Old Stone Age

Life for the primitive people of Old Stone Age was one long search for food. They
hunted for fish , birds and animals with their crude stone weapons. From the
trees and bushes, they gathered nuts and fruit, and they even ate the seeds of
various grasses.

One main difficulty faced by primitive man was that wild fruits were limited.
Therefore, at times, there was nothing left to pick. Then there was only one thing
to do – move on. But in moving, they faced the dangers of encountering wild
beasts and perhaps, neighbours who would contest their territory. Many of these
treks ended in disaster, with whole families being killed , or dying of starvation.

We do not know who first thought of a way out of this endless travelling.
People may have been gathering edible seeds from grasses. They may have
dropped some on a moist patch of ground near where they lived. Later, it was
found that a small crop of useful grasses had grown from the seeds – a small
supply of food only a few metres from home.

Then came a big idea: why not throw down lots of seeds and start a new supply
of food? So these early farmers began clearing some ground for their crops. They
dug out some of the useless grasses, and loosened the soil. This was the
beginning of digging, which in turn led to the idea of ploughing. Gradually, it was
learned that the best grasses to grow were the wild variety such as wheat, barley,
oats and rye.

-Nurul Fitriah bt Ismail

-Nur Najihah bt Abdul Malek