What do the artifacts tell us about the lives of early humans?

In the past week, my group looked at some artifacts from early civilizations. After examining these artifacts, we concluded that they were primitive tools used by early humans to make paintings and sculptures.

For example, we saw large rocks which were used to crush and grind minerals, which were then mixed with animal fat and vegetable oil to make paint. Different types of minerals would produce different colors. Early humans probably painted with brushes made of moss, fur or human hair. Apart from using brushes, early humans may have also blown paint through hollow bird bones to create special effects like shaggy-looking fur on horses and other animals. Another interesting artifact we saw was a black rock that was probably used to make fire, maybe to light up the dark caves. There were also long pointy rocks that were probably used to carve sculptures. They look really similar to modern sculptor's picks.

Examples of cave art tools

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/france/niaux_cave3.php

Some early humans were good artists and sculptors! I especially like this painting of a bison in the Altamira cave in Spain:

Painting of a bison in the Altamira cave in Spain

http://whc.unesco.org/include/tool_image.cfm?src=/uploads/sites/gallery/full/site_0310_0001.jpg

In Le Tuc d'Audoubert cave in France, there is an altar made of clay sculptures of a bull and cow bison. The sculptures were probably carved with tools similar to the long sharp artifacts that we saw.

Altar of bull and cow Bison sculptures in Le Tuc d'Audoubert cave in France

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/bison-tuc-d-audoubert2.php

The artifacts we saw and the cave paintings and sculptures tell us a lot of important things about early humans and how they lived. They were intelligent and resourceful. They were able to make tools to survive and to express themselves. The paintings show us that early humans hunted and killed animals for food, even big and fierce animals like mammoths and bison. They were superstitious and worshiped spirits and powerful animals like bison. Early humans were able to control fire because they could paint in the darkness of the caves. We can also tell that early humans lived in groups and communicated with each other. Even if they did not have a written language, they were able to express themselves through images.

In conclusion, I think that early humans actually have a lot in common with us even though thousands of years separate us. While the tools and technology may change, the human need to live together, to eat and to communicate has not changed at all.

Ancient Rock Art & Cave Paintings of the World by BoilerPlateFilms




Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Age
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/france/niaux_cave4.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Ancient_History/Human_Evolution/Paleolithic_Age

My dream job !!!

I first heard about archaeology through watching old movies like "The Mummy" and the Indiana Jones series, and playing video games like "Tomb Raider". I thought that the life of an archaeologist seemed so cool and exciting.

When Mrs Narsiman asked us which of the three social scientist jobs we would choose, the answer was obvious. I would be an archaeologist.

To me, archaeology is about solving puzzles. It is the scientific study of past societies based on things left behind. Archaeologists take these clues, and try to understand how people used to live, even how and when humans first appeared on earth. Archaeologists study not only books and documents, but also things like fossils, carvings, building ruins, pottery and other artifacts.

An archaeologist's job in real life is not as action packed as in the movies but it can be very exciting and full of adventure. You might have to climb mountains, dive underwater, crawl through tunnels, go into jungles and risk getting killed from accidents, stings from poisonous insects, attacks by wild beasts, booby traps and even curses! For example, the treasure and terracotta warriors buried in the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang were protected by booby trap crossbows. And it is said that the team that discovered King Tut's tomb were put under a curse and died mysteriously!

The terracotta army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China (246-221 B.C.)

http://www.shanghai.cultural-china.com/

"6,000 warriors" by exploreTeam


The second reason is that I love to solve mysteries. An archaeologist is like a detective who must uncover the truth from bits and pieces of artifacts that are thousands of years old. Just like Heinrich Schliemann who found the City of Troy using Homer's poem "The Iliad" to find clues of where Troy could be. I would like to find out whether there really was a Noah's Ark or a Trojan Horse.

Howard Carter & King Tut's coffin

http://www.blog.talesofkingtut.com/

Since I like to travel, being an archaeologist will take me to archaeological sites all over the world like the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, the Colosseum in Rome, and Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Many can travel to these countries but some parts of these protected sites can only be visited by archaeologists. Now where shall I travel to, to find my own lost city to tell the world........?

So now you know why I want to be an archaeologist. I get to travel, go on adventures and solve mysteries. I like the idea about discovering the world's secrets and being able to share it with everyone. How did people in olden times live? What did they wear? What did they eat? What weapons did they use to hunt for food and to defend themselves? Did children in olden days behave like we do? That is for me to answer when I grow up and become an archaeologist!

"Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark fan trailer" by Quid1Pro1Quo

Fun facts about Nick!

Hi my name is Nicholas. I am from Malaysia. Before I came to ISKL, I was studying at a Chinese-medium school in Kuala Lumpur. It is called S.J.K(C) Jalan Davidson. I do miss my friends from my previous school but I look forward to making new friends at ISKL.

In my free time, I like to read manga, play football, tennis and my Xbox. My parents say I spend too much time playing video games but hey, isn't that normal for a kid??!! :)

The last three books I read were "A Day With Homo Erectus" by Fiorenzo Facchini, "The Mystery Of The Strange Bundle" and "The Mystery Of Tally-Ho Cottage", both by Enid Blyton. I've been re-reading all the mystery books written by her as I love detective stories.

Recently I watched the cartoon movie "Despicable Me" in 3D. I actually wanted to watch "Avatar: The Last Airbender" but was out-voted by the rest of my family. However, I have to admit that I enjoyed "Despicable Me". It was really funny and touching at the same time. One of the characters in the movie reminds me of my little sister.

My academic goal is getting good grades and my social goal is getting to know everyone in my grade and being friends with all of them.

My favourite vacation memory is going to Bali with family friends. One of my friends who went along happens to be a Grade 8 student here at ISKL. It was so much fun because we went out to sea on a yacht and we did some snorkeling and fishing. I caught a colourful fish but I do not know what kind of fish it was.

I am a friendly person, who is lazy, crazy, kind and polite but the most important thing is I love food!