The document outlines human prehistory, detailing significant findings at the Atapuerca archaeological site, such as Homo antecessor and tools alongside human remains. It discusses the Paleolithic lifestyle of hunting and gathering, the Neolithic Revolution that introduced agriculture and settled living, and the subsequent Metal Ages featuring advancements in metallurgy and societal changes. Key inventions like the wheel and the rise of trade led to the development of cities and social stratification.

1. Prehistory
1st
ESO
Maira Gil Camarón

8. Atapuerca
Archaeological 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

14. 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 clothes
They 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 family
They made tools and objects of stone, and used them to hunt
and cut animals’ skins and meat
Fire 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

15. Rites and beliefs
They 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 help
They 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

20. How people live in the Neolithic Age?
The Neolithic Revolution
Neolithic = 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 domesticated
Animal 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

21. Life in the Neolithic Age
Most 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 grain
They started using polished stone to
make utensils: hoes, sickles, hand mills
They started making textiles using
thread or wool from their animals
They invented pottery. They used clay
vessels to store cereal and bowls to eat and
cook
Work became specialised in the villages
Some people worked the land, other
people raised cattle, and the rest were
artisans

25. How did people live in the Metal Ages?
7,000 years ago, human beings began to make metal objects
 the beginning of the Metal Ages
The Copper Age: it began 7,000 years ago in the Fertile
Crescent area. Copper is a soft metal, which is easy to work
into shape
The 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 tools
The 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 tools
In this moment we can talk about other important
inventions:
The wheel, the sail and the plough

26. Changes in society
The use of metal objects was a sign of great progress, and caused many
changes
The 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 houses
New jobs, such as traders, priests and warriors, also appeared.
Wealth was divided unequally, and social divisions were created

27. 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.