Prehistory

1. Geologic History
2. Early Peoples

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Geologic History

1. What is "Prehistory"?
       The time before history was written.
2. According to Geologists, how old is the Earth, and when did life first appear?
       Geologists now believe that the Earth is at least 4 � billion years old and life first appeared 3.8 billion years ago.
3. What was the environment in Texas like 400 million years ago?
       About 400 million years ago, much of Texas was covered by a vast inland sea. Part of it remained covered for about 100 million years. The water was like a thick soup and, eventually, it teemed with life. 
4. What has happened to the earth's landmasses since 300 million years ago?
       The continents drifted apart away from the equator to their present locations.
5. What are aquifers and why are they important?
       Aquifers are pools of fresh water trapped below the surface. They provide sources of water for irrigation and drinking water for much of Texas.
6. Name three dinosaurs that lived in Texas.
       The Tyrannosaurus, the Totosaurus and the Brachiosaur.

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Early Peoples

1. When did humans first arrive in Texas?
       approximately 15,000 years ago
2. Describe the lifestyle of the Paleo Indians.
       The Paleo Indians were nomadic. They were hunters, fishermen and gatherers. They did not know how to farm. They hunted huge woolly mammoths and mastodons for their main source of food. They also used these animals� furs and skins for clothing, blankets, and many other items such as bones for picks and spears.
3. Approximately when did the "Agricultural Revolution" occur in the Western Hemisphere? How did this revolution change the lives of prehistoric indians?
       The "agricultural revolution" occurred in the Western Hemisphere by about 5,000 B.C. After learning to grow such plants, the nomadic wanderers had a stable source of food. They could now settle down and live in one place. Sedentary living is the first step in modern civilization as we know it. It allowed people to become social; that is, they started living together in small villages.
4. List the three domesticated crops that are called the "American Triad."
       Corn, potatoes and several varieties of beans are called the "American Triad."

5. Describe the Caddoan culture.
       The Caddos also called Mound Builders because they built tall earthen mounds. They used them for religious rites, for burial and for protection from floods. Around their mounds, they built lodges made of poles, grass and mud. Their lodges looked like a haycock or a bee hive. A typical village had from seven to fifteen of the dome-shaped dwellings. Each was large enough for extended families. Good land and abundant rainfall allowed them to grow huge quantities of corn, beans, squash, tobacco and sunflowers (for the sunflower seeds). They used stone tools to farm, and they made beautiful pottery containers of all kinds. 

6. Describe two prehistoric Indian cultures that flourished in southern Texas?
       Coahuiltecan and Karankawan people lived along the coast of southern Texas. They were gatherers, they hunted deer and other game, but seafood was the central part of their diets. They lived in small family groups and practiced ceremonial cannibalism. They made pottery that they waterproofed with asphalt, and they used stone tools.
7. Describe two Indian cultures that developed in western Texas in the late prehistoric period?
       West Texas was the home of several tribes including the Lipan Apaches. They wandered on foot searching for buffaloes and depended on the animal for all their needs: food, clothing, material for their tipis, tools, bedding, ropes and other items. They also hunted deer, antelope and turkey.
       In the Trans-Pecos region of far West Texas lived the Jumanos. Taking advantage of the lush river valleys, some members of the tribe farmed. They produced great crops of corn, beans, squash and other vegetables. Other members of the tribe hunted buffalo on the fringes of the Texas Plains. They lived in permanent villages in flat-roofed adobe lodges.

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