Lesson 2 - The Stone Ages, continued
Mesolithic Era – First part of the New Stone Age
Mesolithic comes for the Latin root ‘Meso’ meaning middle, or the Middle Stone Age. This time period is estimated to have lasted about 10,000 years, from 18,000 B.C.E. to 8000 B.C.E. During this time frame we have found evidence of people living in Africa, China, Asia, Europe, Americas and in the Middle East (Mesopotamia). This is decidedly a much shorter period of time than the Paleolithic Era, which lasted roughly 2.4 million years.
Mesolithic comes for the Latin root ‘Meso’ meaning middle, or the Middle Stone Age. This time period is estimated to have lasted about 10,000 years, from 18,000 B.C.E. to 8000 B.C.E. During this time frame we have found evidence of people living in Africa, China, Asia, Europe, Americas and in the Middle East (Mesopotamia). This is decidedly a much shorter period of time than the Paleolithic Era, which lasted roughly 2.4 million years.
During the Mesolithic Ear overall population has increased as groups are getting better at adapting to their surroundings and getting better at finding consistent food sources. Individual groups would have a greater chance of running into other nomadic groups which allows for the sharing of technology among groups. There could be groups that, although still hunter-gatherers, have found areas with adequate food sources year long and start creating more permanent settlements.
Although this era lasted 10,000 years, there really are only three main advances that come about during this time. One of those advances was the development of canoes. Groups, like Oog’s, may have noticed when by a river, that logs float. Oog, himself, may have been swept away by fast river or flood and in an attempt to save himself grabbed onto a log to keep himself above water. The advent of canoes allows early people to now cross larger, deeper bodies of water as well as fish in them.
Deeper waters contain bigger fish. These larger fish offer Oog’s group the ability to feed more people with less fish once they figure out how to catch them. That leads us to the second main advancement of this time which is the Bow and Harpoons. Bow and arrows should be self explanatory, harpoons maybe not so much. Primitive harpoons were used like spears to penetrate a large fish or animal hides. Unlike a hook, a harpoon would have multiple barbs that prevented it from easily being pulled out of the fish. A line would be attached to the end of the harpoon so that the fisherman could use the line to in essence reel the fish in. Although this is an example of a Native American Indian harpoon, you can learn more about these by watching the following video. Click Here. Once Oog’s group, and others, figure out how to make hunting and fishing more productive, less time needs to be spent on the chore.
The last big advancement from this time frame is the taming of dogs. Remembering that animals, as well as humans, need the same things to survive: food, water and shelter; there will be times when it is hard for animals to find what they need on their own. It is at these times that animals, in this case a dog, may be willing to take help from their neighboring humans. We need to keep in mind that this dog is not meant to be a pet. It is a tool to help increase a group’s chance of survival. It will have to work to earn its keep.
Oog will have to train this dog to catch small animals, animals that are hard for a human to catch. Ever tried to catch a bunny or a chicken? It is not easy. Dogs have the advantage of being closer to the ground, have short bursts of extreme speed, and can turn on a dime. Once the dog is trained and trust is established, the dog will know that if it helps catch food, it will get its share.
In your class notebook, write a concise list of the characteristics of the Mesolithic Era.
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