Cro-Magnon Man and

Early Humans for Kids
Homo Sapiens Sapiens
Cro-Magnon and "Moderns"
30,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE


Early man left Africa and spread throughout the globe.  They developed into good hunters, and quickly found those fruits and nuts and other plants that were edible.  Cro-Magnon had plenty of food and shelter, and from what we can tell many of them lived long lives.

FOOD: Their diet was pretty varied.  They ate the fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, and roots that they could gather, as well as the animals they could hunt.  They also became adept at catching fish.

Fishing was done using spears, bow and arrow, nets, and even fish hooks.  Some built canoes and rafts to go out into deeper water to catch larger fish.

Hunters mostly went after herd beasts such as deer.  However Cro-Magnon was a good hunter and would take any animal they could get including mammoths and saber tooth tigers.  They had bows and stone tipped arrows, stone spears, stone knives and axes, and they built snares and pits to catch animals.  They learned how to smoke and preserve meat to help feed themselves during the long cold winters.  During the summer months, they would follow the herds and hunt.  During the winter they returned to their winter camps.

Cro-Magnon built two different types of houses.  During the summer month, while following the herds, they lived in easy to pack and set up tents or tee-pees.  During the winter months, they lived in larger more permanent type huts.

The summer tents were easily set up by either stringing them between two trees, or by covering some sticks tied to together tee-pee style with the tanned hides of animals.

The winter huts were usually in a permanent location and were built much sturdier.  They would be roomy enough for a family to stay in.  They were also made from tanned hides that had been sewn together and wrapped around logs which had been placed into holes that they dug.  They had an opening in the top to let out smoke, and were weighted at the bottom with rocks or dirt to keep them anchored during storms.

In the winter months and in areas with a colder climate, Cro-Magnon man learned to make clothing from the skins of animals.  In summer months and warmer climates, clothing consisted of woven grass or bark.  Cro-Magnon wore jewelry made from shells, bone, and animal teeth.  Sometimes Cro-Magnon would dye their bodies or even tattoo themselves.

Cave Art


Mystery Skull Interactive

Early Humans Q&A Quiz Interactive