Imagine you just wake up one day and there's
no electricity, no internet, no money, and no work or school. Nothing you're used to! No you’re not in California when they shut
the power off. You're not even in your own home, because
you’ve magically transported to the Stone Age. What could possibly happen next? Of course, your first reaction would be shock,
but we'll move past that. Yes indeed, now you get to experience life
Flintstone style. First, let's look around. This is your cave where you live with your
family. Wilma’s not there. You have your own sleeping area that’s covered
with animal skin. However, you might also live in a primitive
hut supported by mammoth tusks and ribs, with an animal skin over it as protection from
the rain. Your morning routine won't include a quick
trip to the bathroom to brush your teeth and a hot cup of coffee. And if you're wondering where the Stone Age
people did their business, don't be surprised to find out it was basically anywhere outdoors. How convenient! So, it’s time to get out and explore the
new old world! But, hey, don’t forget to put on your clothes! No, nothing comfy and trendy from the mall. Back in the day, humans used the skins of
the animals they hunted to create simple, rough loincloths. To make the skin more flexible, they had to
chew it. Let’s hope you already have an outfit for
today and won’t have to strain your jaws. Later, they began to smoke the skins to make
them last longer, and started making tunics. What about footwear? Scientists believe it appeared about 40,000
years ago. Take a small piece of animals’ skin and
wrap it around your foot. Then stuff hay under the heel to create some
kind of a sole. Voila, one shoe is done! Do the same with the other foot and let’s
go! Don’t be scared! You won’t face a giant mammoth right outside
the shelter. Ancient humans were pretty smart and learned
animals’ habits, because it was the only way to survive in the wild. So, they chose caves or built huts in the
safest places they could find. Now go down to the river and wash your face. Curious to know what you’d look like in
the Stone Age? Peek at your reflection! See, you’re not that much different from
the modern you. Just your hair is a mess and you might be
a few inches smaller with a more developed jaw because of the harsh diet. And look at those bulky muscles! That’s what you get when your life is all
about running and fighting with wild animals while hunting. Yes, hunting is on your to-do list today,
just wait for it! But now it’s time for breakfast! Luckily, you have some leftovers from dinner
– eggs, wild fruits, and berries. Sorry, no gas stove to cook the eggs. Wanna try to do it on the fire? Ok, I’ll help you – find two small, but
sturdy and dry, wooden sticks and rub them vigorously against each other. Longer, be patient! Oh, finally there’s an ember, good job! Now you can cook your breakfast using a stone
as a frying pan. Need a fork? Way too early for that thing. See that seashell attached to a wooden stick? That’s your spoon. Come on, the jungle is waiting for you! Thankfully, the Ice Age is long gone, so the
weather is warm, and lush greenery is in abundance. That’s good for you since you have to pick
different edible plants, nuts, fruits, and wild grains. It wasn’t until around 10,000 BCE that the
Stone Age folks learned how to grow their crops and domesticate animals. And they could finally stop moving from place
to place in search of best-hunting grounds. Look, here are some grapes, let’s snatch
them! “But how do we gather grains?” you’re
wondering. Well, allow me to introduce you to the Stone
Age tools. By the way, the Stone Age got its name thanks
to the tools the humans invented that were made of – wood – nah, ha, stone! Let me be your helper again – here’s a
U-shaped stone sickle that knocks down the grain stalks. Time to bring everything you’ve collected
to your camp. Now that the shock of time-traveling has worn
off, you notice that there are a few other huts near your dwelling. Those are your neighbors. Betty and Barney Rubble. The Stone Age folks usually united in groups
of 20-50 and helped each other survive. Ok, you can eat grapes and other fruits raw,
but what can you do with the grains? To separate the grains from the husks, take
a stone bowl and a small grinding stone and grind the grains. Now, if you mix smashed grains with water,
you’ll get gruel. Fry it on stones the way you did with the
eggs, and here’s your first flatbread. Yeah, it doesn’t taste fantastic, but don’t
forget we’re like 15,000 years away from your favorite bakery. Is it dusk already? Brace yourself, my friend, because you’re
about to go hunting! I have some good news for you – you won’t
have to do it alone. The Stone Age people survived because they
did almost everything together, so call up your camp neighbors and get ready. How would you feel living in such harsh conditions? Let me know in the comments! Oh, wait, how did humans communicate back
then? At the very beginning of the Stone Age, they
only used different cries and gestures to express their fear, joy, pain or to alert
the others about some danger. Later, they learned how to pronounce sounds
using their teeth, tongue, and mouth. That’s how both speech and language appeared,
which made their life much easier and leveled up their teamwork. Of course, anthropologists have no clue how
exactly their language sounded since no written traces are left. And nobody left a tape. And what’s a tape? More ancient technology… So, you and your camp fellows need to take
some special hunting tools with you. What are they? The first and most primitive things used for
taking animals down were long sharpened wooden sticks, and just a big rock. But over time, prehistoric peeps invented
spears. The point wasn’t made of metal, of course
(too early for that). Instead, they used small sharp-edged stones
attached to a long bone or stick. This was a very important invention since
it made hunting less dangerous. Their chances of staying alive were better
because they didn’t have to get too close to an animal, and could hunt it from a distance. As dusk settles, your hunting group goes deep
into the jungle. You should be looking for large herbivore
animals like elephants, woolly mammoths, giant bison, reindeer, and deer. They won't only be your dinner, but will also
give you a supply of furs, bones, horns, and skin you can use for your household. There were two main hunting techniques back
then. The first was rather time-consuming, but safer. It included digging a huge hole around the
place where animals went to drink water. That hole served as a trap for your game. Yes, you gotta dig without a spade. You’ll have the help of a digging stick
– a wooden stick with a horn at the top. Or a large cleaver – an oblong-shaped stone
or bone. After the hole is ready, you have to hide
and wait patiently. Another technique was all about group chasing
the animal and forcing it into the mud and water channels where they had no way to get
out. Oh, did you see that? It’s a deer! Run as fast as you can, guys, and try to change
its track straight to that swamp. Oh no! It got away. Yeah, not every hunting session was a success. But your tribe still needs something for dinner. Better move on to fishing now! Don’t worry, you won’t have to catch fish
with your bare hands – fishing nets and harpoons are at your disposal. Nets were made of tree bark and grass. The oldest one found by archeologists dates
back to 8300 BCE. Harpoons made of antlers usually had a rope
to bring the catch in to the fisher. It was used mostly for big fish like whales,
tuna, and swordfish. Ok, throw the net in the river but don’t
forget to ask the others where a good spot would be. Now you’ll have to wait. Oh, look! There’s some fish! Pull the net with all your might! Tribe folks, help him! Me? I’m just directing here. Alright! You won’t be hungry tonight. Bring what you caught to the camp and get
some rest; the others will take care of the catch. I know what you’re thinking - “It’s
all work and no play”. And yes, you’re right, the Stone Age life
was anything but easy. But still, humans had some kind of entertainment. No, you’re not going to an amusement park
or a cinema. But you can pass the time playing music on
the flutes made from bird bones and mammoth ivory. Some crafting is another option; make necklaces
and bracelets from tusks, bones, and shells. Or get full-on artsy and draw patterns on
your body using a paint made from ochre (a type of red clay) or carve some pictures in
the cave. Carve something crazy to make archeologists
wonder, he-he. Can you smell that? It’s dinner! Go enjoy it, you deserved it! That other smell? I already had dinner, can’t you tell? Hey, if you learned something new today, then
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