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$a THE FIRST SETTLERS : WHERE STONE AGE PEOPLES SETTLED, BUILT HOMES AND GREW CROPSThe first true human beings lived in caves. They ate what thev could find or kill, and protected themselves from harsh weather and wild beasts as best thev could. Slowly these people developed skills and made discoveries that enabled them to leave their caves, build homes and make clothes for themselves, and begin to shape their environment. This development happened in the Middle East around 10,000 Bc, after the last Ice Age when the world s climate became less harsh. With milder weather, plants multiplied. There was plenty for people to eat, so populations grew. People moved to new places. Many gave up the wandering life of hunter-gatherers and settled in one place, building villages. To supplement the food they got from hunting and fishing, people gathered wild grain and stored it to eat during the winter months. Eventually they began to plant the grain and so. around 8000 BC, farming began. At the same time people began to think about themselves and the world around them, and express their thoughts in pictures. They created statues of pregnant females, Mother Goddesses that symbolized fertility, and pictures of bulls that symbolized the male s role in creation. The tools these people used were made of stone and the period of their history is known as the New Stone Age, or Neolithic Period. Expert toolmakers, they discovered how to fire clay pots in ovens to harden them. They lived in organized communities, growing crops, rearing domestic animals, and trading with one another. As people started to trade goods, they invented writing and number systems to enable them to keep records of their deals. Villages grew into towns, some with as many as 5,000 people. By 5,000 years ago there were flourishing civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egeyft. the Indus Valley and China. Around 3300 BC the Bronze Age began in Mesopotamia. The discovery of metals accelerated the pace of change and brought power and wealth to those who could mine and work them. Copper and bronze tools replaced stone ones, and metals were also used to make weapons and armour for soldiers. Across much of Asia, Africa and Europe (the regions on which this book mostly concentrates), populations were on the move, seeking new lands, taking with them their beliefs and languages. Cultures mingled. Religion became a powerful force in human affairs and its importance is reflected in buildings, in social systems and in art. The first civilizations of the ancient world left a rich legacy, now being revealed by modern archaeologists and scholars. This volume of THE ATL.AS OF HUMAN HISTORY makes use of such evidence in its maps, full-colour reconstructions and other illustrations.(libra)
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