Early Man & RVC Adventure Game

Early Man & RVC Adventure Game By: Brian Bae, Joseph Chong, and Neha Khandelwal

You are an archaeologist in training and your professor wants you to analyze multiple fossils in different parts of the world. Your assignment is to imagine a story for the various fossils you have to analyze. The first site you need to visit is in the Great Rift Valley, Africa. Continue

You arrive at the site in the Great Rift Valley and you sit next to other archaeologists excavating a fossil which resembles a male Australopithecus. You remember what you learned in history class and you let your vivid imagination take you several million years in the past as you try to think of a story for the fossil. Continue

You imagine yourself in the eyes of an Australopithecus. You look around the cave that you are in and find your trusty sharp rock and bowl shaped rock. The hot summer heat boils your hairy skin and you wince as the sunlight blinds you momentarily. Both your stomach is growling and your tongue is dry from lack of water. You have two choices: Collect water or Go hunting for meat

You grab your bowl shaped rock and head clumsily to a nearby body of water with your large arms hanging under your waist. As you bend over to collect water, a loud noise causes you to trip and fall into the water. The water is very deep and your large arms prevent you from keeping yourself afloat. You drown as you realize what scared you was the sound of your growling stomach. As the first species of hominid you have an exceptionally small brain. Continue

At the cave, you clumsily pick up your sharp rock and head toward the forest to hunt. You look around the forest for movement but get distracted by a brightly colored plant, failing to notice the large animal approaching you from behind. As you turn around, the animal jumps into the air and sinks its razor sharp fangs into your shoulder. You desperately struggle as the animal slowly drags you back into its cave, leaving a thick trail of blood. Continue

Australopithecus were the earliest ancestors of human kind and were found in the Great Rift Valley in Africa. Australopithecus weighed from around 60 to 120 pounds and their height spanned from 3.5 to 4.5 feet. Theyhad a very slouched posture and arms that could touch their knees. Their face was flat and their jaws were made to be extremely strong. Their skulls were ovular and could not contain a large brain. They found items, such as oddly shaped rocks, to use as items. The Australopithecus were existent as late as 2.5 million years ago. Continue

You open your eyes and you are back at the fossil site in Africa. You walk to another fossil nearby. This one represents a male Homo Habilis, its body structure is very similar to the Australopithecus, but its spine seems to have straightened a bit more and its skull was slightly larger, evidence that brain size was increasing. You close your eyes and a story of the life of the deceased hominid unfolds. Continue

You are in the eyes of a Homo Habilis. Simple paintings cover the walls of your cave. You stand up, your long arms swing as you slowly make your way to the corner where you store your weapons. You see that your trusty spear lies broken in the corner. You decide that it is time to gather materials for a new spear. You have two choices: Gather sticks or Find a sharp rock

You walk outside of your cave and look on the ground for a rock suitable for impaling your prey. You finally find a sharp rock but your efforts are in vain. As you look around, you realize that you are nowhere near your home. Time flies as you desperately search for your cave, and soon it is night time. It is not long before creatures of the night fill their stomachs with parts of your body and leave your bones scattered on the ground. Continue

You set off on your journey to find a sturdy stick and you quickly reach a nearby forest. As you are wandering in the woods, you spot the perfect stick on the top of a tall tree. You begin to climb, but halfway up, your hand is impaled by a thin piece of wood sticking out. You scream in pain and your other hand instinctively reaches for your injured hand. You lose your grip and fall to your death. Continue

The Homo Habilis were the direct evolution of the Australopithecus. Their posture and bone structure begins to look more like the Cro-Magnons. They are more intelligent than the Australopithecus, as demonstrated from their use of tools that were a combination of multiple materials. The Homo Habilis inhabited Africa, but managed to spread out more than their predecessors. Continue

You open your eyes and you realize your work in Africa is complete. It feels nice as the hot summer sun begins to set and a cool breeze blows your way. You finish your observations and the next day you catch a plane to Spain, where you will be examining your next fossils. Continue

You arrive at the site and a set of fossils for the Homo Erectus species catches your eye. You immediately sit next to it examining the straight spine and the advanced tools found near the fossil. You observe the fossil for a while and let your imagination teleport you 1.8 million years into the past. Continue

You open your eyes in the point of view of a Homo Erectus. A fire blazes in the middle of your cave and comforts you with its warmth. You stand up and stretch after what had felt like a long rest. Picking up your hand axe on the way out, you walk outside and deeply inhale the fresh air. You feel ready to start a new day. You have two choices: Hunt for Food or Gather Plants and Berries

