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?
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