1. Paleolithic Age
Beginning of Mankind
2,000,000-15,000 B.C.E.

2. Essential Standards
6.H.2- Understand the political, economic and/or social significance of historical events, issues, individuals and cultural groups.

3. Clarifying Objective
6.H.2.3- Explain how innovation and/or technology transformed civilizations, societies and regions over time (e.g., agricultural technology, weaponry, transportation and communication).

4. Essential Question(s)
How did early people(s) adapt their lifestyle(s) to their environment?
How did they manage natural resources?
How did the early people maintain law and order?
How did technology impact early people?

5. Beginning of Time The Universe explodes into being
Galaxies are created. Trillions of stars line the galaxies
Around one star in one galaxy a blue planet appears
How did early people(s) adapt their lifestyle(s) to their environment?
How did they manage natural resources?
How did the early people maintain law and order?
How did technology impact early people?

6. Earth This blue planet is our Earth
No other known planet has an atmosphere and liquid water which are the two conditions needed for life

7. 2.6 Million Years Ago
2.6 million years ago a unique species is born onto Earth
That species is Mankind
Now in the grasslands of east Africa the struggle for mankind’s survival will begin

8. Paleolithic Era
The Paleolithic Era was also known as the 1st Stone Age
The name Paleolithic comes from the word (Pale) meaning old
The time period was characterized by being the first time humans used stone tools

9. Paleolithic Era Mankind of the Paleolithic period were nomads
This was the time when mankind first started hunting & gathering
This is when they started inventing & innovating

10. Rift Valley, East Africa
There is now evidence that points to the start of mankind being in the Rift Valley of East Africa
The Rift Valley is a very fertile place in the world which is why much life occurs there
Early evidence of mankind has also been found in Europe & Asia & Australia but the earliest, earliest evidence was found in the Rift Valley in East Africa

11. Rift Valley, East Africa
They are nomadic and move from place to place to follow their food
This is where mankind hunts and gathers to feed his family
Rift Valley, East Africa
Rift Valley, East Africa

12. Hunting and gathering was humanity's first and most successful adaptation, occupying at least 90 percent of human history, and 10,000 years ago, all lived this way. Following the invention of agriculture, hunter-gatherers have been displaced or conquered by farming or pastoralist groups in most parts of the world.

13. Hunting & Gathering
Hunting Animals & Gathering berries was how the beginning of mankind fed themselves
Mankind hunted large wild game animals of Africa (Pronghorn, Impala)
They would employ a technique called Slash & Burn to section off the animals they hunted

14. Hunting & Gathering
Slash & Burn would not allow the plants to grow where the burning took place so the animals would have to move back to where their food source was and the hunters would wait there
They were nomadic and followed their food around
Mankind Gathered berries, roots, & wheat

15. How did they Hunt
Mankind does not have any of the other natural weapons of Africa’s other animal predators
Mankind cannot outrun a Cheetah
Mankind is nowhere near as strong as a Lion
Mankind does not have the crushing jaws of a Crocodile
So what do they do, They INVENT

16. Early Mankind Inventions
Because mankind realized that they did not have the natural abilities of the animals they hunted they invented tools & weapons
Mankind realized that tools and weapons would give them the advantage against the animals they hunted

17. Important Tools/Weapons
There were four simple early mankind inventions that were greater than any other
The first tools used by the Paleolithic mankind were wooden digging sticks
These digging sticks were used to dig up plants and roots from the ground to eat (gathering)

18. Important Tools/Weapons
The second invention was the spear
The spear was just a stick with a sharp rock tied onto the end of the stick
Revolutionized hunting for the earliest humans. Allowed humans to make up ground by throwing the spear instead of having to run and tackle the animals which would have been nearly imposable

19. Important Tools/Weapons
The third invention was the Stone Axe
This was a wooden handle with and a stone blade
This is used to chop down trees to give early humans usable access to wood

20. Important Tools/Weapons
The fourth was the tool used to make fire (control fire)
This tool was a stick with string tied around it
Being able to control fire for the first time allowed humans to survive without this tool there would be no humankind at all
It was used to scare off animals that would attack humans

21. Fire
Our planet is the only known place in the Universe for the right conditions for fire
Cooking their food over a fire got rid of a lot of the fats and carbohydrates before they even ate the food making it easier to digest the food and get more nutrients from the food

22. Fire Better nutrition boosts the human brain
Over the next 2 million years the brain more than doubles in size
This allows mankind to think & communicate better than any other spices on Earth

23. Communication Early Paleolithic humans didn’t have a language
They communicated with others by drawing pictures on their cave walls
These were called pictographs/cave paintings
Pictographs/Cave Paintings would tell stories (big hunt, someone having a baby)

24. Mankind Spreads Out Over the next 50,000 years mankind spreads out
But the temperature is starting to get colder
They settle…
The Middle East
Asia
Australia
Europe

25. Important Points
6.H.2.3- (Inventions) Invention, Innovation, & Technology was the key to survival of mankind throughout the Paleolithic Era
6.H (Communication) Paleolithic people used PICTOGRAPHS or CAVE DRAWINGS to communicate because they didn’t have language yet
6.H (Inventions) The 4 most important inventions/Innovations were
Wooden digging sticks (first known invention of mankind)
The Spear
The Axe
Fire ( Control of Fire)
6.H.2.1- (Migrations) The 1st evidence of human existence was in the Rift Valley in East Africa
6.H.2.1- (Migrations) The Paleolithic people were hunters & gatherers
6.H.2.1- (Migrations) The Paleolithic humans were NOMADIC meaning they would move place to place to follow their food

26. Earliest Humans