STAGE 6Unit focus: The Stone AgeText focus: Information Text (920L)
Humanhistoryforalongtimewasdefinedbythemainmaterialusedtomaketools.TheStoneAge
wasnoexception.Itwasalongperiodofhistoryfrombefore300,000BCallthewayto3,000BC.
However,thesearejustguesses.Findingevidencefromthisperiodinhistoryisveryhard.Italso
dependsonwhatyouclassashumanancestors.
EvidenceofAustralopithecus-averyearlyancestorofhomosapiens(modernhumans)-have
beenfoundfromaslongagoas3.9millionyears.ThisiswhytheStoneAgeisoftenrecordedas
starting“before300,000BC”.Itisalsoimportanttorememberthatnotallhumanancestorswould
havestartedusingstone,ormovedontousingbronze,atthesamepoint.Bythatpoint,humans
werespreadacrosstheEarthandwouldhaveprogressedatdifferenttimes.
TheStoneAgeissplitintothreesectionsbyarchaeologists.TheearliestperiodwasthePaleolithic
(OldStoneAge)period,whichstartedatthebeginningoftheStoneAgeandcontinueduntilabout
10,000BC.TheMesolithic(MiddleStoneAge)periodthencontinueduntilroughly8,000BCand
theNeolithic(NewStoneAge)until3,000BC.
ThepeoplewholivedinthePaleolithicperiodwerehunter-gatherers.Theywerenomadic,which
meanstheydidn’tbuildcitiesorvillages.Instead,theywouldmovearoundlookingforfood.Any
remainsfromthisperiodareoftenfoundincaves.Thesepeoplewouldhavelivedalongsideand
huntedwoollymammothsandsabre-toothtigers.Thereisevidencethattheyheldfuneralsand
createdart.
Duringthisperiod,thelandscapeofBritainandEuropechangedconsiderably.Thereweremany
significanticeagesduringthistime.500,000yearsago,thewholeofEuropewasburiedbeneath
avasticesheet.16,000yearsago,mostoftheicehadmeltedbutBritainwasjoinedtoEuropeby
land.TheareaisreferredtoasDoggerlandbyarchaeologists.
BytheMesolithicage,sealevelshadstartedtoriseandthelandbetweenBritainandEurope
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The Stone Age
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RETRIEVAL FOCUS1.WhatisthePaleolithicareacalledwhereBritainwasjoinedtoEurope?
2.WhenwasthewholeofEuropeunderanicesheet?
3.Whowouldhavehuntedwoollymammoths?
4.WhatwasoneoftheanimalsfarmedbytheNeolithicpeople?
5.WhymightNeolithicpeoplenothaveeatenfish?
VIPERS QUESTIONSI WheredoyouthinkPaleolithicpeoplesheltered?Whattellsyouthis?V Whichwordmeanstherewasalotofchange?V Findawordorphrasethatmeanssomethingwasn’tfinishedtoahighstandard.E Theauthorhasusedbracketsinthistext.Whatimpactdoesthishaveonthereader?S WhatwerethethreeperiodsoftheStoneAge,inorderfromearliesttolatest?
begantoflood.Britainfinallyseparatedroughly7,500yearsago.Thereisevidencethat,whilst
Mesolithicpeoplewerestillnomadic,therewerelargesiteswheretheywouldreturnforspecial
eventseachyear.Thefirstevidenceofhumansbuildinghousescomesfromthisperiodinhistory.
Peoplehadstartedtostrapflintheadstopiecesofwoodbynowtomakemoreadvancedtools.
However,thewoodenhandleswerestillcrude.
TheNeolithicperiodsawariseinfarmingofdomesticspecies.Oneofthemostimportantanimals
appearstohavebeencattle.These,alongwithsheepandpigs,seemtobethemainanimals
farmed.Duringthistime,peopleseemedtoeatalotlessfish.Riverswereconsideredsacred,soit
ispossiblethatthisputpeopleoffeatingfromthem.Thiswasalsothefirsttimethatpeopleseem
tohavestarteddeliberatelyplantingcrops.However,thiswasmuchmoretimeconsumingthan
farminganimals.
TheNeolithicperiodisalsothefirsttimethatarchaeologistscanfindevidenceofpeoplemaking
pottery.Theyalsobegantousepolishedstonefortheirtoolswhichmadethemstrongerandmore
ornate.Examinationsofthepotteryshowevidencethattheycontaineddairyproducts.Thismeans
thatfarmerswouldhavemilkedtheircattle,muchlikewedotoday.
Answers:
1. Doggerland
2. 500,000yearsago
3. Paleolithicpeople
4. Cattle,sheeporpigs
5. Riversweresacred
I:Theirremainsareoftenfoundincaves.
V:Considerably
V:Crude
E:Acceptexplanationsthatarewellreasonedandconsiderthepresentationofextrainformation
forclarity
S:Paleolithic,Mesolithic,Neolithic
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