The First Humans Chapter 3 Section 1

Before History Prehistory is the time before humans developed writing. Early people communicated through sounds and gestures until they began to develop language.

Early Development Hominids were humanlike creatures that walked upright. The earliest hominids appeared in Africa and slowly changed over time.

Early Development The research confirms the “Out Of Africa” theory that all modern humans stem from a single group of Homo sapiens who emigrated from Africa 2,000 generations ago and spread throughout Eurasia over thousands of years. These settlers replaced other early humans (such as Neanderthals), rather than interbreeding with them. ScienceDaily (May 10, 2007)

The Paleolithic Age The Paleolithic (“Old Stone”) Age lasted from 2,500,000 B.C. to 8000 B.C.

The Paleolithic Age During the Paleolithic Age, humans: –used simple stone tools for hunting, fishing, and scraping animal hides –were nomadic hunter-gatherers who lived in temporary shelters –learned to use fire for light, warmth, to cook, chase animals for tapping and to keep animals away.

The Ice Ages The most recent one began about 100,000 years ago. Ended about the year 8000 to 9000 B.C. Thick sheets of ice(glaciers) moved across Europe, Asia and North America.

The Ice Ages As glaciers grew larger, the water level of the oceans lowered. This exposed a strip of dry land (land bridge) connecting the continents of Asia and North America which allowed the Paleolithic people to migrate to North America.