HOW DID HUMANS LIVE IN THE STONE AGE?

The Homo Habilis our the 'skilfu' humans developed about 2.5 million years ago. They produced stone tools, lived in small groups, and moved from one place to another like nomads, when food became scarce. After mastering the fire, humans wandered to the cooler Europe and Asia. Humans learnt to cultivate the land and keep the cattle and pets. The Stone age ended when humans learnt to obtain metals from the ores.

How did humans discover fire?

Fires in the steppes or bushes scared humans earlier. Gradually, they learnt to appreciate the power of fire. It gave them light and warmth and kept away wild animals. They could harden the tips of wooden spears and cook meat in it. About 700,000 years ago, humans started to protect themselves from a fire started accidentally by lightning. Soon they learnt to produce fire, by striking flint stone and pyrite with each other or by rubbing lumbers. The spark was used to ignite tinder fungus, a kind of mushroom. The discovery of fire is one of the most important achievements of humans. Without it we could not have developed to the stage where we are today.

What did the Stone Age humans feed on?

They collected plants, honey, and bird's eggs, or went for hunting. They drove away the smaller animals living in pits with the help of fires and torches. Neanderthals even hunted for large animals. They made groups of ten or more and killed mammoths, rhinos, or bison from the nearest point with spears. The parts of the animals, which they did not eat, were utilized in other ways. Nothing went unused. Weapons, tools, and jewellery were made from bones, tendons became ropes, and skin and hide were used to make clothes and tents. Even today there are races that live as hunters and collectors, such as the Bushmen, also known as San, in Namibia and Botswana in southern Africa.

When did humans start domesticating animals?

Dog was the first animals to be domesticated by humans 15,0000 years. Humans fed the dog's wolf ancestors and in return they protected them from dangerous animals. Over a period of time these animals were domesticated and started domesticating other wild animals too - sheep and goat in the Middle East; cow, pig, horse , and poultry in Europe; and lama and turkey in America. The domesticated animals provided meat, milk skin, and wool.

How did humans make tools?

In the stone Age, humans chipped off splinters from flint stones with a hard stone and shaped them to make hand axes, spears, and arrow tips or sickles. They then observed that metal ran out of a greenish-blue stone in fire, which led to the creation of copper. In the Near East, copper and zinc were melted since the 4the century BC to make hard bronze, which became the most important material for tools, Weapons, and jewellery. Bronze became known in Europe later. The bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age. Although iron was more difficult to make, it was harder than bronze.

How did the nomads became cultivators?

Humans had been observing how new plants grew from seeds for long time. They used this knowledge about 10,000 years ago and sowed seeds of plants which they could get with difficulty. Simple cultivation devices were made from wood and stone. When the crops became bigger, humans settled down near the fields and created reserves. Instead of looking for food, they now improved the tools and the weapons. As a result handicraft was born, which changed their life style. This period is known as the 'Neolithic Revolution',