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Stone Age (Old Stone Age, Middle Stone Age & Iron Age)

Early Stone Age
The Types of Tools Used during the Old Stone Age
Describe the types of tools used during the Old Stone Age
This lasted from 1.5 million years up to 750,000 years ago. At this time man was involved in hunting and gathering that is their livelihood depended on collection of fruits, roots, vegetables and meat. The tools made at this time involved chopping tools, pebbles, and hand axes.
The tools made were not very sharp but important for defending themselves against wild animals and digging up plant roots
Some remains of these tools were found in East Africa in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, Ologa and Nsongezi Rock shelter in Uganda
The Physical Changes of Man during the Old Stone Age
Describe the physical changes of man during the Old Stone Age
During the Old Stone Age, man had the ability to walk with two limbs though he could not stand upright. Additionally, he also had a hairy body, brain capacity of 650-775cc and a skull similar to that of the modern man but much larger. Generally, man was practical and skillful.
How Man Obtained Food during the Old Stone Age
Explain how man obtained food during the Old Stone Age
At this time man was involved in hunting and gathering that is their livelihood depended on collection of fruits, roots, vegetables and meat

. Middle Stone Age
This is recorded from around 750,000 years to 50,000 years ago
During that time tools made were sharper compared to the Early or Old Stone Age.
The Types of Tools used during the Middle Stone Age and their Functions
Describe the types of tools used during the middle stone age and their functions
During the middle stone age, man used smaller and sharper tools than those used during the Old Stone Age. Such tools included spears and knives used for different activities like defense and security as well as in food preparation. During this age, fire was discovered and as a result man started to eat roasted food.
The Physical Changes of Man during the Middle Stone Age
Describe the physical changes of man during the middle stone age
Man experienced physical changes during all the ages. During the middle stone age, man had an upright posture and brain capacity between 775cc and 1225cc. During this age, man was characterized by thick jaws, increased intelligence and skills, as compared to the Old Stone Age.
How Man Obtained Food during the Middle Stone Age
Explain how man obtained food during the middle stone age
In order to fulfill their basic needs humans used stone tools like stone hammers, stone cores, sharp stone flakes that offered useful cutting edges, etc.
The Advantages of the Invention and Uses of Fire
Explain the advantages of the invention and uses of fire

During the Mesolithic revolution, the most important discovery made was the discovery of fire. This discovery had a lot of advantages to man. Man used fire to roast food, clear vegetation, keep himself warm,Chasing wild animals (to defend himself).

New Stone Age
The Type of Tools Used during the Late Stone Age and their Uses
Describe the type of tools used during the late stone age and their uses
It started from around 50,000 BC up to the first Millennium, while at this stage man used much sharper tools than in Early or Middle Stone Ages.
At this time man started farming and animal keeping. Due to that it was the time when man started to have settlements.
Another development at this time was painting and drawings for example in Caves, evidence of this can be seen in Amboni caves (Tanga), Kondoa (Dodoma) and Irangi (Singida)
The Physical Changes of Man during the Late Stone Age
Describe the physical changes of man during the late stone age
During the late Stone Age, human beings were a direct ancestor of modern man. They had the ability to think as their brain capacity ranged between 1300cc and 1500cc. Also, they had an ability to make and use more advanced tools compared to those made and used by their ancestors. It was in this era that man was more intelligent than their ancestors had slightly thick jaws.
Major Changes in Man's Way of Life during the Late Stone Age
Appraise major changes in man's way of life during the late stone age
At this time surplus food was available, this facilitated the increase of the human population and the emergence of village settlements. 

Iron Age
This was the time when man started to make and use iron tools. Iron age in Africa started more on the first millennium in a few societies e.g. in East Africa, while other societies like western Sudan States (Ghana, Mali, Soghai), Axum, Egypt, Nubi, and Meroe for North Africa
How Iron was Discovered
Explain how iron was discovered
Iron was discovered through particular stones which become hot and cool and finally change to a hard matter known as iron. In East Africa, the iron age is believed to have begun around 1000AD. Famous early iron sites were discovered in Engaruka within the rift valley in Northern Tanzania. Other sites include Uvinza, Karagwe, Ugweno, Iteso and western shores of lake Victoria.
The Advantages of using Iron Tools
Appraise the advantages of using iron tools
Iron age helped societies to progress and develop more (that is it had more positive effects than negative effects) some of these effects were:
It created the division of labor in African societies e.g. some started working in local industries. Others became traders and crop producers.
It also increased the production of food crops in Africa. (This was due to the making of more useful farm equipments).
It helped with the formation of permanent settlements to those societies that adopted iron technology (crop producers).
Africa started to develop economically through activities such as industry, agriculture, mining and trading.
It also led to the expansion of states in Africa (stronger societies started to conquer other states) e.g. the Buganda and Ghana. 

