3 – The tools of Early Man and Mastery of Fire
One of the most important advancements in human history was the development
and use of tools. Tools allowed hominids to become the masters of their
environments to hunt, to build, and to perform important tasks that made life
easier for them. The first tools were made out of stone. Thus, historians call this
the Paleolithic period meaning ‘old stone age’.
Doc 1 and 2: The first tools, called ‘Biface’ , were made when two stones hit one against the other to
sharpen the edges.
In the Paleolithic age, the Homo
Habilis learned to make early
tools using stones.
Progressively, they would use
other objects found in their
environment such as animal
bones, animal horns and wood.
Archeologists were able date
the use of tools back 1,6 million
years ago.
Doc 3, 4 : Illustrates two ways to make a fire.
The use of fire can be dated
back about 400 000 years BCE.
Known by the Homo Erectus in
the Paleolithic Age, it was one of
the most important advances.
The climate was extremely cold
then and with fire they could
heat and light their caves, cook
their food and frighten away
wild animals. Doc 3, 4 illustrates
two ways to ignite a fire.
1. What do we call a stone that has been sharpened by hitting two stones together?
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2. What are the major benefits from the discovery of fire for the early man?
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