Cave PaintingsCave Paintingsby the Early Humansby the Early Humans

Caves in Lascaux, France

Take a Tour Pictures

Very Early Man (and Woman)

• How do scientists know about the people who lived so long ago?

• Lucy told them!• In 1974, a skeleton of a

3 million year old woman was found in Africa. Scientists believe she was about 20 years old when she died.

The Paleolithic EraBegan about 2.5 million years ago• Upper Paleolithic Period (35,000 – 10,000

BCE) This is the time period we are focusing on.–This is when we begin to see cave

paintings–Tools are being used–The dead are being buried–Fossils of skulls are found dating to this

time

Discovering the Past

• Artifact – the remains of things that were made, NOT the remains of living things

• Fossils – the remains of living things (people, animals, plants, imprints), NOT the remains of things that were created

Artifact Vs. Fossil

• Piece of a broken pot• Arrowhead• Leg bone• Shells• Human skull• Coins• Metal Jewelry• Diary

• Insect in amber• Political records• Paintings• Dinosaur bones• Imprint of a leaf in

stone• Petrified wood• Footprint in stone

Real “Flint-Stones”

Important Vocabulary

• Hunter-Gatherer – a person who gathers food, fishes, or hunts to support themselves. (not farming)• Nomad – a person who moves from

place to place without ever creating a permanent home.

Nomads in Tibet Today

Ancient Burials

• 100,000 years ago - Our ancestors buried the dead together with beads and other symbolic objects. This allowed them to better remember the dead and means that they believe in a person’s identity even after they die.

• 24,000 years ago – In Russia, two children were buried head to head with two mammoth tusks surrounding them. They were covered with decorative beads.