Update
STONE AGE. 
Stone age: This is historical period in which man made and used stone tools.
Is a period based on man's economic activities and type of the tools used . eg ,Stone age ,Iron age ,Science technology age etc.
Stone age is divided into three ages
1. Early or Old stone age.
2. Middle stone age.
3. Late or new stone age

EARLY OR OLD STONE AGE
This is the first period of stone age. It existed between 1,750,000 B.C and 750,000 B.C
Zinjanthropus- was the only man existed in this period.
the early stone tools were pebbles and chopping.
man used these tool for
killing and skinning animal flesh.
digging up roots.
Cutting tree branches.
For defense.
Man obtained his food by hunting and gathering
In this period man had low ability to control his environment.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY OR OLD STONE AGE
In East Africa stone age sites are found at Olorgasaille, Nsongezi and Olduvai.
1. Man lived primitive life depending on nature.
2. Man made and use crude (poor) tools.
3. Man lived by hunting and gathering.
4. Man ate raw food i.e meat
5. Man walked up right.
6. Man lived in caves.
7. Man did not wear clothes.

MIDDLE STONE AGE
This stage covered the period between 750,000BC to 50,000 BC.
This period man improved his stone tools.
Tools were -smaller, sharper and easier to handle.
Tools were spear, Arrows, Needles, Stone picks, Knives etc.
These tools were used for
Digging up roots.
Killing and skinning animals.
Cuttings & chopping.

THE DISCOVERY OF FIRE
How man discovered fire?
Fire was discovered by man who was scratching pieces of wood using his hands.
The more he continued scratching, the pieces of wood got heat the smoke come out, the scratch caused friction of scratched wood and led to emission of fire.

IMPORTANCE OF FIRE TO MAN
1. Man started to eat roasted food i.e meat
2. Man started to live in cold areas.
3. Man used fire to clean bushes.
4. Man used fire to provide light at night.
5. Fire used to kill small animals e.g rabbit
6. With fire man increased working hours .
7. Man use fire to attract prey.
8. Man used fire for defense from dangerous animals like lion.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTIC OF MIDDLE STONE AGE
1. Man discovered fire.
2. Man developed some religious beliefs.
3. Man started to live complex life.
4. Man’s main occupation were: -
Hunting and gathering
Sedentary/ nomadic life

THE LATE STONE AGE (NEW STONE AGE)
In East Africa, late stone age started from around 50,000 BC to the first millennium AD.
In this stage man used better tools compared to the previous stone ages.
Tools become more sharper and smaller in size.
Tools were stone exes, blades, spears, arrows, etc.
Man started permanent settlement.
The tools were still largely made of stone but they were far better than those of earlier periods.
This period marked the beginning of settled communities.
In areas such as Kondoa Irangi, paintings and drawings in the carves proved this fact.
The paintings and drawings show the shape of tools used and animal hunted.

Characteristics of the late stone age.
1. Man used better tools compare to the previous ages.
2. Man started to domesticated plant and animal.
3. Man become food producer.
4. Increase of population.
5. It was beginning of settled communities and villages.
6. This period marked to be primarily on division of labour.
Example: women become child bearers and cares while man for protecting the families and hunting
Informal education started in this period.

THE LATE STONE AGE TOOLS
IRON AGE
Iron age is believed to have started during the first millennium A.D.
This was the period when man made and used Iron tools.
The discovery and use of iron improved man’s standard of living.
Iron tools were discovered about 3000 years ago.
The first people to make and use iron tools in Africa were the people of Ethiopia and Egypt.
Iron skills and knowledge were not uniform or the same in Africa.
The first important towns for iron smelting were
Meroe in Sudan
Axum in Ethiopia
Nok area in West Africa
In East Africa, it is believed that man started to use iron from the first millennium A.D
E.g. Iron discovered earlier in Engaruka, Uvinza, Karagwe, Ugweno and Western shores of lake Victoria.
Iron tools included iron spears,arrows, Axes, Hoes etc
Iron technology helped early African societies to
Produce and use iron tools.
To produce better weapons for defense.

THE RESULT OF USING IRON TOOLS
1. It led to increase in food production. Man could now clear his areas for cultivation.
2. Increase in population due to more food.
3. There was emergence of specialization i.e. Iron workers (black smiths) and food producers.
4. It led to the emergence of complex villages / development of political organization as kingdom and states.
5. Tools were highly improved and more efficient,


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