Early Humans

Long time ago, early humans lived in forests.

They led a nomadic life, which means, they wandered from place to place in search of food.

They were called food-gatherers.

At that time, early humans did not know how to grow crops or cook food.

They ate fruits, seeds, berries, roots of plants and hunted small animals for food.

Early humans lived in caves or under large trees.

It took them many years to learn how to build proper houses.

Early humans used barks of trees, leaves and skins of animals to cover themselves.

Early humans needed tools to dig out roots and hunt animals.

So they searched for stones with sharp edges.

These stones were used as tools.

They also made tools from animals horns and bones.

Much later, they learnt to tie a sharp stone to a wooden stick and used it to hit animals from a distance.

With time, they learnt to make sharper tools such as spears and axe heads.

This helped them to protect themselves from wild animals.

Nobody knows for sure how fire was discovered.

It is believed that early humans must have observed fires breaking out in the forest by lightning.

They were scared of fire but they noticed that so were the animals.

The early humans realised that fire could be useful to them in the following ways:

• Fire kept the wild animals away.
• It protected them from cold.
• Fire helps to light up the dark caves.

It was probably by accident that a piece of meat fell into fire and it tasted better to the early humans. Thus cooking started.

Much later, early humans learnt to make a fire by rubbing two stones together.

So the discovery of fire changed the life of the humans beings forever.

We have learnt that early humans were nomads.

A big change came when the early humans shifted from being food-gatherers to food-producers.

This must have been possible because of the early human’s skill of observation. Early humans probably observed that whenever they threw seeds of the fruits they ate, a new plant grew at that place.

With time, fruits appeared on them.

This is how early humans learnt the skill of growing food. This was a very important discovery.

Now, instead of wandering in search in food, early humans could say in one place their own food.

Since the early humans no longer had to wander in search of food, they had some free time. They spent their in painting the walls of the caves and other activities.

Early humans must also have realised that plants needed water and good soil to grow well.

Such places were usually near the rivers.

So, they started settling down in small groups near rivers.

Early humans observed that some animals such as horses, donkeys, dogs, cows, goats and bullock could de tamed.

They realised that these animals could help them in many ways.

For example, dogs helped them in hunting. Horses and donkeys helped in carrying loads.

Early humans had to walk long distances.

They must have learnt to take the help of domestic animals to carry loads.

However, it must have been very difficult to cross rivers and other water bodies.

Someone, someday must have noticed logs of wood floating in water.

This must have given them them the idea of tying logs together to ease water travel.

This is how the first boat got invented.

Sometime later early humans must have observed that round pieces of logs rolled easily.

They realised that round things could move easily on land.

So, they started fitting some round logs or small pieces of tree trunks underneath their flat carts.

This made it easier for them to pull or push the carts.

Thus, the wheel was invented. It made travel on land faster and easier.

Much later, the early humans invented the potter’s wheel gluephic.

They made pots of clay to store food grains and so on.