The Stone Age
Meet
the
Ancestors
Journey through half a million years of human evolution...
Name____________________________________________________
School____________________________________________________
Teacher__________________________________________________
This gallery tells the story of human evolution from half a million years ago
—the first early human-like hominids—to the first settled farmers around
2,300 BC, just before the start of the Bronze Age.
Homo heidelbergensis
e right
nd the case to th
Fi
s.
si
en
g
er
b
ll of
Homo heidel
. Study the sku
ry
le
We begin with
al
G
s
e
sti
ri
h
to the Agatha C
Imagine
of the doorway
e brow ridges.
th
g
n
ti
o
n
,
lly
sis carefu
u’ll be
H. heidelbergen
brain sits in); yo
e
th
e
ac
sp
e
h
rain cavity (t
the size of the b
n.
rmation later o
fo
in
is
th
g
in
d
e
ne
Activit
y 1a—
Look a
axes?
t the h
What d
and
o
y
o
H.Heid
u think
elberg
ensis u
sed the
______
m for?
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Activity
1c—Look
carefully
specimen
at the
s in the
other
case.
H. heidelb
What an
ergensis
im
als did
share the
in Torbay
ir environ
?
ment wit
h
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________
Where w
________
ere these
animal re
mains fou
________
nd?
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________
es
one of the hand ax
Activity 1b—Draw
the
low Try to show
in the space. be
need
ness of it. You’ll
ki
un
ch
d
an
e
ap
sh
ter.
this information la
ls’
e Neandertha
th
f
o
rn
tu
e
‘R
Now find the
erthal
Activity 2a—
of the Neand
re
tu
ic
p
e
th
refully at
case. Look ca
se.
back of the ca
e
th
t
a
n
a
m
o
w
olding?
What is she h
_____
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_
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_
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ctives.
teresting adje
in
3
g
n
si
u
s
e
cloth
Describe her
_
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__
1 __________
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_
_
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2________
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_
3__________
The Neanderthals
Activity 2b—The N
eanderthals follow
ed the deer herds
do you think the de
to Britain? Why
er were important
to them? Give 3 reas
ons:
1_______________
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__________
2_______________
________________
________________
__________
3_______________
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________________
__________
Activity 2c—Lo
ok at the oth
er specimens
Neanderthals
in this case. W
share their en
hat other an
vironment wit
imals did the
h
?
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Activit
y 2d—
What
think t
other
he Nea
anima
nderth
ls do y
a
ou
ls hunt
_____
e
_____
d?
_
_
_____
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_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
_
t have
_____
als migh
_____
im
n
a
h
___
Whic
als?
eanderth
N
e
h
t
d
____
hunte
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_
_
_
_
_
_
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_
_
_
_
_
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_
Who do you think was the top predator at this time?
__________________________________________
Activity 3—Co
mpare the tw
o human skulls
far. Study th
you’ve seen so
e Neandertha
l
sk
u
ll
ca
re
fully. Is it bigg
smaller than th
er or
e skull of H. he
idelbergensis?
____________
____________
____________
_____
What differen
ce do you thin
k this made to
Neanderthals?
the
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____________
Activity 4—Remem
ber the stone to
ols that
H. heidelbergesis m
ade? It’s time to
compare
those tools with th
e ones in this case
. Write
down some similariti
es and differences
between
the tools of
H. heidelbergensis
and the
Neanderthals.
Different
ar
Same/simil
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Now that you’ve learnt something about the Neanderthals this
activity is about imagining YOU are a Neanderthal hunter.
it’s
ry. On the icy steppes
ng
hu
is
be
tri
ur
Yo
e—
scen
Activity 5—Setting the
nt. All that
ganise a mammoth hu
or
to
ed
ne
u
yo
d
an
survive.
mammoth season
y if your people are to
ar
ss
ce
ne
is
r
fu
ick
th
,
and
lovely meat and useful
at keeps them warm
th
in
sk
e
th
r
de
un
t
of fa
The 10cm thick layer
.
the health of your tribe
r
fo
ts
en
tri
nu
al
nti
se
toasty provides es
What weapons
do you have (t
hink about the
picture of the
Discuss your p
hunter).
lan to track do
w
n
an
d
hunt your mam
partner or grou
moth with you
p. Think about
r
h
o
w many memb
you’ll need to
ers of your trib
take.
e
Share your hun
ting plan with
the rest of you
r class.
