The earliest evidence of man dates back to millions of years ago. Since then, technologies have advanced from sharp rocks to knives and axes. Although it took thousands of years to even control fire, the advancement that happened between each early species is incredible. Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, and Homo Sapiens all played a major role in the development of early technologies as well as the civilization of Mesopotamia.
The earliest known peoples of the world are known as Homo Habilis. These early peoples have been known to have lived in Ethiopia millions of years ago. They started out being around 4 feet tall weighing about 100 pounds. They had strong jaws allowing them to eat meat, long arms which helped them climb trees, and could walk upright. As for their shelter, they slept in nest high up in trees. Their existence helped the development of hand tools. Fossils have shown signs of the beginning of stone tools called “primitive tools” which included lumps of rocks but also sharp flakes used for cutting (Choi). However, lack of resources, and attacks of
…show more content…
Because of this development, Homo Erectus was much smarter and “the larger brain gave these homins better capabilities for processing complex ecological information across the more expansive terrain…” (Van Arsdale 6). Since they were reliant on meat, their expanded genes helped them not only catch larger animals, but also helped them vary their diet to more than just meat. Their importance in history is the discovery of fire, which helped cook meat making it easier to eat. Before they learned to control the fire, however, they had to find it and carry it (“The Great Human Race” Episode 2). This was probably the most important discovery of all time. Some thousands years later, our ancestors had begun to walk this earth, Homo
A study performed by Martin Hausler and Peter Schmid of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, appeared in the October 1995 issue of Journal of Human Evolution, igniting controversy over the 1974 Australopithecus discoveries in Hadar, Ethiopia. The most famous of the Hadar specimens is the 3-million-year-old skeleton, “Lucy,” who was recovered by paleoanthropologist, Donald Johanson. In his article, Shreeve presents the methods and findings of Hausler and Schmid’s study as well as some counter arguments from other scientists in the field.
They had everything that they needed to survive, but they still died out. They evidence says that they hunted, buried and ate too much than they could handle and when the Homo Erectus needed food they would starve for days. One by one they died off, and only they left behind their remains. Their remains were left behind buried under hardened ash and riverbeds. When their bodies were discovered, they had very thick layers of fat which helped them survive the beginning of the Ice Age. They ate too much food, and when the all the ice was frozen during the start of the Ice Age all the food that got stored underground went stale and was stuck underground which meant that they did not have the necessary things for survival. The Homo Erectus were brilliant hominids that "had" all the necessary supplies for life. They did not have any idea that their time was coming to an end, but they flourished in their time that they lived and now the Homo Erectus will the be the one only hominid to accomplish so much in the time that they
Afterward, he revealed to us within a half million years, Homo ergaster or Homo erectus started to become apparent in East Africa. Later on, modern humans- Homo Sapiens, arrived eventually. Furthermore, learning how humans lived earlier in comparison today is much more complex. Each culture, religious practices, appearance, characteristics, and norms are different from this present day. (Christian 14-15).
Humans are not the only species with the ability of making tools. Early on in her research, Jane Goodall observed an older male chimp, she called him David Greybeard. Through her observation of David, she witnessed two forms of the use of tools. The first was the use of grass as a tool to extract termites from their mounds. The second was the making of a tool by stripping the leaves off a twig, modifying it for the same purpose. When Louis Leakey heard this, he wrote her “Now we must redefine tool, redefine man, or except chimpanzees as humans” (Goodall, 2002). There is a definite correlation between man and chimps in this respect. Human culture involves learned behaviors through observation, imitation and practice, the use of tools with chimpanzees show the same ability for learned beh...
All of us have tools to make life easier. For example your cell phone is a tool that you use to communicate with. Paleolithic tools differed from Neolithic tools. The Paleolithic tool kit shown in document one was made for hunting.
This paper has shown how Homo sapiens had several advantages over the Neanderthals including better diets, better tools and just better luck. The Neanderthals could not survive the harsh climates they were thrust into and eventually died out. In this paper I looked at how Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis had co-existed but the disappearance of the Neanderthal ius due in some part to the appearance of the more culturally advanced and genetically superior Homo sapiens. Although the How and Why of how Neanderthals went extinct, it is clear that Homo sapiens had a part in their demise. In the last one hundred and fifty years that we have been studying humans we have seen them come from savage brutes, to Homo sapiens respectable contemporary. If we had not gotten lucky in the past, Neanderthals could be studying us today.
Thousands of years ago, primitive man walked the earth very similarly to the way he does today. We can discern this from the cultures that remain nearly intact from that time, and by analyzing what remains from those ancient peoples. Technologies change, making life easier for people, and ensuring the survival of the species (things like medicine and modern farming techniques), but the people themselves change very little.
