What kind of material did early humans have to make things? Eloise Adams (4)

Hi Eloise, what a great question!

People used all sorts of different things they found naturally in the world around them to make everything they needed including clothes, shelter and tools. Perhaps the most obvious, as they survive so well, are stone tools. One of the most common types of stone to use was flint and this could be worked to make arrowheads for hunting, blades for cutting and scrapers which could be used on softer materials like wood. Flint could even be used to make sparks to create fire, while large flat stones were perfect for cooking food on.

Wood was another great material and was often used to make handles for stone axes or the shafts of arrows. It could also be carved to make boats or smaller objects like bowls and spoons. Soft, bendy wood could be woven to make fences and a technique called wattle and daub is one of the oldest ways of building dating at least as far back as the Bronze Age. Strips of wood were woven together to make a wattle wall and the daub was a mixture of clay, straw and earth and was used to cover the wattle and fill in all the gaps to keep out the wind and rain.

Wool, plants like grasses, and leather from animal skins were used to make clothes and dyes to colour them could be made from all sorts of different plants. Flowers, vegetables and even mushrooms would be used to make a rainbow of colours. Leather could also be used to make bags and this YAC activity shows you how to make your very own leather purse.

You might like to watch this BBC video which tells you a bit more about the Stone Age and flint tools.