Listen&Learn: Stone Age

Learn about the earliest period of human development

Pre-listening vocabulary

• prehistoric: before the invention of writing
• ancestor: a species that another species originates from
• antlers: the horns on the head of a deer
• sculpture: a three-dimensional piece of art
• permanent: lasting a long time
• shelter: a structure that protects someone from weather and other threats
• forge: to heat metal and shape it into something new

Listening activity

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Gapfill exercise

The Stone Age was a prehistoric era when and human-like species began to build and use stone tools. It lasted about 3 million years. Archaeologists divide the Stone Age into three periods: the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic. The earliest tools were sharp flakes and hammerstones, which may have been built by the human ancestor Australopithecus at the beginning of the Paleolithic era. Early humans and their , the Neanderthals and Denisovans, used tools made of stone, , and antlers to cut meat and make clothing. They even carved sculptures out of stone. By the Neolithic period, humans had developed axes. They used these to build more permanent shelters, which evolved into and villages. Beginning around 3000 BC, humans learned how to forge , ending the Stone Age and starting the Bronze Age.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. The Stone Age lasted about
   a. 3 million years
   b. 30,000 years
   c. 3000 years
   
2. The earliest tools were likely built by
   a. humans
   b. Neanderthals
   c. Australopithecus
   
3. The Stone Age ended when
   a. humans learned how to control fire
   b. the Neanderthals went extinct
   c. humans learned how to forge metal

Discussion/essay questions

1. Our relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, died out tens of thousands of years ago. What do you think the world would look like if they had survived longer? Do you think we would be able to coexist? Why or why not?

Transcript

The Stone Age was a prehistoric era when humans and human-like species began to build and use stone tools. It lasted about 3 million years. Archaeologists divide the Stone Age into three periods: the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic. The earliest tools were sharp flakes and hammerstones, which may have been built by the human ancestor Australopithecus at the beginning of the Paleolithic era. Early humans and their relatives, the Neanderthals and Denisovans, used tools made of stone, bones, and antlers to cut meat and make clothing. They even carved sculptures out of stone. By the Neolithic period, humans had developed axes. They used these to build more permanent shelters, which evolved into farms and villages. Beginning around 3000 BC, humans learned how to forge metal, ending the Stone Age and starting the Bronze Age.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2c 3c