Summary
Highlights
The ability to grow food allowed humans to cease their nomadic lifestyle and settle in one place. This led to larger populations, the establishment of permanent villages and settlements, and the creation of personal possessions. Society became more specialized, with individuals becoming farmers, builders, or merchants. Systems of governance, from clan leaders to kings, also began to emerge. Early Neolithic settlements like Catalhoyuk (6,000 people) and Jericho (2,500 people) demonstrate this significant shift.
The Paleolithic era, or Old Stone Age, spanned about 99% of human history, from approximately three million to fifteen thousand years ago. During this period, early humans sewed animal skins, made stone tools (spears, knives, axes, digging sticks), and lived in caves, leaving behind cave paintings that depict daily life. They were primarily nomadic hunter-gatherers, constantly moving in search of food.
Paleolithic humans lived as nomads in bands of 20-30, hunting large animals like woolly mammoths and glyptodons. Their diet included fish, fruits, berries, nuts, grains, and roots. They used fire for warmth and cooking. Culturally, they communicated through language and cave paintings, which often depicted animals, showcasing their reverence. They also buried their dead with artifacts, suggesting a belief in an afterlife and a sense of cooperation within groups.
Early humans likely subscribed to animism, worshipping animal spirits, which was logical given animals provided sustenance. Cave paintings showing half-human, half-animal figures suggest a belief in gods or goddesses. Elaborate burial ceremonies indicate belief in an afterlife and potential ancestor worship. Women were crucial, believed to be worshipped as a 'mother earth' life-giver, responsible for gathering and storing food. Pregnant women were particularly protected to ensure the survival of the clan.
The Mesolithic era served as a transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic, marked by a warming climate. This led to increased plant growth and the beginning of farming and the domestication of plants and animals. This 'Agricultural Revolution' around 12,500-13,000 years ago, primarily in the Fertile Crescent, ushered in the Neolithic era. This period saw the development of more advanced agricultural tools.