Stone Age Facts

Stone Age Facts

1. People during the Stone Age made jewellery from shells, teeth, stones and animal claws.

2. Dogs first became domesticated during the Mesolithic period of the Stone Age. People used their dogs to help them hunt for food.

3. There were several Ice Ages during the Stone Age. During the Ice Ages, glaciers covered large portions of the Earth. The last Ice Age ended at the end of the Palaeolithic period.

4. During the Neolithic period of the Stone Age, the mysterious monument of Stonehenge was built. No one is quite sure why or how it was built, and it remains one of the greatest mysteries in human history.

5. At the beginning of the Stone Age, Europe was still attached to Africa. This means that early humans could walk from Africa to Britain!

6. Animals that roamed the Earth during the Stone Age include woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers, mastodons and woolly rhinos.

   • Woolly rhinos
   • Mastodons
   • Saber-toothed tigers
   • Woolly mammoths

7. Some of the best preserved Stone Age houses are found at Skara Brae in Scotland. The Stone Age village was discovered after a storm in 1850. Researchers found a very well preserved Neolithic village from 5000 years ago. Many rooms had fitted furniture, like dressers and beds. Dice, tools, pottery and jewellery and other objects were also found.

8. Many people believe that the Stone Age diet was much healthier than the diet we have today because it contained no processed or sugary foods. The ‘Paleo’ diet has now become popular and is based on the diet our Palaeolithic ancestors would have eaten!

   • Stone age people eating
   • Common people in our time eating

9. Before the Stone Age, people would have used bones, wood and vegetable fibres for tools. Learning how to use stones as tools was a big advancement for humans.

10. It is thought that there were six other types of humans when Homo sapiens (modern humans) first lived on Earth. However, around 24,000 years ago, Homo sapiens (which means 'wise men') were the only humans left on Earth.

Images and files in the map