You enter a thick forest, grasping your axe tightly and watching for any movement. As you tread carefully through the woods, you see a blur of white in front of you. The next thing you know, you are on the ground and restraining a wolf, its mouth inches away from your face. You use your spare hand to quickly grab your axe, which has fallen inches away from where you lay, and slit the throat of the wolf. You take a moment to catch your breath, and you marvel at what your dinner will be tonight. You drag the wolf back to your home, and you realize that some berries would go along quite well with the wolf meat… Continue

You set out to search for berries, and on the way, you meet your friends trying to light a fire of their own. You signal for them to join you on your quest, and they happily tag along. You eventually come across a bush of vibrant-colored berries. Without much thought, you pick one of the berries and eat it. Moments later, you are lifeless on the ground after choking up a gallon of blood. At least you have informed your friends and many generations to follow, that the berry you ate was poisonous. Continue

The Homo Erectus were the direct evolution of the Homo Habilis. They are known for their upright structure (hence the name “erectus”) and increased intelligence. The Homo Erectus have developed even more complicated tools than those of the Homo Habilis. The Homo Erectus were also the first to leave the continent of Africa, and spread out to present day Eurasia. Continue

Satisfied with your current stories, you board a train to France, where you will be observing the last two species of early man. Your curious about what your professor had said about Homo Sapiens… something about there being two branches. Ah yes, there are two main branches off of Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals, and Cro-Magnon. Continue

As you enter the excavation site, you see the fossils of the Cro-Magnon species and the Neanderthal Species around the same area. With no hesitation, you rush over to the fossils to think of a story. You choose to be in the perspective of a Cro-Magnon. Continue

You are the first one to wake up in your small group of Cro-Magnons. The detailed paintings on the wall next to you and your full stomach remind you of your group’s success yesterday, when you successfully hunted and killed a mammoth. You wake up your group and remind them it is time to gather water. As you lift your heavy water bowl, you realize that you cannot hold your spear at the same time. You can either bring the water bowl so you can collect more water for your group, or you can choose your weapon and hope to spear a fish and defend the group. You have two options: Take the Water bowlor Take the Spear

As you and your group members are gathering water from a lake, you hear a loud cry coming closer and closer. In five seconds, a group of Neanderthals emerge from the shadows of a nearby forest. They charge at your defenseless group and ruthlessly kill everyone including you. Your group was no match for the superior strength and bulk of the Neanderthals as they grasped your smaller bodies and crushed them with sheer force. Continue

You have no luck in spearing the fish of the lake. The others in your group laugh at you as you continuously thrust your spear into the water and pull out nothing. Their laughter and your frustration suddenly comes to a halt when you hear a loud cry coming closer and closer. In five seconds, a group of Neanderthals emerge from the shadows of a nearby forest. They charge at your defenseless group, and being the only one with a weapon, you bravely charge back. As you skillfully handle three Neanderthals with your spear, you notice the rest of your group perishing to the superior physical strength of their opponents. Once you have impaled the torsos of your foes, you quickly rush over to help your friends. You only manage to save a couple group members before they are crushed by the Neanderthals’ sheer forces. Once the conflict has ended, eleven bodies redden the lake around them, four of them being members from your group. Your surviving friends praise your heroicness as you realize how much of a good choice it was to bring a spear with you. Continue

Homo Sapiens had two main branches, the Neanderthals who used stone tools, had more slanted skulls and were more muscular than the other branch of Homo Sapien, the Cro-Magnon (Homo Sapien Sapien) which are modern day humans. The two groups were in constant competition with each other and they often fought for land and for food. Eventually the Neanderthals died out while the Cro-Magnon continued to advance. Only the Cro-Magnon crossed the Bering Strait and went to the Americas. Both groups used advanced tools and were hunter gatherers. Continue

You have finished writing down your stories for each species of the Early Man. You return home and realize that the final exam is the next day. You can either review the species, or, if your are confident about your knowledge of Early man, take the exam right away. Study Australopithecus Study Homo Habilis TAKE THE EXAM Study Homo Erectus Study Homo Sapiens

Q1: The _______________ were the first species of Early Man. A) The Homo Habilis B) The Homo Erectus C) Australopithecus D) Neanderthals

CORRECT! Q2: The species known to have developed a more upright back. A) Australopithecus B) Cro-Magnons C) Homo Habilis D) Homo Erectus

CORRECT! Q3: The direct evolution of the Australopithecus: _____ A) Homo Erectus B) Neanderthals C) Cro-Magnons D) Homo Habilis

CORRECT! Q4: The first species to develop tools by combining multiple materials. A) Australopithecus B) Homo Habilis C) Homo Erectus D) Homo Sapiens Sapiens

