Amazing !
Australopithecus is called Lucy. Her bones were found in 1974, when a song with the name Lucy in it was on the radio. She was named after it.
Who were our ancestors?
Our earliest ancestors were apes that walked upright on two legs. Australopithecus, meaning ‘southern ape’, was one of the first apes to walk upright. It lived at least three million years ago, and was short and hairy.
Is it true?
Lucy was very short.
YES. Compared with modern human, an adult Australopithecus like Lucy was very short – about 1.2 metres tall.
How did they Live?
Australopithecus probably lived in small family groups. These bands of human ancestors wandered across the grassy plains of their homeland. They ate fruit, leaves, seeds and roots. They may have used sticks to help dig for food, and may have eaten meat, too.
Where did they live?
Australopithecus lived in Africa. Bones of this upright ape have been found in several countries, including Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Africa. Africa is where human species probably began, a few million years ago
Who were the very first humans?
The first people we think of as humans appeared in Africa. About two million years ago, Homo habilis (handy man) appeared. Then, more than one million years ago, Homo erectus (upright man) appeared, but they weren’t modern humans.
Amazing!
Homo erectus had fire. Fire provided warmth, gave heat for cooking, and offered protection from predators.
Did they have any tools?
Homo habilis was the first tool-user. This is why he is called ‘handy man’. He made simple tools, such as choppers, from pebbles. The tools made by Homo erectus were better. He shaped stones into hand axes, and he was the first to use fire.
What did they eat?
Homo habilis and Homo erectus ate meat and plants. Meat probably came from dead animals which they found. They may have hunted for some small animals. Plants gave them berries and leaves. They used stone tools to cut and scrape their food.
Is it true?
Homo erectus was a wanderer.
YES. More than one million years ago, Homo erectus \ began to move out of Africa, travelling to Europe and Asia.
Homo erectus people hunted and gathered their food
Where did they live?
Homo sapiens first appeared in Africa, and from there, they spread out across the world. They lived in cave entrances, and in places sheltered by overhanging rocks. In the open they made huts from branches, covered with skins.
As the climate grew warmer, Homo sapiens people migrated across the world
Amazing!
People who lived during the Ice Age played musical instruments. They made whistles from bones, and drums from shoulder-blades.
Were they artists?
The humans who lived in Europe during the Ice Age were among the first artists. They painted pictures of horses, bison and deer on the walls of their caves. Bone and ivory were carved into figures of animals and people.
