Prehistory1st ESO

Maira Gil Camarón

AtapuercaArchaeological site near Burgos that was found accidentally when a trench for a mining train was being built. The most important discoveries:

Homo Antecessor - The first European human being

Elvis – a pelvis that was discovered in the same site

Excalibur – A biface surrounded by thirty-three human skeletons

1.2 million years old tooth

How did people live in the Palaeolithic Age?The first human beings lived from hunting, fishing and gathering. They hunted mammoths, bears, elephants, deer, bison and other animals and used their meat for food and their skins for clothesThey were nomadic and followed the animals they hunted, and searched for places where water, food and shelter were available. They lived outdoors, in caves or in wood huts. They were organised in small tribes made up of members of the same familyThey made tools and objects of stone, and used them to hunt and cut animals’ skins and meatFire was discovered about half a million years ago. It was an extremely important discovery. Early human beings used fire to heat their caves, cook food and drive wild animals away

Rites and beliefsThey believed in supernatural forces which helped them in hunting or when giving birth. They also thought these divinities caused disease and death. That is why they had different rites to ask these divinities for helpThey buried the dead, but we do not know why. Maybe they wanted to remember the, or maybe they believed in an afterlife. They also buried weapons, jewellery and food with the bodies

How people live in the Neolithic Age? The Neolithic RevolutionNeolithic = new stone it was not just the technology of

stone instruments which was new. There were other important changes

In Neolithic Age, human beings, learned how to domesticate animals and cultivate plants. The discovery of agriculture took place about 11,000 years ago: human beings observed that plants grew when seeds fell on the ground and there is how agriculture started.Cereals were cultivated:

Wheat in the Middle East and Europe Rice in Asia Corn in America

Goats, sheep, oxen, horses and dogs were domesticatedAnimal raising and agriculture made it possible for people to

settle in a particular area when they have enough food, they started to store it. They became sedentary and built the first villages near rivers. This series of changes is called Neolithic Revolution

Life in the Neolithic AgeMost villages were next to rivers an encircled by a fenced which protected them from animals and other humans. They had animal pens for the animals and storehouses for grainThey started using polished stone to make utensils: hoes, sickles, hand millsThey started making textiles using thread or wool from their animalsThey invented pottery. They used clay vessels to store cereal and bowls to eat and cookWork became specialised in the villagesSome people worked the land, other people raised cattle, and the rest were artisans

How did people live in the Metal Ages?7,000 years ago, human beings began to make metal objects the beginning of the Metal AgesThe Copper Age: it began 7,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent area. Copper is a soft metal, which is easy to work into shapeThe Bronze Age: it began 5,000 years ago in the Near East. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. This alloy is harder than copper. It was used to make stronger weapons and toolsThe Iron Age: it began 3,200 years ago in Anatolia. Iron is a harder metal than copper and bronze. It was used to make stronger and longer-lasting weapons and toolsIn this moment we can talk about other important inventions:The wheel, the sail and the plough

Changes in societyThe use of metal objects was a sign of great progress, and caused many changesThe search for metals created new trade routes. Trade produced wealth, and villages turned into cities. These cities were surrounded by walls and had buildings such as shops and workshops as well as housesNew jobs, such as traders, priests and warriors, also appeared. Wealth was divided unequally, and social divisions were created

In 1950, the mummified corpse of an Iron-Age man was discovered, preserved in a peat bog, in Denmark. The body was so well preserved that the people who discovered him thought that he had been killed recently. The man is known as the Tollund Man.