The document provides information about the Stone Age period of prehistory. It can be summarized as follows: The Stone Age period spans from around 4 million years ago until 3500 BC and is divided into the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Metal Ages. During this time, early humans evolved and learned skills like tool-making, controlling fire, and creating cave paintings and portable art objects. Life was difficult as people lived nomadic lifestyles as hunter-gatherers and had to contend with cold climates.

1. UNIT 2
THE STONE AGE

2. • It is the dicipline that studies the past of human beings throught
time and space
•To establish the order and dates of historical events we use
chronology.
We group years as follows:
10 years= a decade
100 years = a century
1000 years a millennium
•In Western culture, the birth of Christ divides this chronology into
two parts:
- Before Christ ( BC)
- Anno Domini ( AD)

3. 1000 B.C
500B.C
|
|
|
300 A.D
100 B.C
|
1000 A.D
|
|
NOW
Birth of Christ
B.C
2013 A.D
A.D

5. To study the past it is necessary to observe, interpret and read the
remains that human beings have left. These remains are the sources
that historians study to reconstruct the history
Not written
Written
• Monuments
• Buildings
• Human or
physical remains
• Tools
• Oral testimonies
• Photographs
• Art
• Newspapers
• Books
• Documents(
letters, treaties..)
• Inscriptions
• Coins

8.  Prehistory:
- Starts with the appearance of the first human beings ( 4
million??? years ago )
-Ends with the invention of writing around 3500 BC
-It is divided into stages:
Paleolithic Age
Neolithic Age
Metal Age
- Starts with the invention of writing and leads up to
present time
 History
- It is divided into four stages:
Ancient history : goes up to the fall of the Roman Empire
The Middle Ages: goes up to the discovery of America
The Modern Age: goes up to the French Revolution
The Contemporary Age: is the age in which we live.

10. DEFINITION: Long period of time that starts with the appearance of the first
human beings ( 4 million?? years ago) and ended with the invention of writing
around 3000 BC.
The only data we have about Prehistory are obtained through archaeology and art.
Paleolithic
THE STONE AGE
4 million B.C to 10.000 B.C
Neolithic
10ooo B.C -3500 BC
It is divided into stages
Copper Age
THE METAL AGE
Bronze Age
Iron Age

11. Paleolithic
Neolithic

12. 2. ORIGIN A EVOLUTION OF HUMAN BEINGS
Characteristics that distinguish hominids from apes are:
More developed brain: think, speak, make tools
Bipedalism: long legs, shorter arms, curve spine
Cranial Changes: chin, vertical forehead, smaller jaw and teeth
Changes in hands: opposable thumb

14. AUSTROLOPITHECUS SKULL
SAPIENS SKULL

18. Which of these hominids used tools?
Which of these hominids knew about fire?

19. AUSTRALOPITHECUS
Brain not very developed- small
Biped-erect walk but still climbed trees
They used tools but did not make them
Location: Africa

21. LUCY

22. HOMO HABILIS
• Small brain, but bigger than
Australopithecus
• Biped- better adapted to walking upright
• First hominid to make tool- very simple
• Location: Africa

24. HOMO ERECTUS
Bigger brain
Made fire and more developed
tools Bifaces. Wore animal hides
Location: Africa- Asia

25. Biface

26. HOMO ANTECESSOR
•Bigger Brain
•Mix of physical features:
Some similar to humans ( fine jaw)
and other from an older time
( protruding eyebrows)
•More developed tools
•Location: Europe Atapuerca Burgos

27. HOMO NEANDERTHALENSIS
Bigger Brain- similar to our brain
Strong complexion
Big face, protruding eyebrow,
sunken forehead, No chin
Buried their dead
Location: Africa, Europe , Asia

28. HOMO SAPIENS
Spherical skull, straight forehead
Prominent chin
Developed intelligence
Tools made of stone, bone and
animal horns
Art
Location: all the continents

31. 3. LIFE IN THE PALEOLITHIC AGE : Economy and society
Food
Climate
There were very cold periods
and milder periods
They were predators: they
live from hunting, fishing and
gathering
Where did the live?
Society
They were nomads and lived in
caves or shelters.
There was a hierarchy: some
people were more important
They lived in groups:
Task were shared: women and
men had different tasks.
hordes
tribe
Beliefs
They had
religious beliefs:
-buried their dead
-deified forces of nature

32. 3. LIFE IN THE PALEOLITHIC AGE : Skills
Working with
stone
• First: they didn´t know how to make tools , so they used
stones and sticks
• Later: they made very simple tools hitting one stone against
another .
Tools: Bifaces: (stone axes) and chips
Making and
controlling
fire
• First: they didn't know how to make fire. They got it from nature.
• Later: They learnt to make it
hitting stones
•
rubbing two sticks
• Important for cooking, light, heat, chasing away or trapping
animals
Animal hides
• Hides were used as: clothes, shoes, bags,, to sleep on,
vessels…
• It was important to look after them to keep them flexible.

33. HOW TO MAKE A TOOL

34. needles
drill
harpoon
knives
Arrow heads

35. 3. LIFE IN THE PALEOLITHIC AGE : Art
a) CAVE PAINTINGS
Where did they paint?
Walls
Ceilings
Why did they paint? 2 theories:
1-They would be able to hunt them( magic effects)
2.They wanted to paint what they had seen ( a way of
entertainment)
Characteristics:
1.Painted individually
3. They used: fingers, brushes
´2. Realistic paintings
4.Painted on protruding rocks to
give impression of relief.
Examples:
Altamira cave ( Cantabria)
Lascaux cave ( Francia)

36. ALTAMIRA

40. LASCAUX

41. b) PORTABLE ART
PORTABLE ART
VENUS STATUES
Symbols of fertility
Feminine features
very exaggerated
BATONS
Made of:
Ivory Stone Bone
Examples:
Willendorf Venus
Pieces of bone or
horn
Shape: head of a
horse or deer

42. Venus

43. Baton