Paleolithic Era

Prehistory Prehistoric or Prehistory – refers to the time before the advancement of writing.

TRACING THE MIGRATION (MOVEMENT) OF EARLY HUMANS ACCORDING TO THE MAP, WHERE DID EARLY HUMANS ORIGINATE from? AFRICA

Paleolithic Era Paleolithic Era also means Old Stone Age. 2.5 mya - 8000 B.C. began more than 2 million years ago

Archeologists Louis and Mary Leakey (1903-1972) - Kenyan archaeologists who began looking for early human remains in East Africa. They found many tools, bones & other artifacts. Donald Johanson - (1974) archaeologist who found “Lucy”, a part of an early human skeleton in Ethiopia

STANDARDS FOR BEING HUMAN: 1. 90cc skull size 2. Upright vertebrate 3. Thumb for tool making

Hunter-gatherers Early humans during this period were: Nomads- traveled from place to place Nomads were always on the move because they needed to search for food Men hunted Women cared for children, gathered berries, nuts, grains

Stone tools and weapons are the artifacts that marked the beginning of the hunter-gatherer societies Made cave art Mastered the use of fire Survived the Ice Ages Developed a spoken language Lived in clans

WHAT ARE THESE IMAGES & WHAT DO THEY TELL US ABOUT EARLY HUMANS?

Prehistoric Art

Pictograph: Petroglyph: Painting on a surface like a cave wall. Design carved into rock or other surface.

Cave of Lascaux, France Discovered by four boys in 1940. Caves are filled with pictographs and petroglyphs of hundreds of animals.

There are almost 600 pictures of animals, mostly horses. Other animals painted are stags, bulls, bison, and ibex. Only one man is painted.

Why do you think they painted the cave? What do the paintings mean? Just the animals that were around at that time. Instructions on how to hunt or not to hunt. The cave was used for religious ceremonies. Painting was for good luck in hunting.