games-pc empire earth Manuel D’Utilisation
Empire Earth
15
Stone Age (50,000 – 5,000 BC)
Many advances in stone working and tool making took place during the Stone Age. One par-
ticularly important innovation was “hafting” – the attachment of a handle to an existing tool,
such as a stone blade. The first hafted implements were spears. Tipped with a fine stone
point or “microlith” the resulting weapon was sharp, durable, and deadly. It was used prima-
rily for fishing and bringing down large game, but spearmen surely employed them against
human enemies as well.
ticularly important innovation was “hafting” – the attachment of a handle to an existing tool,
such as a stone blade. The first hafted implements were spears. Tipped with a fine stone
point or “microlith” the resulting weapon was sharp, durable, and deadly. It was used prima-
rily for fishing and bringing down large game, but spearmen surely employed them against
human enemies as well.
Religious practices also evolved during this epoch, becoming increasingly complex and
sophisticated. People’s awareness of their own mortality – humans in the Stone Age lived, on
average, less than 30 years – brought about the practices of ancestor worship and ritual bur-
ial. Early holy men known as shamans were believed to have the power to commune with
spirits. Rock and cave paintings from this period suggest that these religious figures may
have practiced rituals akin to magic, helping to ensure a successful hunt or favorable weather.
sophisticated. People’s awareness of their own mortality – humans in the Stone Age lived, on
average, less than 30 years – brought about the practices of ancestor worship and ritual bur-
ial. Early holy men known as shamans were believed to have the power to commune with
spirits. Rock and cave paintings from this period suggest that these religious figures may
have practiced rituals akin to magic, helping to ensure a successful hunt or favorable weather.
The presence of such individuals implies that human societies were diversifying, with differ-
ent people filling different roles. As societies grew in complexity, the need for organized
leadership increased. By the close of the Stone Age hierarchical social structures were lead-
ing to centralized authority and the origination of government. Evidence of this trend has
been inferred from ancient settlement patterns found in Greece and on the Iberian peninsula.
ent people filling different roles. As societies grew in complexity, the need for organized
leadership increased. By the close of the Stone Age hierarchical social structures were lead-
ing to centralized authority and the origination of government. Evidence of this trend has
been inferred from ancient settlement patterns found in Greece and on the Iberian peninsula.