How did Stone Age people obtain food before agriculture?

Before the advent of agriculture, Stone Age people subsisted as hunter-gatherers, relying primarily on wild food sources. Their survival strategies were diverse and highly dependent on the local environment, typically involving a combination of hunting, fishing, and gathering to ensure a balanced diet.1

Foraging and Hunting Strategies

• Hunting and Trapping: Groups hunted or trapped both big game and smaller animals. Over time, technological innovations such as the spear-thrower and the bow significantly increased the efficiency and range of hunters.12
• Gathering: This included collecting wild plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, tubers, seeds, and nuts, as well as shellfish and insects.1
• Fishing: Access to rivers and streams allowed for the exploitation of fish, particularly in regions where such resources were abundant.1

Food Preparation

Early humans utilized fire to cook food, which made nutrients more digestible and accessible. Preparation techniques were often dictated by necessity, such as roasting meat or boiling it in water to improve tenderness. Some groups also developed methods to remove toxins from wild plants, such as leaching bitter tannic acid from acorns or cyanide from cassava. To manage uncertain food supplies, they employed preservation methods like smoking and drying.3