Early Human Materials and Shelter

Why Do Men Need Materials?

• Human needs for materials are tied to survival and activities.
• Birds need food and a nest, while early humans needed food and shelter.
• Early humans needed tools for hunting, cutting, and chopping.
• Early humans used natural materials: stone, wood, bone, and fiber.

Homes of Early Man

• Early humans used caves, then built huts.
• Natural materials like stone, wood, reeds, and mud were used to create shelters.
• The building methods and materials were similar to those used by birds.

Man Begins Production

• Around 10,000 years ago, human settlements transitioned from hunter-gatherer societies to settled, agricultural ones.
• Early humans started growing crops like wheat and barley, and raising animals.
• Permanent shelters (houses) replaced temporary huts.
• Building materials, like mud bricks, were developed.

Making Mud Bricks

• To make mud bricks, molds, mud, and straw were needed.
• Wood was used to create the molds.
• A more watery mud mixture served as mortar and plaster.
• In some areas, petrol tar replaced mud for bonding.

Sumerian Kitchen

• Sumerian mud bricks were made from a mixture of riverbank clay, water, reeds, and straw.
• Reeds help bind the clay together, making a composite material.

Kitchen Utensils

• Early humans needed pots, pans, and plates to store and cook food.
• Containers of various shapes were essential for transporting food and crops.
• Clay was shaped and fired to create stronger, durable containers (ceramic items).
• Pottery (dishes), made from red pottery, were likely used to serve food (about 6,000 BC).

Farming Tools

• In Mesopotamia and Egypt, farming led to the development of ploughs.
• Ploughs were made from wood, stone, and fiber, with sharpened stones used as tips for digging soil.
• Sickles were used to harvest wheat and barley, made from wood and flint blades.

Shaping Stone

• People in the past shaped stone to create objects, like the Chlorite stone vase (22 cm high) from Tepe Yahya (2500 BC).
• This vase shows intricate overlapping patterns and bands of palm trees.

Using Metals

• Bronze (about 1550 to 1069 BC) became the main metal for tools, weapons, and everyday objects.
• Fishing hooks and arrowheads were made from bronze during this period.
• Gold rings (2025-1700 BC) and bronze figures (2025-1700 BC) were also created during this period.

Buildings of Later Civilizations

• Ancient structures like the Temple of Concordia, Roman aqueduct, Roman bridge, and Iron Bridge highlight continued development in building design and materials.
• Buildings used various materials, including stone, metal, and wood.
• Ships of ancient times and the 1906 HMS Dreadnought underscore technology advances

Civilizational Changes and Innovation

• The invention of the wheel was a major turning point in civilization.
• The development of different transportation methods from horse-drawn carriages to trains highlight advancements in materials and technology.
• The development of aircrafts and automobiles shows technology’s evolution, especially in the early 20th century.

Post-World War I

• After WWI, industrial production of materials broadened into textiles, machinery, railways, electricity, telecommunications, and transportation.
• Materials suitable for various components are now used in manufacturing. The suitability of materials is necessary for production purposes.

Today

• Modern life has complex needs for accommodation, feeding, transport, living, hobbies, education, communication, and defence.
• Products use a variety of materials with varied properties
• Today’s products utilize different types of materials carefully chosen for strength, durability, and efficiency.

Explore the evolution of materials and shelters used by early humans. This quiz covers the transition from natural shelters to agriculture, highlighting the importance of materials like mud bricks and wood. Test your knowledge on how these innovations shaped early human life.