ABSTRACT
Stone Age The first humans in Europe, including the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon peoples, were huntergatherers, dividing tasks according to gender: men hunted, while women gathered plants, nuts, berries, and wild grains to supplement the diet. Women also saw to such activities as food preparation and child rearing. Tribes consisted of small groups of families who led a nomadic existence, following their food source, the animal herds, as they moved from pastures to streams. After the last glaciers of the Ice Age melted around 12,000 b.c.e., more of Europe became habitable.
