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Scientists think that the first people moved to North America about 40,000 years ago. They think that during the Ice Age, people traveled across a land bridge that connected Asia and Alaska. We call this land bridge Beringia.
Scientists learn about the distant past from old bones they dig up from the ground. By studying the bones of a mastodon found in Ohio, they think that the first Ohioans hunted and shared food.
Scientists also learn from artifacts, objects that people used long ago. Scientists who study old artifacts are called archaeologists. Artifacts are important because early people did not write down their history.
About 15,000 years ago, people first came to the place we now call Ohio. They moved from place to place in search of food. They traveled in bands, or groups, of 25 to 50 people. They hunted animals using simple tools, and they gathered and ate fruits, nuts, and other plant parts.
When the Ice Age ended, life changed for these early people. Big animals died off, so hunters caught small animals instead. They settled in villages with as many as 100 people. To help them get by when was hard to find, they stored food in pots and baskets. They smoked and dried fish to keep it from spoiling.
In some very old villages, archaeologists have found materials that came from faraway places. This means that the ancient Ohioans traded with other groups. They probably learned new skills from their trading partners, too. |
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