4. The Paleolithic Era ,
Mesolithic and the
Neolithic Era
FROM HUNTER-GATHERERS
TO FARMERS
5. The Paleolithic Era
The Paleolithic Era
(Old Stone Age)
began when
hominids first made
tools.
These tools were
used to make their
lives easier.
6. Humans living during the Paleolithic Era
were hunter-gatherers.
This means they moved around hunting
animals and gathering plants to eat.
7. Paleolithic people
lived in temporary
shelters like tents or
caves because they
were nomads.
A nomad is a person
who does not have a
permanent home
and moves around a
lot.
13. The Neolithic Era
The Neolithic Era (New
Stone Age) began when
humans invented agriculture
and started making tools out
of metal instead of stone.
14. Neolithic people
learned how to farm
and domesticate
animals.
Domesticate means to
train a wild animal to be
useful to humans.
Sheep were among the
first animals to be
domesticated by humans!
15. Growing crops and
domesticating animals
is called agriculture and
this began in the
Neolithic Era.
These people farmed in
Europe, Africa, Asia,
and the Americas.
Humans domesticated wheat.
They would harvest it, grind it
up, and use that to make other
foods!
16. A lot of Neolithic
people began living in
the Fertile Crescent.
The Fertile Crescent
was a place where
the land was fertile
(good for growing
plants). Sometimes historians call the
Fertile Crescent the “Cradle of
Civilization”
17. Neolithic people were not nomadic. They
settled down in towns and built houses
because they were able to farm and
needed to be close to their fields.
18. They began to form villages around the fields
they farmed and they learned how to make
many new things like: jewelry, pottery, bigger
houses, better clothing, and stronger tools.
Neolithic
Home site
19. Once people began building houses and living in
towns life got easier.
They divided up the work; some people farmed,
some took care of animals, some built houses,
some made tools, some made clothing, some
made pottery, and others traded.
Wall painting from a Neolithic
village of a man with cattle and
deer.
20. After starting
agriculture Neolithic
people began to focus
on making their lives
comfortable and
beautiful.
They began decorating
their clothing, pottery,
and jewelry; some
women even began
wearing makeup!
21. Trade began during the Neolithic Era.
Trade is buying and selling/exchanging
goods.
Neolithic people began to trade for
things they wanted, so some people
became traders.
They wanted resources they did not
have.
22. These resources could
be used to make
things in their own
villages.
These traders would
meet with traders from
other villages and
exchange or sell goods
for things their village
did not have.
Carvings of bull’s heads found in a
Neolithic village
23. So to sum everything up!
Overall, life during the Paleolithic
Era was tough.
Paleolithic people moved around
a lot, depended on wild animals
and plants for food, and did not
have permanent homes.
Life improved greatly during the Neolithic Era when
people began farming, settling down in permanent
homes, and trading.