Prior to living in homes build to with stand the test of time, growing food their food source, and raising animals, humans were nomads who followed their food source around and were hunters and gathers. Although it took many years, from 8000B.C. to 3000B.C. for humans to go from hunters and gathers to a more common day life as we now know it, the result is referred to as the Neolithic Revolution the begins of human civilization. As the people of this time began to settle down and they began to both farm the land and domesticate animals for the better of the community. Along with the development of these communities as for the first time began to create social class among the many different roles they played in their community. Because the people of this time no longer roamed around some of the first signs of technology began to appear around this time as well.
“The scientific study of how humans developed did not begin until the 1800s in Europe. Until that time, people relied on religious explanations of how humans came into existence. Starting in the 1500s a scientific revolution began to sweep Europe. Thinkers started using scientific methods and experiments to try to better understand the world and the creatures living in it. Eventually these methods were turned to the question of human origins” (The Nature Of Human Origins, 1). Earth made it possible for species to change over time because Ancient Earth provides ability to plenty of time.The Homo Sapien a is very complex creature. The species started off very simple by living in caves and surviving with little food and then later evolved into a species that were able to do many more complex things. The first species was Sahelanthropus tchadensis They were one of the most simple humans in that time period and on. They had very small skulls compared to Homo Sapiens today and their motor skills were just the same. We have evolved and changed for the better both mentally and physically. The Evolution of Homo Sapiens started off simple, such as the Neanderthals, and now we are the most advanced species to ever walk the planet so far.
...d to the switch for calorie and protein rich animal products. Soon followed the creation of the revolutionary element; fire which changed the road of human evolution drastically. Homo erectus could now greatly increase the calories gained from food while also keeping warm and protecting from predators of the night. These campfires also led the some of the earliest forms of social interaction among early humans. Besides campfire interactions, Homo erectus also formed a distinct form of hunting and gathering division of labor which is still evident in parts of the world today. Though it is Homo erectus’s great migration out of Africa that may have been responsible for most important role of human evolution. Which would have led to the dispersion of human ancestors around the globe and the formation of the nationalities that we as humans are so proud of today.
The members of the Homo genus possess a combination of unique features that distinguish them from other related species. At the time that each respective species was alive, they were able to walk upright on two legs, use their large brains for the benefit of their species, and could thrive in many geographically and climatically diverse areas of the world. One of the most mysterious quandaries in science is how the lineage of the Homo genus became so different from their primate relatives. Bipedalism, brain size, and location diversity all have a common link that may explain this difference – dietary evolution allowed humans to adapt to their surroundings, and in turn, become a more advanced species. The Homo diet evolved in relation to food availability and nutritional necessity. With the ability to maintain a proper diet, the species of the Homo genus were able to flourish and advance toward the development of modern Homo sapiens.
Common knowledge holds it that primitive man was a being barely more developed than the ape, existing without culture, innovation, or technological prowess. This belief focuses especially on homo erectus, an ancestor of man who lived from about 2 million to roughly 200,000 years ago. It is commonly believed that h. erectus was a creature existing in technological stasis, without the ability to advance his existence through innovation, and void of culture. This type of thinking could quickly be altered, though, if recent discoveries hold true. Recent evidence points to a distinct possibility that h. erectus may have been the first ancestor of man to harness the power of fire. Such a finding would greatly alter the current system of beliefs in regard to the evolution of man and the status of man's ancestors during the time of h. erectus. These findings would indicate that h. erectus did have some culture, and some innovative skill that allowed him to control his environment. The evidence supporting the taming of fire by h. erectus is not beyond reproach, though. In fact, it has come under heavy questioning. A desire for even stronger evidence could eventually dispel the notion that this primitive version of man could control fire, and allow for maintenance of the current belief that man did not truly evolve into a being with any type of culture until the existence of homo sapiens.
The Stone Age began for many early humans about 2.7 million years ago when the first stone tools were used. This time period was not the beginnings of humans or near humans, but the period of time marked when the use of tools first began. This is when humans truly began to differ for the other inhabits on the planet and began to shape the the World around them and truly adapt to their environments. Most noteworthy of the Stone Age is that these tools were also used to hunt and kill animals, both for food and clothing and also making use of animal bones and antlers in the making of new tools. With this in mind, not all groups of humans evolved on the same time line, there were some groups of humans around the World that were still in the Stone Age well into the 20th century.
According to Britannica Encyclopædia, Australopithecus anamensis lived in Kenya between 4.2 million and 3.9 million years ago. A. afarensis lived in eastern Africa between 3 and 4 million years ago. This australopithecine had a brain size a little larger than chimpanzees. Some had canine teeth more sticking out than those of later hominines. No tools of any kind have been found with A. afarensis fossils.
The upper paleolithic era brought us many social and cultural innovations. From the development of art, to the continued development of useful tools and weapons, the people existing in this time were the true forbears of modern human civilization. The advances made in self-awareness are extremely apparent as well, with significant new trends in social networks and personal adornment leading to what would be the foundation of society as we know it. These things combined make the upper paleolithic one of the most important periods of human development.