Page 14 - SST Class 06
P. 14
How did people learn to use fire? Archaeologists
believe early humans produced fire by friction.
They learned that by rubbing two pieces of wood
together, the wood became heated and charred.
When the wood became hot enough, it caught
fire. Paleolithic people continued rubbing wood
together, eventually developing drill-like wooden
tools to start fires. They also discovered that a
Early Men Hunting an Animal
certain stone, iron pyrite, gave off sparks when
Throughout the Paleolithic period, man lived by struck against another rock. The sparks could
hunting and food-gathering. He ate raw meat then ignite dry grass or leaves. It was another
along with wild fruits and vegetables. He did not way to start a fire.
wear anything during summers. However, during
Making of Stone Tools
the winter season, he used animal skins, bark of
The earliest tools were made by the Paleolithic
trees and leaves to keep himself warm. At night,
man. In the early period, he used pieces of
he slept on trees, caves or rock-shelters.
stones, as he found them, as tools. Later, he
The Paleolithic man achieved two major things
started making many types of crude stone tools
which changed his life. The first was the discov-
for his different needs. Flint, a type of stone, was
ery of fire. The second important achievement
widely used to make tools and weapons. Since
was the making of stone tools.
flint chips easily, it could be shaped into different
Discovery of Fire forms easily. Man chipped flint and other stones
Life became less difficult for Paleolithic people till they acquired the desired shape.
once they discovered how to make fire. People
learned that fire provided warmth in cold caves.
It provided light when it was dark and could be
used to scare away wild animals. Armed with
spears, hunters could also use fire to chase
animals from bushes to be killed. Eventually,
people gathered around fires to share stories and
to cook. Cooked food, they discovered, tasted
better and was easier to chew and digest. In
Tools of Early Man
addition, meat that was smoked by fire did not
have to be eaten right away and could be stored. Both large and small pieces of stone were used to
make tools and weapons. The larger stone pieces
were shaped into axe-heads, hammers and
choppers. The axe-head was tied to a stick which
made it a more efficient tool to use. The smaller
pieces of stone were sharpened and used as
knives and scrapers. Some stones were given a
sharp point and tied to arrows and spears. These
arrows and spears were then used to hunt
Early Men Gathered Around Fire animals without going near to them.
Social Science-6 14
