Pre-History

PRE-HISTORY•History tells the story of humankind.•Historians mostly use written records to gather information about the past.•History is said to begin with the invention of writing about 5,500 yrs. Ago.•But the story of humankind really begins in the time before people developed writing – the period called pre-history.

PALEOLITHIC

PALEOLITHIC PERIOD•Historians call the earliest period of human history the old stone age, or the Paleolithic Period.•They lived in small hunting and food-gathering bands of about 20 to 30 people.•Stone age people learned to adapt to their environment for survival.•Men and women made simple tools and weapon such as digging sticks, spears and axes.•They developed spoken languages , which let them cooperate as they worked.

HUNTING and GATHERING• Lived from hunting,

fishing and gathering• Could not produce their

own food: predators• Men: organized hunting

and fishing• Women: Gathering• Used meat for food,

skins for clothes and bones and horns for tools

NOMADIC LIFE• Nomads: they did

not live in a fixed place – followed animals, searched water, food and shelter• Lived outdoors – in

caves and huts• Organized in small

tribes, made up of members of the same family

STONE AGE•Tools and objects of stone•Used to hunt, cut animal’s skin and meat

TOOLS•At first, tools were simple sharpened stones

TOOLS (II)•Tools were perfected (using flint)•Specialized tools: scrapers, spear heads

TOOLS (III)•And later, new materials were used: bone, horn

How were tools made?

Paleolithic bark canoes

• Home Erectus started to use fire 500,000 years ago• It was used to cook food,

heat and light caves and huts, and drive wild animals away• Bonding

FIRE!!!

RITES and BELIEFS•Believed in supernatural forces•Rites to ask divinities for help•Buried the dead…. But we don’t know why.

PALEOLITHIC ART

•Around 30,000 years ago Homo sapiens sapiens began painting on the walls of caves.• It showed an artistic sensibility

CHARACTERISTICS OF PALEOLITHIC ART• Animals were represented – deer,

bison, horses, mammoth• the paintings were realistic – the

rough surface of the caves gave them a 3D effect• Colours included red, brown, yellow

& black made from natural materials• Animal hairs were used to make

brushes

•At about the same time, theses early humans also had learned how to make fire.

•Protected themselves from the weather•Allow them to cook•Enabled them to live in caves.

Why did they paint the cave?

What do the paintings mean?

1.Just the animals that were around at that time.

2.Instructions on how to hunt or not to hunt.

3.That cave was used for religious ceremonies

4.Painting were for good luck in hunting.

NEOLITHIC

NEOLITHIC• It means “New Stone Age”• Started around 8,000 BC•New way of life: agriculture + sedentarism•New technology: pottery, textiles, stone polishing•Neolithic centres: Fertile Crescent (Middle East), Ganges river valley (India), SE Asia, Mexico, Andes valleys

Where did agriculture start?

‘Revolution’: a new way of lifeFARMING SEDENTARY

LIFE VILLAGES• Grow crops

like wheat, barley, rye, lentils, maize, potatoes• Domesticate

animals like sheep, goats, pigs

• When people start to grown their own food, they don’t need to move around looking for food• Look after crops

and animals

• Close to the rivers (water to irrigate crops and drink)• Protection• Organization +

leader

A Neolithic Village

A Neolithic Activities

New Activities