The (Old) Stone AgeEarly Hominins (humans), or

Hunter-Gatherers

A Hominin is a human or a human ancestorHominoids

(humans & primates)

Homininae(humans & gorillas, chimps)

Ponginae(orangutans)

Hominini(humans)

Panini(chimpanzees)

Gorillini(gorillas)

Hominin(human)

What is the Stone Age?● STONE AGE is the period between about

2.5 million and 5,000 years ago. ● STONE AGE begins with the earliest

human-like behaviors (crude stone tool manufacturing) and ends with modern hunting and gathering societies.

● STONE AGE is studied in 3 eras:○ The first era of Stone Age is the

PALEOLITHIC ERA, the earliest time period of archaeology.

○ Paleolithic stands for “ancient” (paleo) “stone tools” (lithic).

● ARCHAEOLOGY is the study of ancient human time periods through excavation.

● ANTHROPOLOGY is the study of human cultures and societies and their development.

Characteristics of hunter-gatherer societies: ● small communities...● nomadic...● hunted and gathered known feeding

grounds...● followed the seasons...● moved to new grounds at appropriate

time...● took only what was needed...● had extensive knowledge of

○ the fauna (animals)...○ flora (plants) found in particular

areas...● developed basic tools to help them hunt

and gather...● utilized surrounding resources.

Archaeology is the study of human activity in the ancient past. It is the recovery (digging up)...and analysis (deep study)...of the material culture (clothing, tools)... and environmental culture (foraging, cultivation, irrigation, deforestation, preservation)...left behind by ancient peoples.Evidence of human activity from the ancient past includes--● artifacts: any portable object made or shaped by man (tools, clothing...)● ecofacts: organic materials (plant & animal) used by humans but not

modified into artifacts. (animal bones, seeds, wood...)● features: an element of an archaeological site, or “dig”, too large to

remove without destroying it. (fire pit, walls, roads...)● architecture: design and construction of housing. (huts, rooms, ceilings...)● cultural landscapes: combined works of man and the natural environment

linked to traditional, social and economic activities. (trade routes, sacred hills, grazing lands, hunting grounds...)

Article: “Early Human Culture”1. Read w/highlighter.2. Color-code sentences or

paragraphs that contain the following:a. Material Cultureb. Environmental Culture“Professor Francesco d'Errico, director of research at the French National Research Centre, says their results confirm that when people in southern Africa developed a lifestyle similar to that of hunter-gatherers, it remained almost unchanged for 40,000 years.”

“The oldest known use of beeswax as an ingredient in glue was also discovered at the cave. Backwell says the lump of beeswax, mixed with the resin of Euphorbia (a plant with poisonous milky sap), and possibly egg, was wrapped in plant fibers made from the inner bark of a woody plant.”

1. With a pencil, annotate (comment) beside information highlighted--

“Professor Francesco d'Errico, director of research at the French National Research Centre, says their results confirm that when people in southern Africa developed a lifestyle similar to that of hunter-gatherers, it remained almost unchanged for 40,000 years.”

“The oldest known use of beeswax as an ingredient in glue was also discovered at the cave. Backwell says the lump of beeswax, mixed with the resin of Euphorbia (a plant with poisonous milky sap), and possibly egg, was wrapped in plant fibers made from the inner bark of a woody plant.”

Culture of hunting-gathering unchanged for thousands of years

Made glue out of beeswax and plant resin; wrapped in plant fibers