Do you think yo
u are as good at
planning a mam
Neanderthals?
moth hunt as th
e
e class
ts and ideas with th
gh
ou
th
g
in
ar
think the
Sh
Activity 6—
t 3 reasons why. I
as
le
at
e
iv
G
?
er
ev
upid or cl
them).
eanderthals were st
you think describes
d
or
Do you think the N
w
e
th
le
irc
(c
e
stupid/clever becaus
_/
Neanderthals were
________________
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________________
________________
______
________________
s/No
________________
out their lives? Ye
ab
ng
hi
et
m
so
d
ne
you lear
me opinion before
Did you have the sa
The First Modern Humans
han
olding out his
h
n
a
m
e
th
f
age o
p.
e large wall im
th
d
in
F
of your grou
—
a
st
7
re
e
th
r
o
Activity
partner
e scene to a
th
e
b
ri
sc
Activity 7b
e
D
it.
What do yo
u think he is
ject in
d with an ob
holding
in his hand?
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_________
Why do yo
u think he is
offering
it? Give 2 id
__________
eas:
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_
_
_
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Why do yo
u th
Give 2 possib
ink these p
eople painte
d their face
le reasons:
s?
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the tools and other
Activity 8a—Look at
se to the left of the Tool
objects in the glass ca
________
graphics panel.
___________
n
at these first moder
_
List 3 bone tools th
___________
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
y.
da
to
that we still use
humans made and used
__
that these _________________
s
ial
er
at
m
n
er
od
m
e
Write down th
.g. plastic, metal, etc).
tools are made from (e
Modern M
aterial
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___
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___
Activity 8b—They di
dn’t have cotton lik
e we have today, so
have used as thread
what do you think
for sewing?
they would
________________
________________
____________
The Last Hunter Gatherers
round image of
kg
ac
b
a
as
h
at
d the case th
n see in
Activity 9— Fin
be what you ca
ri
sc
e
d
d
an
f
o
raw ro
at
a hut with a st
elbergensis wh
d
ei
H
.
H
to
k
inking bac
ade over
the picture. Th
people have m
se
e
th
at
th
e
se
u
share
progress can yo
a partner and
to
lk
Ta
s?
ar
,000 ye
more than 400
your group.
your ideas with
own
el and write d
an
p
s
ic
h
ap
gr
on the
Read the text
.
ased this scene
b
as
h
st
ti
ar
e
where th
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_
_
_
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Activity 10—W
hat do you th
ink the
term ‘huntergatherer’ mea
ns?
___________
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____
Many people
still hunt or
gather
today, making
a direct link w
ith our
ancestors. W
hat items do
you think
people look
for? Talk wit
h your
group and wri
te down 2 ide
as:
___________
___________
_______
___________
___________
_______
Activity 11—Look carefully at the arrows in this scene. What do they have that early hunting tools
didn’t?__________________________________________
How do you think this addition made hunting easier?_____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Architects of the NewWorld—The First Settled Farmers
answer you
d’ means in this title? Circle the
ttle
‘se
rd
wo
the
nk
thi
you
do
Activity 12—What
think is correct.
place
stopped moving from place to
ey
/th
ver
cle
y
ver
re
we
ey
/th
They moved around a lot
and stayed at one site
Activity 13—Look care
fully at the tools and
their labels in the last
much better at makin
case. Our ancestors go
g tools for different
t
pu
rp
os
es
.
W
ha
t do the objects in this
scientists and us about
case tell
the lives of our Neolith
ic ancestors? Write do
of the objects listed be
wn what you think each
low was used for:
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Spindle Whorl__
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ts_
en
Pottery Fragm
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s__
ad
He
Flint Arrow