming revolution?
It greatly improved the lives of most people and lead to a more organized society. Less starvation and more children lived into adulthood. It possible to feed more people which lead to population increases and people lived closer together. Diets changed a
What is Jericho?
One of the oldest known communities found in the Middle East located in the West Bank between Israel and Jordan. It dates back to 8000 BC.
What is Catal Huyuk?
A Neolithic community located in Turkey and was home to about 6,000 people between 6700 BC - 5700BC.
How did arts and crafts of the Paleolithic and Neolithic differ?
Paleolithic painted animals on cave walls. Neolithic made pottery, carved objects of of wood and built shelters and tombs.
How did the Paleolithic and Neolithic humans adaptation differ?
Paleolithic learned to make fire, created a language and made simple tools and shelters. Neolithic build mud-brick houses and places of worship. They specialized in certain jobs and used copper and bronze to create more useful tools.
How did the role Paleolithic and Neolithic men and women differ?
Paleolithic women gathered food and cared for children while men hunted. Neolithic women cared for children and preformed household tasks while men herded, farmed and protected the village.