Vocabulary Paleolithic Age - second part of the Stone Age that lasted until the end of the last ice age Neolithic Age - latest part of the Stone Age beginning about 10,000 BC Hunter-Gatherer - a member of a culture that obtains food by hunting, fishing, and gathering plants Agriculture - the practice of cultivating the land or raising animals to produce food
From Hunters and Gatherers to Communities
The Earliest Humans
Hunters and Gatherers
Early People Early humans hunted animals and gathered (collected) plants and berries for food. Hunters and Gatherers had to migrate often to find new food sources.
Hunter and Gatherers DEF: People who migrated in order to find food. They hunted animals and gathered plants to eat.
After Hunter-Gatherers
The Agricultural Revolution People also learned how to domesticate animals by raising them in one place. They no longer had to hunt. After thousands of years, people learned how to plant seeds to grow food in one place. This is called agriculture. Then, they no longer had to gather.
Farmers
Farmers DEF: People who plant and grow food in one place.
Agriculture DEF: Farming: Growing crops and raising animals
Domesticate DEF: To train wild animals to be useful for humans. (As work animals or for food.)
How Agriculture Changed Everything
Life as Communities Before agriculture, ancient people were nomads. They moved around to find food. Once people learned to farm, they could live in one place. They built permanent shelters. Since everyone lived there all the time, people started the first communities. Now, not everyone had to hunt and gather food, so specialization of jobs started.
Nomad DEF: Someone who moves from place to place without a permanent home.
Permanent Shelter DEF: A shelter (home) where people live year round.
Community DEF: A group of people living and working together.
Specialization DEF: When different community members had different jobs (besides farming or hunting). This happened because there was enough food from the farms.
From Hunters and Gathers to Communities