Chapter 1 Beginnings

Chapter 1
“Beginnings”
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• Paleolithic Period or “Old Stone Age” 2,500,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE
• Mesolithic Period or “Middle Stone Age” 10,000 BCE – 5,500 BCE
• Neolithic Period or “New Stone Age” 5,500 BCE – 2500 BCE
(BCE = Before Common Era, formerly referred to as BC or “Before Christ”)

Paleolithic and
Mesolithic Periods
• Man foraged for
food
• Man lived in
structures made
from mammoth
bones and hide
• Man began to
make and use tools
• Man discovered
how to make fire
with flint
Tools of the Stone Age
Flint was used to spark fire and
to make certain tools, such as
arrow and spear heads used in
hunting.
Cave paintings were discovered in
approximately 300 locations in Southern
France and Northern Italy. The most famous
were found in Lascaux, France.
The most famous of the Lascaux cave art is a chamber near the entrance
where images of horses and bulls are depicted on the walls and ceiling.
The caves, however, are quite extensive, and nearly 2000 images of
various animals, humans, and abstract figures are scattered throughout.
About 15,000 years ago, prehistoric people used the cave walls and ceilings as canvases to
paint with charcoal and ochre (a soft, pigmented earthen material that can be mixed with
liquids). The ochre pigments were limited to browns, reds, and yellows. The black images
were drawn from charcoal or ash. The people also experimented with spray painting
techniques, using hollow reeds or bones.
The images throughout the caves depict a variety of animals: horses, cattle, deer, bison, elk, lions, a
rhinoceros, and a bear, so we know these animals existed in prehistoric times.
Man was also experimenting
with perspective. Note how
some animals are depicted in
the foreground and
background.
We are not sure if the artwork is meant to tell
a story or document what the prehistoric
people saw. Some of the paintings suggest
spiritual beliefs, such as the disemboweled
bison in the “Dead Man’s Cave.” In this image,
an angry bison has been injured, and his
bowels are spilling out of his stomach. In his
rage, he has attacked a human who lies dead
beneath the bison’s lowered, charging head.
The dead human is depicted with a bird’s
head; perhaps these people believed humans
turned into birds when they died. Notice the
smaller bird on a stick. Perhaps this is a totem
or a shaman’s mace.
• What idea do you
suppose is depicted in
this scene?
• Why do you suppose the

birds are so large?
• What is the animal at

the top of the picture?
A quick view of the “Chinese Horse” reveals
the artist’s attempt to show movement and
realistic coloring to his subject. The horse is
also obviously pregnant. The name “Chinese”
derives from the image’s resemblance to a
popular form in Chinese ceramics.
Flutes made of bone and reeds were found inside the caves. Historians believe these were
used for rituals, perhaps some kind of religious ceremonies. The caves would have been
an excellent location for acoustics.
“Venus of
Venus Figures Willendorf”
The “Venus of Laussel” shows a pregnant
woman holding a horn with 13 notches,
perhaps representing prehistoric man’s
understanding of the lunar cycles as they
coincide with a woman’s menstruation cycle
and the fertile periods of her life.
Neolithic Period
• Man domesticates animals
• Man controls food
production
• Metal replaces stone
Characteristics of a “civilization”
• Cities/urban settlements
• Government
• Social classes
• Tools
• Written communication
• Shared religious belief
Tools are made of metal instead
of stone.
Bronze = copper + tin
Drawings are replaced with cuneiform writing, a
system of pictographs that represent objects
and ideas.
The first known civilizations
developed within the “Fertile
Crescent” of Mesopotamia
• Babylonians
• Sumerians
• Akkadians
Dating to around 9,000 BCE, Jericho is one of the earliest known permanent settlements and thus one of the first steps
toward civilization.
The site of the original city of Jericho from
the Neolithic period encompasses
approximately 6 acres.
The 30-foot tower of the original city is one of
the first known towers.
Tower of Babel
Read the appropriate section of the textbook and take the Quiz for this module.
Chapter 1
“Beginnings”

Chapter 1 Beginnings

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Chapter 1

You will need speakers or headphones for the presentation.

• Mesolithic Period or “Middle Stone Age” 10,000 BCE – 5,500 BCE

• Neolithic Period or “New Stone Age” 5,500 BCE – 2500 BCE

(BCE = Before Common Era, formerly referred to as BC or “Before Christ”)

• Why do you suppose the

• What is the animal at

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