Unit 1:Archaeology and

Stone Age

Lesson 1: Studying the

Past

I. What is History? A. History is the study of the past. B. Historians are people who study history.

1. Questions they ask.a. How did people live? ( work, fight, trade, farm, worship)b. Why did they make certain choices?c. How did they solve problems?2. Historians study culture: the

knowledge, beliefs, customs, and values of a group of people.

II. What is Archaeology?A. Archaeology is the study of the past

based on what people left behind.B. Archaeologists study places and things.

1. Examples: ruins, jewelry, tools, pottery, etc.

Dr. Zahi Hawass

III. Tools of Historians and ArchaeologistsA. Fossils: a part or imprint of something that was once alive.

Example: boneB. Artifacts: objects created and used by humans.

Example: pottery

C. Primary Source: is an account of an event created by someone who took part in or witnessed the event.

Example: Journal Entry

D. Secondary Source: is information gathered by someone who did not take part in or witness the event.

Example: Textbook

E. Geography: Historians study the geography of an area (climate, landforms, resources, and environment) to help understand how cultures developed and lived in

certain areas

Page H3-H5

Use your textbook to find the following “tools.” Write down the page number.

Tools of Historians Scavenger Hunt

Tool Type of Source (Primary or Secondary)

Page Number

DocumentArtifactMapPhotographPainting or Drawing

Lesson 2: Pre-history~

Hunter-Gatherers

 I. Prehistory- the time before there was writing. II. Early Humans- there are many theories about early humans and how people came to be. You may be interested in researching some of these theories. III. The Stone Age is the name that historians give to the time before recorded history. It is divided into three eras, or time periods. They are:

a. Paleolithic Erab. Mesolithic Erac. Neolithic Era

 

IV. Stone Age People A. In the Stone Ages people used stone tools

1. Tool : is any handheld object that has been modified to help a person accomplish a task.

2. In the Paleolithic Era people used rocks as tools to process food by cutting, chopping, or scraping.  B. Hunter-Gatherer Societies

1. Society- is a community of people who share a common culture.2. Hunter-Gatherers: people who hunt animals

and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive.

3. How they lived:a. These early people lived in small

groups. b. They were nomads-they moved from

place to place to find shelter and food.4. Language, Art, and Religiona. Language was developed in this era.b. Carvings.c. Cave Paintings (animals, humans, and hand prints)d. Scientists are not sure if they had

religion.

http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/?lng=en#/fr/00.xml

Lascaux Virtual Tour

Lesson 3: The Early and

Middle Stone Ages

I. Paleolithic Era or Old Stone Age (began 2 million years ago; ended about 10,000 years ago.)  A. During this era there were long periods of freezing weather (in some areas) called the Ice Ages. B. Due to climate changes people had to move, or migrate because food was scarce.

1. Scarcity: not enough of a resource.

C. During one ice age, a strip of land between Asia and North America was exposed called the Bering Strait.

1. Land bridges allowed people to migrate around the world.2. As people migrated they had to adapt to new environments.3. Then, the weather warmed again, and the land bridges disappeared, under water.

 II. The Mesolithic Era or Middle Stone Age (ended about 3000 BC)

III. New Tools and Technologiesa. The Mesolithic people used new tools that were smaller and more complex than those from the Old Stone Age.

1. Bone and Stone tools with handles.2. Fishing hooks and spears3. Bow and arrow4. Learned to make canoes5. Began to make pottery6. Pets7. Better clothing and shelter

b. Learned to control fire. 

HOTQ #1: How did scarcity contribute to migration in the Stone Age?

 HOTQ #2: What new technology made life easier in the Mesolithic Era?

HOTQ Exit Slip

Lesson 4: The New Stone

Age

I. Neolithic Era and First Farmersa. The Neolithic Era or New Stone Age was different than the other eras because it was a time of major changes affecting human life.

 II. New Tools and Technology

a. People began using polished stones to make saws and drills.

b. People learned how to make FIRE.

c. Eventually, people learned how to make tools out of metal, this ended the Neolithic Era.

 

III. The Neolithic or “Agricultural” Revolution

A. As the earth warmed new plants began to grow that people depended on for food.

B. People began to live where the food was.

C. People learned that they could plant seeds to grow their own crops (food).

1. Agriculture (farming) is one of the GREATEST achievements in human history!!!!

D. Domestication began as people changed plants and animals to make them more useful.

E. Farming and having a stable food supply changed society as people had more time to do other activities than just finding food.

1. Learned how to make cloth from wool and plants and began trading with one another.

2. Built permanent shelters and communities

3. Populations grew

4. Religious ceremonies became more common.

5. Megaliths or huge stone monuments were built.a. Example: Stonehenge in England.

6. People began to worship gods and goddesses based on nature, and their ancestors.

7. New jobs were created.a. Farmers b. Weaversc. Basket makersd. Toolmakerse. Tradersf. Stoneworkers (jewelry, mirrors)g. Potters decorated baskets and pottery with shapes.

3 Eras Directions: For each list below write in

the Era of the Stone Age that matches.

1. Made Fire, learned to farm, lived in villages, domesticated plants and animals.

2. simple stone tools, migrated on the land bridge, hunted and gathered, nomadic

3. bone and stone tools with handles, better clothing and shelter, learned to make canoes, used fishing hooks and spears.

ANSWERS

1. Neolithic Era

2. Paleolithic Era

3. Mesolithic Era

Word BankPaleolithic Era Mesolithic Era Neolithic Era