Why Do We Describe our Ancestors as "Hunter-Gatherers"?

Take our mini-quiz and find out

Why do we describe our ancestors as "hunter-gatherers"? (2019/2019) by Fanny Le BagousseGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Do we call them hunter-gatherers because they ate...

A. Meat, B. Vegetables, or C. Both

The correct answer is...

C. Both!

Our ancestors roamed lands they knew perfectly. They hunted animals (reindeer, horses, bison), fished, and also may have engaged in some scavenging (taking the meat of dead animals). 

They also gathered plants (berries, roots, tubers, fruit, and seeds) and stones or rock for making tools.

Our ancestors lived in a cold, dry environment. This means that their energy needs must have been very high. Meat was a major source of calories, which was supplemented by many types of plants gathered from the wild (mushrooms, seeds, tubers, fruit, berries, and roots).

Were there as many humans 36,000 years ago as there are today? (2019/2019) by Fanny Le BagousseGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Let's see if you can answer another prehistory question!

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Interested in Visual arts?

Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly

You are all set!

Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites