By: New York Group 1

y 1.5 billion years ago

STONE AGE. y It was called the EARLY STONE AGE because man used chipped-stone tools for the first time!

there was what we call the OLD

y Only two people could survive on the vegetation and

y y y y

wildlife available within about 2.5 sq. Km. (1 sq. km.) area Humans lived in small groups as hunters and gatherers Humans frequently moved in wide ranges.. They were NOMADS In this age, evidence of people-environment relationships were discovered PROOF???

y Greatly used in everyday life y Because man had frequent migrations, the spread of

fire either altered or destroyed vegetation and wildlife through

y WILDFIRES y ENCOURAGEMENT OF GROWTH & SURVIVAL OF

SPECIES WHILE ELMINATING SOME y DESTRUCTION OF QUALITY OF SOIL y SOIL EROSION (Massive fire followed by Heavy Rain)

y As population size increased, more pressure was

placed on animal populations to satisfy human food requirements. y With humans being hunters and their development of killing technologies like stone heads and spearheads (e.g. Clovis Point), they somehow contributed to the extinction of some animal species .

MEGAFAUNA
Now extinct because they were hunted easily because they were slow and large

y Also known as the Old Stone Age y Transition between Paleolitihc and

Neolithic occured about 10,000 years ago y Coincides with the end of the last Ice Age (spring slowly began to occur) y Period when agriculture was developed

y Due to the occurrence of the spring season,

DOMESTICATION of plants and animals were made possible but it required a sedentary lifestyle based in permanent settlements. y The most docile animals (herbivores) and the hardiest plants (with large seeds and tolerance to drought) were the first successes in domestication.

NEGATIVE
Simplification of ecosystems the multiplicity of wild species began to be replaced by fewer cultivatable crops Lost of the opportunity to

POSITIVE
Increased yields through greater control over available foodstuffs Improvement of human health Increased population growth Appreciation of nature through

understand the benefits of loss species to humans The loss of a wider ecosystem

rituals, religions and art

y Fertile crescent y China y Mediterranean y Meso-America y Middle East y Africa y Mesopotamians y Mayan (Central America) y Anasazi (Arizona)

y The domestication of plants and animals enabled the

production of surplus y Settlement in places where water is available and land is cultivable y Invention of agricultural tools:

y Artificial application of water to land to assist the

production of crops y With it. humans have been able to alter the limits of the environment y Agriculture could not occur without it

y Believed to be the reason for the fall of different

settlements/regions y Occurred with Siltation (pollution of water by fine particulate terrestrial clastic material) and Deforestation (clearing of forests or trees)