Prehistoric Science and Technology

• The lesson focuses on the evidence of science and technology during prehistoric times.
• Man's achievements in science can be categorized into two discoveries and invention.

The Difficulties of Studying Prehistory

• Much of human history it remains a mystery due to writing existing for approximately 5,000 years.
• Archaeologists excavate sites, analyze artifacts, and employ diverse dating methods.
• Anthropologists examine artifacts to study culture, knowledge, art, and customs.

Early Hominids

• Hominids sharpened objects with silicon rocks and learned to use their hands and fingers.
• Hominid: Includes all modern/extinct Great Apes (modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and immediate ancestors)
• Hominin: Includes modern humans, extinct human species, and immediate ancestors like Homo, Australopithecus, Paranthropus and Ardipithecus.

Australopithecus afarensis

• Named in 1978, and discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia, and Laetoli, Tanzania.
• Existed 3.85 to 2.95 million years ago
• Had both ape and human characteristics.
• Ape-like face proportions, braincase (approximately 1/3 of modern humans)
• Long and strong arms and fingers for climbing trees, small canine teeth.
• They stood on two legs and walked upright.
• Primarily plant-based diet includes leaves, fruit, seeds, roots, nuts, insects, and small vertebrates.

Australopithecus africanus

• This species existed 3.3 to 2.1 million years ago
• In 1924, the Taung child, the species was named Au. africanus and described by Prof. Raymond Dart.
• Early fossil humans were discovered in Africa.
• Anatomically similar to Au. afarensis, but with rounder cranium (bigger brain) and small teeth.
• They also had long arms, strongly sloping face and a pronounced jaw.
• Walked bipedally but also adapted to climbing

Homo habilis

• This species existed 2.4 – 1.4 million years ago
• Homo habilis means “handyman” because of their ability to carve tools.
• One of the earliest members of the genus Homo
• Slightly bigger braincase, smaller face and teeth similar to earlier hominins.
• Retained ape-like features (long arms and face).
• They had versatile diet of tough foods like leaves, woody plants, and animal tissues.

Homo rudolfensis

• This species existed 1.9 to 1.8 million years ago
• Discovered in Koobi Fora in the Lake Turkana basin, Kenya.
• A braincase size of 775 cubic centimeters, which is considerably above the upper end of H. habilis braincase size.
• Previously believed to be H. habilis
• It differs in its larger braincase, longer face, and larger molar and premolar teeth.

Homo erectus

• Species existed approximately 1.89 mya – 110,000 years ago.
• Early African Homo erectus fossils, called Homo ergaster, are the oldest known early humans with modern human-like proportions.
• Possessed elongated legs and shorter arms compared to torso size.
• Homo erectus, also known as "Upright man" ate meat and other types of protein.
• Honey and underground tubers may have been significant food sources as well.
• The earliest evidence of hearths (campfires) occurred.

Homo heidelbergensis

• This species existed 700,000 – 200,000 years ago
• Large browridge, larger braincase, and flatter face compared to older early human species.
• First to live in colder climates.
• Wide bodies were likely an adaptation to conserving heat.
• Lived at the time of the oldest definite control of fire and use of wooden spears
• It was the first to routinely hunt large animals, broke new ground, and build shelters from simple dwellings out of wood and rock.

Homo neanderthalensis

• This species lived 400,000 – 40,000 years ago
• Neanderthals are our closest extinct human relative.
• Skulls include the large middle part of the face, angled cheek bones, and a huge nose for humidifying/warming cold, dry air.
• Shorter, stockier bodies (adaptation to cold environments).
• Brains were just as large as modern humans, and often larger
• Neanderthals made and used sophisticated tools, controlled fire, lived in shelters, made and wore clothing.
• They were skilled hunters.
• They ate plant foods.
• They occasionally made symbolic or ornamental objects.

Homo sapiens

• This species lived 300,000 years ago - present
• The species that you and all other living human beings on this planet belong to.
• During a time of dramatic climate change 300,000 years ago, Homo sapiens evolved in Africa.
• early humans gathered and hunted food, and evolved behaviors to respond to challenges of survival in unstable environments.

Out of Africa Theory and Homo Sapien Migration

• Hominids started moving out of Africa via land bridges during cold cycles.
• Homo erectus was the first hominid to migrate, followed by Homo sapiens around 100,000 years ago.
• 2 Homo sapien Groups migrated
  • Neanderthals: explained and controlled the world, developed religious beliefs and performed rituals, and fashioned stone blades and scrapers.
  • Cro-Magnons: They migrated from North Africa to Europe and Asia, used specialized tools/hunting spoken language, and thrived compared to Neanderthals.

