Hunters and Gatherers of Stone Age

Hunters and Gatherers
Most experts believe that Africa was not only the cradle of human ancestors but also the home of the world's first modern people-people like us. According to these experts, the earliest Homo sapiens lived in tropical Africa at least 200,000 years ago. By about 150,000 years ago, some Homo sapiens had migrated to the eastern and southern parts of Africa.

Homo erectus and Homo sapiens probably lived side by side for some time. Then Homo erectus died out while Homo sapiens continued to exist. Today all people on Earth are Homo sapiens. The name Homo sapiens means "wise human," and this tells us why Homo sapiens lived on. The early Homo sapiens had larger brains than the early hominids did. They were able to make better tools and communicate more easily using language.

Biography LUCY
The name Lucy might seem unusual for an ancient hominid. Don Johanson tells how Lucy got her name. At the time of the discovery, a tape recorder in Johanson's camp was playing the Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." As Johanson explains,

"At some point during that unforgettable evening . . . the new fossil picked up the name of Lucy, and has been so known ever since."

Back in the United States, Don Johanson and Tim White rebuilt Lucy's skeleton from tiny bone fragments. When she was alive, Lucy stood just about 4 feet high. She was 19 to 21 years old when she died. Lucy walked on two feet and probably spent much of her time in open country rather than in forests.

Posted in: Gatherers in Stone Age,Hunters in Stone Age,Stone Age