How did people first come to America? That is a great question!!!!
A long time ago America was connected by land to the rest of the world. During the Ice Age, the earth became very cold.
Scientists have studied the earth's surface during the Ice Age. They think that much of the earth's water froze into huge sheets of ice, or glaciers.
What is a glacier? A huge sheet of ice. There is an island in Lake Erie called Kelley's Island that has some of the best Glacial Grooves ever. This island is located near Sandusky, Ohio in Lake Erie. Sandusky, Ohio is the town where Cedar Point Amusement park is located.
I have never personally visited Kelley's Island - but have visited neighboring Put in Bay (also called South Bass Island). These islands have a lot of natural beauty and are popular vacation destinations as well as very popular for freshwater fishing.
Ok, back to the glaciers!!!!
As the ice froze, the seas fell. Dry land appeared between Asia and Alaska. Scientists call this land bridge Beringia. It is named after Virus Bering, a European explorer. They think people in Asia followed animals across the land beidge into the Americas. It is believed the first people came between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago.
See the picture below of the land bridge called Beringia!
Beringia.jpg
The Ice Age ended about 10,000 years ago. The glaciers melted and the water went back into the seas. The land bridge to Americ was covered by water.
This was bad news for many of the animals because they became extinct, meaning they disappeared from earth and no longer exist.
Be sure to check out this cool link to an interesting current mammoth discovery! Mammoth Discovery
Hunting and Gathering
Hunters in the Americas were always moving and looking for food. They fished and gathered nuts, fruits, or roots. They hunted huge animals such as the woolly mammoth, antelope, caribou and bison. Woolly Mammoths could weigh as much as 9 tons. It took several hunters to kill them. They got meat, hides and bones from the huge creatures. Think about what they could have used all of the parts of the mammoth for!
As the Ice Age ended the hunters and gatherers lost some of their animals. They had to learn to adapt and they did this by learning to plant seeds and grow crops.
Farming began in Mesoamerica 9,000 - 10,000 years ago.
Mesoamerica_Map.gif
Meso is greek for middle. This region includes lands stretching from the Valley of Mexico to Costa Rica in Central America.
This region was ideal for farming. Much of the area had a rich volcanic soil and a mild climate.
The first crops grown in the Americas included pumpkins, peppers, squash, gourds and beans. They also developed corn, but it took a long time to perfect corn crops. Corn is also known maize, and became the most impotant food in the Americas.
Mesoamerican Civilizations
Due to the growing of crops, the Mesoamericans didn't need to wander in search of food any longer. Their lifestyle changed and they formed more complex societies. Arund 1500 B.C. the first of several ancient civilizions appeared.
The Olmec built a far-reaching trading empire (see the green area on the map above). This lasted about 800 years.
Some of the items they traded were salt and beans in exchange for jade to make jewelry and obsidian or volcanic glass to make sharp edged knives.
They also traded hematite, a shin volcanic stone, to make polished mirrors and basalt for carving gigantic stone heads.
Below are some of the gigantic stone heads carved by the Olmec people.
olmecsGiantHead.jpg
I put this picture on with the older gentlemen - because he reminded me of my grandfather!!!!!
It is an effective way to realistically tell how large a figure is, when you can compare the size
with something else.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The First Americans
How did people first come to America? That is a great question!!!!
A long time ago America was connected by land to the rest of the world. During the Ice Age, the earth became very cold.
Scientists have studied the earth's surface during the Ice Age. They think that much of the earth's water froze into huge sheets of ice, or glaciers.
What is a glacier? A huge sheet of ice. There is an island in Lake Erie called Kelley's Island that has some of the best Glacial Grooves ever. This island is located near Sandusky, Ohio in Lake Erie. Sandusky, Ohio is the town where Cedar Point Amusement park is located.
See Glacial Grooves
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.greatrealtyusa.com/content/photo/18139-5.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.greatrealtyusa.com/realtors/OH/Kelleys%2BIsland.htm&usg=__CLPLazcCeOiadjKruW3Gf_8oWoU=&h=415&w=336&sz=21&hl=en&start=29&itbs=1&tbnid=K3Fmb0bWxUzPhM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=101&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkelleys%2Bisland%26start%3D21%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1
http://images.topix.com/gallery/up-64E9KMTF9HL5CIL6.jpg
I have never personally visited Kelley's Island - but have visited neighboring Put in Bay (also called South Bass Island). These islands have a lot of natural beauty and are popular vacation destinations as well as very popular for freshwater fishing.
Ok, back to the glaciers!!!!
As the ice froze, the seas fell. Dry land appeared between Asia and Alaska. Scientists call this land bridge Beringia. It is named after Virus Bering, a European explorer. They think people in Asia followed animals across the land beidge into the Americas. It is believed the first people came between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago.
See the picture below of the land bridge called Beringia!
The Ice Age ended about 10,000 years ago. The glaciers melted and the water went back into the seas. The land bridge to Americ was covered by water.
This was bad news for many of the animals because they became extinct, meaning they disappeared from earth and no longer exist.
Be sure to check out this cool link to an interesting current mammoth discovery!
Mammoth Discovery
Hunting and Gathering
Hunters in the Americas were always moving and looking for food. They fished and gathered nuts, fruits, or roots. They hunted huge animals such as the woolly mammoth, antelope, caribou and bison. Woolly Mammoths could weigh as much as 9 tons. It took several hunters to kill them. They got meat, hides and bones from the huge creatures. Think about what they could have used all of the parts of the mammoth for!
As the Ice Age ended the hunters and gatherers lost some of their animals. They had to learn to adapt and they did this by learning to plant seeds and grow crops.
Farming began in Mesoamerica 9,000 - 10,000 years ago.
Meso is greek for middle. This region includes lands stretching from the Valley of Mexico to Costa Rica in Central America.
This region was ideal for farming. Much of the area had a rich volcanic soil and a mild climate.
The first crops grown in the Americas included pumpkins, peppers, squash, gourds and beans. They also developed corn, but it took a long time to perfect corn crops. Corn is also known maize, and became the most impotant food in the Americas.
Mesoamerican Civilizations
Due to the growing of crops, the Mesoamericans didn't need to wander in search of food any longer. Their lifestyle changed and they formed more complex societies. Arund 1500 B.C. the first of several ancient civilizions appeared.
The Olmec built a far-reaching trading empire (see the green area on the map above). This lasted about 800 years.
Some of the items they traded were salt and beans in exchange for jade to make jewelry and obsidian or volcanic glass to make sharp edged knives.
They also traded hematite, a shin volcanic stone, to make polished mirrors and basalt for carving gigantic stone heads.
Below are some of the gigantic stone heads carved by the Olmec people.
I put this picture on with the older gentlemen - because he reminded me of my grandfather!!!!!
It is an effective way to realistically tell how large a figure is, when you can compare the size
with something else.