Vocabulary Builder

DIRECTIONS Write a word or phrase that has the same meaning as the

term given.

1. ancestor __________________________________________________________

2. hominid __________________________________________________________

3. hunter-gatherers ____________________________________________________

4. Paleolithic Era _____________________________________________________

5. prehistory _________________________________________________________

DIRECTIONS Choose five of the vocabulary words from the word list.

Use these words to write a summary of what you learned in the section.

Historical Document

As you examine the images, think about the skills it would take to

craft these objects.

Image 1

This photograph shows a buckle carved from bone, a

rather rare find from the site. The buckle was found

near a skeleton.

ABOUT THE SOURCE Çatal Hüyük is the name of an archaeological site

located in present-day Turkey. Objects from the site have been dated as far back as

6700 BC, suggesting Çatal Hüyük may have been the world’s first city. At one time,

about 10,000 people lived there. Among the archaeological evidence found there

are beautiful pottery, figurines, wall paintings, tools, and weapons. These images

and artifacts suggest the people of Çatal Hüyük may have worshipped gods in both

human and animal form. As these photos indicate, articles from the site reveal

valuable information about New Stone Age life.

Note that the hook fits

easily into the large hole.

The hook piece and the

eye piece were attached to

opposite ends of the belt.

Remember that in the

New Stone Age, people

were not yet working with

metal.

Remember that in the

New Stone Age, people

were not yet working with

metal.

Image 2

This limestone figurine is believed to be that of a male

god, possibly a child, riding a leopard.

The leopard is believed

to have been a sacred

animal in this society.

Other figurines show

people with leopards and

other catlike animals.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?

1. Why do you think objects like buckles and figurines are important archaeological

discoveries?

2. What does the evidence of animal worship suggest about the people of Çatal

Hüyük?

Supplementary Activity (for artistically inclined students)

In Her Shoes: Mary Leakey

One archaeologist who made important discoveries about prehistory was Mary Leakey. In 1959 she found bones in East Africa that were more than 1.5 million years old. She and her husband, Louis Leakey, believed that the bones belonged to a hominid, an early ancestor of humans. Read more about Mary Leakey using the links below. Then put yourself in her shoes! Draw a sketch of one of her findings and explain what conclusions she reached from it.

Research Links

Mary Douglas Nichol Leakey
A biography on Mary Leakey that also discusses some of her most notable discoveries.

People and Discoveries: The Leakey Family
Trace the discoveries of Louis and Mary Leakey through this Web site.

The Iceman

The Iceman Why was a Stone Age traveler in Europe’s highest mountains? The Iceman’s dagger and the scabbard, or case, he carried it in When did he live? about 5,300 years ago Where did he live? The frozen body of the Iceman was discovered in the snowy Ötztal Alps of Italy in 1991. Scientists nicknamed him Ötzi after this location. What did he do? That question has been debated ever since Ötzi’s body was found. Apparently, he was traveling. At first scientists thought he had frozen to death in a storm. But an arrowhead found in his shoulder suggests that his death was not so peaceful. After he died, his body was covered by glaciers and preserved for thousands of years. Why is he important? Ötzi is the oldest mummified human ever found in such good condition. His body, clothing, and tools were extremely well preserved, telling us a lot about life during the Stone Ages. His outfit was made of three types of animal skin stitched together. He wore leather shoes padded with grass, a grass cape, a fur hat, and a sort of backpack. He carried an ax with a copper blade as well as a bow and arrows. Drawing Conclusions Why do you think the Iceman was in the Alps?

Scientists examine the Iceman’s body in 1991, before it was removed from the glacier.

Connecting To Technology

CONNECTING TO TECHNOLOGY

Stone Tools Did you know that Stone Age people’s tools weren’t as primitive as we might think? They made knife blades and arrowheads—like the one shown below—out of volcanic glass called obsidian. The obsidian blades were very sharp. In fact, they could be 100 times sharper and smoother than the steel blades used for surgery in modern hospitals. Today some doctors are going back to using these Stone Age materials. They have found that blades made from obsidian are more precise than modern scalpels. Some doctors use obsidian blades for delicate surgery on the face because the stone tools leave “nicer-looking.” scars. Drawing Conclusions How do you think modern obsidian blades are different from Stone Age ones?

Hunter–Gatherers

Hunter–Gatherers

Early people were hunter–gatherers. They hunted animals and gathered wild plants to survive. Life for these hunter–gatherers was difficult and dangerous. Still, people learned how to make tools, use fire, and even create art.

The early humans of the Stone Age were hunter-gatherers—people who huntanimals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive. Anthropologists believe that most Stone Age hunters were men. They hunted in groups, sometimes chasing entire herds of animals over cliffs. This method was both more productive and safer than hunting alone.

Women in hunter-gatherer societies probably took responsibility for collecting plants to eat. They likely stayed near camps and took care of children.

Analyze: What tools are people using in this picture?

Stone Age Tools

Stone Age Tools

The first humans and their ancestors lived during a long period of time called the Stone Age. To help in their studies, archaeologists divide the Stone Age into three periods based on the kinds of tools used at the time. To archaeologists, a tool is any handheld object that has been modified to help a person accomplish a task.

The first part of the Stone Age is called the Paleolithic (pay-lee-uh-LI-thik) Era, or Old Stone Age. It lasted until about 10,000 years ago. During this time people used stone tools.

The First Tools

Scientists have found the oldest tools in Tanzania, a country in East Africa. These sharpened stones, about the size of an adult’s fist, are about 2.6 million years old. Each stone had been struck with another rock to create a sharp, jagged edge along one side. This process left one unsharpened side that could be used as a handle.

Scientists think that these first tools were mostly used to process food. The sharp edge could be used to cut, chop, or scrape roots, bones, or meat. Tools like these, called choppers, were used for about 2 million years.

Later Tools

Over time people learned to make better tools. For example, they developed the hand ax. They often made this tool out of a mineral called flint. Flint is easy to shape, and tools made from it can be very sharp. People used hand axes to break tree limbs, to dig, and to cut animal hides.

People also learned to attach wooden handles to tools. By attaching a wooden shaft to a stone point, for example, they invented the spear. Because a spear could be thrown, hunters no longer had to stand close to animals they were hunting. As a result, people could hunt larger animals. Among the animals hunted by Stone Age people were deer, horses, bison, and elephant like creatures called mammoths.

TASK: Address the question bellow utilizing the RAD short response method.

Summarizing

How did tools improve during the Old Stone Age?