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Quick Notes:
| Extinction of the Woolly Mammoth was around 12,000 BCE in
Europe, but only 2000 BCE in Siberia. This probably reflects shift in
climate, rather than hunting by humans. |
| New weapon: Bows and arrows appear (after 20,000 BCE) |
| Cro-Magnon
cave paintings: Most
Cro-Magnon cave
art was not made with charcoal, but rather with mineral pigments,
such as iron oxide (red ochre) or black manganese. |
By this time, man had become very capable
hunters/gatherers, and had scattered all over the world. Scientists
have found remains of these early people in Europe, Asia, America, Africa,
all over, really. Life was harsh, but they had plenty of food and warm
shelter. Many members of these groups lived to a very old age.
The Homo sapiens sapiens who lived in Europe were
called Cro-Magnon.
HOMES:
These early men built permanent homes, to shelter
from the long, harsh winter of the Ice Age. In the summer, they followed
the herds, and lived in tents.
Winter homes were Ice Age huts, built tepee style,
from branches and mammoth bones, covered with animal skins. These huts
were used for many years, so they built them carefully. Holes were dug,
deeply into the ground. Poles were inserted into these holes, and then
tied tightly together at the point of the tepee, at the top, with string
made from animal guts. Warm furs were laid over this structure and sewn
tightly in place. Large rocks were piled around the bottom, to help hold
the hut together.
Some huts were built to hold only a small group of
people. In the Ukraine, remains of "long huts" have been found,
large enough to hold an entire tribe. Long huts had several entrances,
with rooms for several fires inside.
In the summer, the tribe moved, following the
animals. They lived in sturdy tents, that could be moved from place to
place. As winter approached, they returned to their winter shelters. Quite
often, they had to chase out the wild life that had moved in, during their
absence!
FOOD:
These hunter-gatherers ate a variety of
seeds, berries, roots and nuts, as did their ancestors. They also ate fish
and seemed to have an ample supply of freshly caught game. Their lives
were not a constant struggle for survival because they were such good
hunters. They learned to organize hunts and to cure and store food for
the long winter. Hunting was done individually and in groups. They used
traps, which allowed them to catch food while they busy doing something
else. Fisherman used bows and arrows, nets woven from vines, fish hooks,
and even poisons. Some groups built rafts and canoes, to catch bigger fish
in deeper waters.
CLOTHING:
In colder climates, early man learned to soften
leather to make warm, comfortable clothes, sewn together with string made
from animal guts, using needles made from bone. In warmer climates, they
made cooler clothes from woven grass, and even from bark.
They made necklaces and bracelets out of shells,
teeth, feathers, flowers, and bone. Some decorated their bodies with paint
and tattoos, made from natural dyes. These may have been signs of social
standing or tribal ID's (identification signs).
ART:
As well as jewelry, they created pottery, and fired it to
give it luster, strength, and durability. They created little statues,
carved from ivory and bone.
TOOLS
& WEAPONS: Man had learned to be a
skilled toolmaker. Weapons included stone axes, knives, spears,
harpoons, wooden bows & sharp stone tipped arrows. Both the
saber-toothed tiger and the woolly mammoth became extinct during this
period, but that more probably reflects a shift in climate rather than
hunting by humans.
Virtual
Tour of Cave Paintings
The
Cave at Lascaux
Cave
Art
To learn
more about Early Humans,
click
on the tools below
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