Prehistoric Medicine Flashcards
Was there lots of war in prehistoric times?
No they were very peaceful people.
What were houses like in prehistoric Britain?
People lived in small homes built with heavy rocks - they had structural knowledge.
What was quality of life like in prehistoric Britain?
People were gatherers and hunters, they would do 1 and a 1/2 to 2 days of work a week. Therefore, they probably had good quality of lives.
What technology was around in prehistoric Britain?
We know from Stonehenge, people must have had some form of technology to move the huge rocks they did.
Why did males generally live longer than females?
Women did more heavy work than men who would rest and cook. Also many women would have died in childbirth and pregnancy.
How do we know women did more carrying than men?
Female skeletons had grooves in their skulls - the carried rocks on their heads.
What was diet like in prehistoric Britain?
People had high protein diets eating oysters, steak and egg so they were very strong and muscly.
What ailments did people suffer from?
People got: headaches, osteoarthritis, toothache, coughs, colds, issues with ankle bones from collecting eggs on steep mountains.
Evidence
Skull of a person with a hole drilled in their head.
What does this tell us?
This person has undergone trephining as a result of a headache or an injury to the head. They hoped to release the evil spirit from their head via this.
Evidence
Stonehenge - ring of huge rocks up to 9m tall and weigh up to 25 tonnes
What 3 things does this tell us?
This tells us that people were strong, muscly and healthy, they had some sort of technology to transport the rocks, and they had spiritual belief.
Evidence
Aborigine people who probably live very similarly to prehistoric people did.
What does this tell us?
Aborigine people use lots of herbal remedies to treat illness - prehistoric people most likely did this too.
Evidence Prehistoric amulet (stone) from Bosnia What does this tell us?
People had spiritual belief and thought amulets could protect them from danger and disease.
What did people believe caused disease?
They believed disease was caused by your spirit leaving your body, or an evil spirit entering your body.
What would people use to protect themselves from evil spirits?
People used amulets and charms (made from seeds or plants) to ward off evil spirits.
What did people do to protect themselves from evil spirits?
People buried hair, nails and excrement to prevent evil spirits or enemies using them against them.
