1. The First People Humans, similar to, but not exactly as we know them today, have been around for about 1,000,000 years. Hominids however, or early ancestors of humans, have roamed parts of the earth for between 4 and 5 million years. Homo habilis Homo erectus Homo sapiens

2. Homo habilis They roamed Africa about 2.4 million years ago. Their brains were about half the size of modern humans. They used early stone tools for scraping and chopping. Homo habilis means “handy man”

3. Homo erectus They roamed Africa about 1.5 - 2 million years ago. They migrated to Asia and Europe. They used more advanced tools like the hand ax. They learned to control fire. Their name means “upright man.”

4. Homo sapiens First appeared in Africa about 200,000 years ago. They migrated around the world. We are homo sapiens. They learned to CREATE fire. They used many different tools. They developed language. Homo sapien means “wise man.”

5. The Stone Age The time in which these hominids lived is called the Stone Age. The Stone Age is broken into three eras. These eras are defined by the tools used. Paleolithic Era Mesolithic Era Neolithic Era A tool is a handheld object that has been changed to help a person.

6. The Paleolithic Era Stone tools were used during this era. Most of these tools were used to cut, chop, and scrape food. People during the Paleolithic Era were hunter-gatherers. Hunter-gatherers traveled with the herds and gathered fruits and nuts to eat.

7. The Ice Age Scientist believe that for a period of time the world was very cold. In order to survive, people had to adapt and try to find warmer locations. They began to migrate, or move, to new places. Migration took hundreds of thousands of years.

8. The Mesolithic Era The people of the Mesolithic Era, also known as the Middle Stone Age, used bone and detailed stone tools. Fishing hooks were also used, as well as bows and arrows. Canoes were also created to travel the rivers. The first pets were kept during the Mesolithic Era.