Historical Antecedents in which Social

Considerations Changed the Course of Science

and Technology

LESSON 1: PRE- HISTORY

Objectives: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
discuss how scientific and technological developments in the pre-history
affected the society and the environment;
analyze the three important periods in pre- history; and
identify the tools used in the different periods.

ENGAGE
Imagine you were living 5 million years ago, what was life like during this era?
Write in 3- 5 sentences.

INTRODUCTION
Prehistory is the age that begins with the appearance of human being about five
million years ago, and finishes with the invention of writing, about 6,000 years ago. It is a
long period divided into three periods: the Paleolithic period, the Mesolithic period, and
the Neolithic period. The Paleolithic period began with our first ancestors and finished
about 10,000 years ago. During that period, human beings used tools made of stone and
lived on hunting and gathering. In the Mesolithic period, the development of agriculture
contributed to the rise of permanent settlements. The Neolithic period or new age,
human beings lived in villages and human communities cultivated the land and raised
cattle. Continuance of agriculture and cattle herding gave rise to a productive
economy as well as the discovery of metal. It is essential to recognize the impact of the
foremost inventions and development of tools used by pre historic human to understand
how it affected our society and environment.

EXPLAIN
The Paleolithic Period
Paleolithic Period also called Old Stone Age is characterized by the use of
rudimentary chipped stone tools. These included simple pebble tools (rock shaped by
the pounding of another stone to produce tools with a serrated crest that served as a
chopping blade), hand adzes (tools shaped from a block of stone to create a rounded
butt and a single-bevel straight or curved cutting edge), stone scrapers, cleavers, and
points. Such tools were also made of bone and wood. The Paleolithic Period was also
characterized by the manufacture of small sculptures (e.g., carved stone statuettes of

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women, clay figurines of animals, and other bone and ivory carvings) and paintings,
incised designs, and reliefs on cave walls.

Characteristics
1. Food supply and Population is directly related
2. Humans had a very short life expectancy
3. Childhood illnesses were deadly
4. Paleolithic humans only stayed in one spot until the food supply was gone.

Obtaining Food
Roles of women and children Gathered nuts, berries, and eggs
Collected honey
Dug for roots
Roles of men Hand fishing
Hunting small animals w/ sticks and rocks
Hunting for larger animals in groups

Making Tools
1. Sticks and stones were sharpened into useful tools for hunting and other jobs
2. Pebble Tools
3. Chips were taken out of large stones to make jagged sharp edges

Making Fire
1. Fire was 1st discovered by humans as a
natural element, lighting causes fires
2. Soon the realized that they could make
fire by rubbing 2 sticks together to create
sparks
3. Cooking food helped the digestion
process allowing humans more time to
complete other tasks
4. Cooking also allowed for better nutrition

Fire was used by early humans in many

ways:
Stay warm and dry, as weapon, for
hunting, for clearing land, cooking food

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Seeking Shelter
1. The first humans lived on the open plains of Africa, they took shelter in pits they dug
and dry river beds in bad weather
2. As the prehistoric humans moved out of Africa and into Europe and Asia they began
to use caves as shelter

Making Clothing
1. As climate changed to cool and wet prehistoric man began to use large animal
hides for clothing
2. They were sewn together to provide protection and warmth

The Neanderthals and the Cro- Magnons

These are the two species within the genus Homo and have achieved a Paleolithic level
of development. Below are the differences between the two species.

NEANDERTHALS CRO- MAGNONS

1. Discovered in Germany, found throughout 1. Discovered in France, remains found in

Asia, Africa, and Europe North Africa, Asia, and Europe
2. Believed 1 million lived on Earth at 1 time 2. Tool makers, invented the burin to make
3. Skilled hunters, used traps (pitfalls) to catch better weapons for hunting larger game
larger prey 3. Spear throwers were invented to expand
4. 1st to bury their dead their food source and make hunting safer
4. Invented the axe to cut down trees and
bamboo to make rafts and boats. Rafts
allowed them to become the 1st humans to
reach Australia
5. 1st to use bones, ivory, and shells for
jewelry, and decorate clothing
6. Made flutes from hollow bones to create
music

The Mesolithic Period

The Mesolithic Period, or Middle Stone Age, is an archaeological term describing
specific cultures that fall between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic Periods. The Paleolithic
was an age of purely hunting and gathering, but toward the Mesolithic period the
development of agriculture contributed to the rise of permanent settlements.

Characteristics
1. Second period in Human history
2. Based on the increased technology of “microlith”
3. The new technology allowed for an increase in leather work and basketry.
4. Tools were combined with other tools and refined for hunting

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5. All these new tools were allowed for the domestication of plants and animals.

Tools

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The Neolithic Period
The Neolithic or New Stone Age denotes to a stage of human culture following the
Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods and is characterized by the use of polished stone
implements, development of permanent dwellings, cultural advances such as pottery
making, domestication of animals and plants, the cultivation of grain and fruit trees, and
weaving.

Characteristics
1. Hunter and Gatherers began to farm
2. Life became more sedentary and permanent villages developed
3. Seed planting and animal domestication
4. Neolithic people became food producers
5. Farming
6. growth in population

Tools
1. Hammers and Chisels: Hammers were mostly used with chisels in woodworking, though
the difference between a hammer and a war club is really only in the use.

2. Adzes: A larger adze also makes an effective tool for digging, removing roots and
generally preparing land for planting.

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3. Axe: Axes make the clearing of land much simpler, allowing the spread of agriculture.
Axes also make effective weapons, and it is thought that many Neolithic axes were
meant to be used on enemies rather than trees.

4. Three- Sided Blade Points: can be inserted deeper into a carcass, or run along a
bone, and works better for the fruits and vegetables of a settled agricultural life.

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Name:____________________________________________________________
Program, Yr., and Section:__________________________________________

ACTIVITY 2: Answer the following. You can place your answers directly in the
template or you can copy and save as a separate file.

1. Compare and contrast Paleolithic period, Mesolithic period, and Neolithic period

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2. Identify a tool in any period of the pre- history then write its impact in our society at
present. Write not more than 80 words.

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3. What is the implication of agriculture on human society? Write not more than 80
words.

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