Hominization: the long process by which humans became different from apes..
Bipedal position: when a person or animal walks on two legs.
Phylogenetic tree: a diagram that shows how species are related in evolution.
Prehistory: the time before people invented writing.
Paleolithic: the Old Stone Age, when people used stone tools and hunted.
Nomads: people who move from place to place and do not live in one place.
Hunting: getting animals for food.
Fishing: getting fish from rivers, lakes or the sea.
Gathering: collecting fruits, plants, and nuts to eat.
Neolithic: the New Stone Age, when people began farming.
Agriculture: growing plants for food.
Livestock farming: raising animals for food or work.
Sedentary: when people live in the same place all the time.
Metallurgy: the art of working with metals.
Cave art: paintings and drawings made on cave walls.
Megalithism: building very large stone monuments, like dolmens or menhirs.
From Prehistory to Civilization
Hominization was the long process by which humans became different from apes. One important step was the bipedal position, when humans started walking on two legs. Scientists use the phylogenetic tree to show how humans and other species are related in evolution.
Prehistory is the time before people invented writing. During the Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age, people were nomads. They moved from place to place, hunting animals, fishing in rivers or seas, and gathering fruits, plants, and nuts to survive. People also created cave art on the walls of caves and made the first small sculpture figures.
Later came the Neolithic, or New Stone Age. People began agriculture, growing plants for food, and livestock farming, raising animals for meat, milk, and work. They became sedentary, living in the same place all the time. This new way of life changed human society.
Another great step was metallurgy, the art of working with metals, which allowed people to make stronger tools and weapons. In this period, humans also started megalithism, building very large stone monuments such as dolmens and menhirs.
Thanks to these changes, humans moved from a simple life in Prehistory to the first civilizations.