CORRECT! Q5: The two branches of Homo Sapiens: A) Homo Sapiens Sapiens and Cro-Magnons B) Homo Habilis and Australopithecus C) Neanderthals and Homo Erectus D) Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals

CORRECT! Q6: This species crossed the Bering Strait to present day North America A) Cro-Magnons B) Neanderthals C) Homo Erectus D) Australopithecus

CORRECT! Q7: Scientists believe that the _________ disappeared because they either cross-bred with the Cro-Magnons, or were killed by them. A) Homo Sapiens Sapiens B) Homo Erectus C) Neanderthals D) Australopithecus

WRONG Try Again

You got a perfect 100% on the test! Great job! You move on to the course’s next semester with full confidence. A week later, your professor gives you another assignment. This time, you will have to visit the sites of ancient river valley civilizations. It is your job to write stories in the point of view of those who lived in the civilizations. As you ride your airplane over to Europe, you remember how humanity shifted from the Paleolithic Era of early man into the river valley civilizations. You recall the Neolithic Era and the Agricultural revolution, which allowed humans to reside in one place, instead of being nomadic hunters and gatherers. This would lead to civilizations beside rivers, where crops can supply a growing population. Continue

Australopithecus were the earliest ancestors of human kind and were found in the Great Rift Valley in Africa. Australopithecus weighed from around 60 to 120 pounds and their height spanned from 3.5 to 4.5 feet. Theyhad a very slouched posture and arms that could touch their knees. Their face was flat and their jaws were made to be extremely strong. Their skulls were ovular and could not contain a large brain. They found items, such as oddly shaped rocks, to use as items. The Australopithecus were existent as late as 2.5 million years ago. BACK

The Homo Habilis were the direct evolution of the Australopithecus. Their posture and bone structure begins to look more like the Cro-Magnons. They are more intelligent than the Australopithecus, as demonstrated from their use of tools that were a combination of multiple materials. The Homo Habilis inhabited Africa, but managed to spread out more than their predecessors. BACK

The Homo Erectus were the direct evolution of the Homo Habilis. They are known for their upright structure (hence the name “erectus”) and increased intelligence. The Homo Erectus have developed even more complicated tools than those of the Homo Habilis. The Homo Erectus were also the first to leave the continent of Africa, and spread out to present day Eurasia. BACK

Homo Sapiens had two main branches, the Neanderthals who used stone tools, had more slanted skulls and were more muscular than the other branch of Homo Sapien, the Cro-Magnon (Homo Sapien Sapien) which are modern day humans. The two groups were in constant competition with each other and they often fought for land and for food. Eventually the Neanderthals died out while the Cro-Magnon continued to advance. Only the Cro-Magnon crossed the Bering Strait and went to the Americas. Both groups used advanced tools and were hunter gatherers. BACK

WRONG Try Again

You arrive at the remains of a River Valley Civilization located along between the Tigris and Euphrates River. You begin to walk towards the remains of a priest and a commoner. Nearby the site shards of pottery and what seems to be their form of currency. You sit down next to the fossils and close your eyes, putting yourself in the mind of the deceased. You have two options: Be a Priest or Be a Commoner

You open your eyes and find yourself in the perspective of a Mesopotamian priest. As a priest you are a very powerful part of Mesopotamian society and you are in charge of caring for the gods and attending to their needs. In Mesopotamia, life is rather gloomy and the gods often send in forces to punish people for angering them. You leave your house and head to the Ziggurat. Go to Ziggurat

You open your eyes and find yourself in the place of a Mesopotamian commoner. You look outside and see that the sun is just rising. You wake up your 5 children and your wife feeds them breakfast. You head outside and prepare for another day as a farmer. You can only do one of two things, go to the Ziggurat and pray for a good harvest or go to the fields to harvest your crops. Choose One: Harvest Crops or Go to Ziggurat

You head down to the Ziggurat to make a prayer to the gods for a plentiful harvest. The crops aren’t growing well and the Tigris River has flooded quite strangely this year, washing away your crops. You begin to pray, but are interrupted by some soldiers heading your way. They grab your arms and drag you outside, and you realize you haven’t paid your taxes. You begin to weep as one of the soldiers pulls out their sword and impales you in the chest. Continue

You head down to your farm along the Tigris river and see that the river had flooded last night, depositing rich silt along the sides of your farm. You silently celebrate since the soil will help your crops flourish this year. A soldier approaches you and pulls out his sword. He tells you that you have broken a rule in the Hammurabi Code and that the punishment for your actions is death. You close your eyes as you see the soldier quickly brings down his sword. Continue

Early Man & RVC Adventure Game