Prehistory: Stone Age and People
Think About As You Read
1. How did the first people live? 2. What started the agricultural revolution?
3. Why did the Stone Age farmers live near rivers?
New Words
• Archaeologists
• Earth
• Tools
• Stone Age
• Agricultural
Revolution
• Tame
THE FIRST PEOPLE
The first people did not live the way we live today. They did not grow food or live in houses. They did not read or write. In this chapter we will learn how the first people lived. Archaeologists help us learn about people of long ago. Archaeologists are men and women who dig into the earth. They find and study the bones of people who lived thousands of years ago. The bones tell how people of long ago looked and how they lived. Archaeologists have also found animal bones from long ago. Some of these bones were used as tools for hunting.
People and Places
• Stone Age People
Archaeologists have found tools used by people who lived during the Stone Age. It is called the Stone Age because most of the tools were made of stone. Stone tools lasted longer and were stronger than tools made of bone or wood.
The Stone Age began more than 2,000,000 years ago. It ended about
5,000 years ago. The people who lived then are called Stone Age people. For thousands of years, Stone Age people spent most of their time looking for food. They did not know how to grow food. They found wild berries and nuts to eat. Most people were hunters.
They killed animals for food. They made clothes from animal skins. Sometimes they made tools from animal bones.
People of the Stone Age learned to use fire. Fire gave heat and light. Stone Age people used fire to help them cook food and keep warm. Fire also kept people safe. Dangerous animals stayed away from fire at night.
For thousands of years, Stone Age people moved from place to place looking for food.
They stayed in one place as long as there was food. When they could no longer find food, they moved to another place. They usually stayed near
1. How did the first people live? 2. What started the agricultural revolution?
3. Why did the Stone Age farmers live near rivers?
New Words
• Archaeologists
• Earth
• Tools
• Stone Age
• Agricultural
Revolution
• Tame
THE FIRST PEOPLE
The first people did not live the way we live today. They did not grow food or live in houses. They did not read or write. In this chapter we will learn how the first people lived. Archaeologists help us learn about people of long ago. Archaeologists are men and women who dig into the earth. They find and study the bones of people who lived thousands of years ago. The bones tell how people of long ago looked and how they lived. Archaeologists have also found animal bones from long ago. Some of these bones were used as tools for hunting.
People and Places
• Stone Age People
Archaeologists have found tools used by people who lived during the Stone Age. It is called the Stone Age because most of the tools were made of stone. Stone tools lasted longer and were stronger than tools made of bone or wood.
The Stone Age began more than 2,000,000 years ago. It ended about
5,000 years ago. The people who lived then are called Stone Age people. For thousands of years, Stone Age people spent most of their time looking for food. They did not know how to grow food. They found wild berries and nuts to eat. Most people were hunters.
They killed animals for food. They made clothes from animal skins. Sometimes they made tools from animal bones.
People of the Stone Age learned to use fire. Fire gave heat and light. Stone Age people used fire to help them cook food and keep warm. Fire also kept people safe. Dangerous animals stayed away from fire at night.
For thousands of years, Stone Age people moved from place to place looking for food.
They stayed in one place as long as there was food. When they could no longer find food, they moved to another place. They usually stayed near