Early Man and Neolithic
Revolution
Human Origins, Early Human Forms, The Neolithic Revolution ,Material Culture and the
Dawn of Civilization
Mr. Oberholtzer
Agriculturalist of K-212
Two Theories on the Origins of Man
• Creationism
– based on faith and
belief
– universe created at a
fixed point in recent
past by a deity.
– Man was created as
is; no evolution
required
– Archbishop Ussher-creation in 4004 BC
• Evolution
– based on observation
and scientific method
– all creatures develop
from a lower to
higher state
– Change is constant
state of being
– natural selection
determines the
‘survival of the fittest’
– Charles Darwin--1859
Man the Tool Maker
• Special Gift of Nature:
– Superior Brain+Prehensile
Ability+Upright Posture= Tools
– Tools enable man to adapt and
shape his environment,
ensuring his survival.
– Tools also allowed for a better
and more secure nutritional
diet that powered the
evolution of man towards
having a large complex brain
capable of abstract reasoning
and problem solving
• Periods of Prehistory
– Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age)
2 million BCE to 10,000 BCE—
era of stone tools
– Mesolithic Era (Middle Stone
Age) middle period where man
domesticated the dog and
improved his tool making
– Neolithic Era (New Stone Age)
8,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE
represents the height of stone
age hunter-gatherer
technology and skill. Females
during the Neolithic Era
invented agriculture, which is
known as the Neolithic
Revolution.
Prehistoric Humans
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The term Prehistoric refers to the period of
time prior to written human history
Prehistory is know chiefly through artifacts
and fossil evidence.
Early Human Forms:
– Australopithecines 4-1 million years agochimp sized brain with prehensile ability,
locking knee and tool making ability. Most
famous fossil is the Lucy skeleton found in
1974 in Ethiopia by Dr. Don Johansen.
– Homo Erectus—first recognizable human with
smaller brain than modern, but similar in form
to us. Could use fire but not make it!
– Neanderthal—early human variant with no
chin, brow ridges, short stocky frame and
exceptional strength—evolved to life in
extreme cold during the Ice Age
– Cro-Magnon (Homo Sapiens)—hunter/gather
version of early modern man—identical in
form to modern man; major difference is
cultural—he was hunter/gatherer while
modern humans are agriculturalists. Known for
complex cave paintings and sophisticated
stone tools
How do we know?
Fossils (Paleoanthropologist)
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A living creature dies and falls to the sea bottom
Soft tissue (flesh) rots away, leaving bone.
The bone is then covered by sand and is buried.
Over millions of years the minerals from the
surrounding soil leach into the bone, replacing the
original organic material, molecule by molecule,
turning it to stone.
Result: A fossil, perfectly preserved in stone. Very rare
and extremely valuable!
Material Culture (Archaeologist)
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Objects created and used by humans according
to a cultural plan are called artifacts (artifacts
can be old or new)
Material Culturists study the objects to
determine the behavior and cultural values of
the people who used them.
Best example of Material Culture is Jewelry
because it is universal throughout the world and
time.
Material Culture provides a window to man’s
prehistoric past.
Material culture gives a voice to long dead
peoples and their cultures
Material culture represents a very personal
segment of man’s environment
Material culture is the best evidence to use in
understanding the life of early man.
Cheat Sheet: Who's Who of Early Man
Time Period
About
3 million BCE
About
2 million BCE
Name
Australopithecus
"Southern Ape"
Homo Habilis
"Handy Man"
About
1.5 million BCE
Homo Erectus
"Upright Man"
About
500,000 B.C.
Homo Sapiens
"Wise Man"
& Neandertals
About
25,000 BCE until about 10,000 BCE
Homo Sapiens Sapiens &
"Moderns"
Quick Glimpse
Human-like hominids
Lucy
Basic traits of humans. Special because he could stand up. Main
physical difference between early man and apes are the hands.
First true humans
Stone tools - the first tool-maker
Lived in Africa
Taller, had a larger brain
Made and controlled fire
The first hunters
Traveled over land bridges from Africa, to begin to populate the
world, about 1 million years ago
Neandertals Buried their dead with ceremony.
Stone-tipped spears, bone needles, bone fish hooks, sewed their
clothes from animal skins, warm boots
Cave Paintings
Cro-Magnon & "Moderns"
Bow and arrows, well constructed huts with central hearths for fires;
necklaces & pendants, cave art, little statues made from ivory, antler,
bone; tools and weapons for hunting and fishing, oil lamps. Used
honey to sweeten food. End of the last Ice Age about 10,000 years ago.
The Neolithic Revolution=
Agriculture!
• Human tool-making ability and
success create population
pressures among huntergatherer bands
• Food shortage leads to
invention of agriculture (the
few provide for the many)
• Division of Labor-efficient way
to accomplish tasks!
• Civilization is a consequence of
agriculture!
• All achievements of civilization
are based on agriculture
Agricultural Hearths
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Agricultural Hearths provided the basis for civilization around the
world. Civilizations who irrigate are called Hydraulic Civilizations.
Cereal Grains: wheat, barley, rye, rice constitute majority of calories
in the diet.
The process of civilization building was the same all over the world:
(1) agriculture (2) urban areas (3) complex social organization (4)
achievements
Cultural Diffusion: the spread of culture across civilizations and the
sharing of culture. Cross-Cultural Influence: cultural motifs spread
through contacts between civilizations.
8 Characteristics of Civilizations
• Cities
• Well Organized Central
Governments
• Complex Religions
• Job Specialization
• Social Classes
• Arts & Architecture
• Public Works
• Writing
The River Valley Civilizations
• The first civilizations grew up
around major river systems in
the temperate zone
• Alluvial soil and fresh water
resources, perfect for
agriculture!
• Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus
River Valley Civilization (India),
China
• River Valley Civilizations
featured cities (walled,
mudbrick), monumental
architecture, irrigated
agriculture, social institutions
• River Valleys: Crucibles of
Civilization! Template for Today!