Dawn of Civilizations

• People discovered, learned, and developed science and technology due to their search for food and survival needs, reasons, and even curiosity.
• The stone, bronze and iron ages are evidence S&T during prehistoric times

Stone Age Facts

• Stone age occurred between 2.6 MYA – 3,300 BCE
• Humans were primarily food gatherers and hunters.
• They lived often in caves or huts.
• Tools evolved from simple to all-purpose tools, then to specialized tools for specific functions

Paleolithic Period Facts

• This refers also as Old Stone Age
• Time when human remains were in caves, and huts ad were hunter gatherers.
• They cooked prey, they used and made basic stone and bone tools/crude stone axes for hunting birds and wild animals
• The early humans cooked prey (e.g woolly mammoths, bisons etc.), controlled the use of fire and ate wild berries.
• First to leave behind art and carved small figurines from stones

Paleolithic Tools

• Stone tools were made from numerous stones.
• Flint and chert: Shaped or chipped for cutting tools, flakes, blades, and weapons
• Basalt and sandstone: Used for ground stone tools
• Wood, bone, shell, antlers, and other materials: Also in use to make tools

Fundamental Tool Traditions

• Pebble Tool
  • The first stone tools were likely naturally broken, discarded and sharp-edged rocks.
  • Simple flaked tools included choppers, rudimentary cutting instruments and scrapers
• The Oldowan toolkit is the earliest universally toolkit.
• Bifacial or Handaxe Tool- Archeulean Handaxe.
• Flake Tool- This creates knives and scrapers when a stone core.
• Blade Tool Tradion

Stone Technology

• Earlier Stone Age/Lower Paleolithic, characterized by (Oldowan) cores and flakes, used of digging sticks/probes, with location originating from Africa, and then to Eurasia, they were most likely the Late gracile Australopiths, early Homo, Homo erectus which increased carnivory, with initial dispersal from African.
• Middle Stone Age/Middle Paleolithic, characterized prepared cores, retouched flake forms, flake tools, used for Wooden spears and the controlled use of fire, Locations originating from Africa, and then to Eurasia, with Archaic Homo sapiens as population that lead to cumulative culture
• Later Stone Age Prismatic blades, backed geometric microliths, had stone art tools (needles, fish hooks, flutes, etc.), sewn clothing, Africa then Eurasia
• The Americas, and Australia (in one form or another)

Mesolithic period

• It is also called the Middle Stone Age
• Mesolithic era is a period of climatic instability, with gradual warming abruptly switching to 1,200 years of cold dry weather.
• a megafauna extinction occurred due to climate change
• Plant life growth of forests and redistribution of flora and fauna
• Toolkits included hafed points that could be put points on spear shafts Spears, darts, arrows and all other objects from projectiles weapons

Mesolithic Inventions

• skin clothing, needles and thread, special fishing equipmen, spears as a missile

Neolithic Period and Revolution

• Period characterized most by megalithic architecture, use and spread for agricultural methods The Neolithic Revolution is also called the "New Stone Age."
• Neolithic is characterized primarily by herding societies,bronze smelting, adoption of Agriculture and the Development of Pottery

Socio-Economic and Technological Transformation

• Neolithic has the shift of transformation
• Shifted from Food gathering to Food Producing
• Gathering cereal of horticulture.
• There was hunting to pastoral nomadism

World Neolithic Crops

• There was diversity of plants
• Several wheats, barleys, rye, peas, lentils, and flax in Southwest Asia were used.
• Millet and sorghum in Africa; Millet and soybeans in North China
• Other rices and beans in South East Asia
• Corn in Mesoamerica, and potatoes.

Neolithic Era & Textile

• Textile paleolithic groups mostly used basket weaving and only a few textiles, expanded vessel needed
• Technique:
• Shearing Sheep
• Growing and processing cotton
• dye and weaving the cloth

Neolithic Era

• Pottery: used for plastering and constructing buildings
• Pottery: A pyrotechnology used when driven with water through clay and stone, has similar secret

Three Age System, The Bronze Age and Iron Age

• Stone Age (2.6 mya – 3,300 BCE)
• The Bronze Age (3,300 – 1,200 BCE)
• The Iron Age (1,200 – 600 BCE)
• The Bronze Age was marked by the rise of countries. Large sizes had central government with someone powerful ruler
• The Age was marked by interactions in warfare, migration, and spread of knowledge, it also brought technological advances such as wheel.
• The time came when clothing made into wool items mostly like skirts and kilts.
• Homes were transformed into consisting homes made from circular stone walls

Iron Age Facts

• The Iron Age (1,200 – 600 BCE)
• A period of prehistory where the dominant tool making is from material of that time.
• iron used at the time was sporadic as new metals were being created that are inferior to bronze
• New evidence points to there being succession in earth quakes
• Tool making Material is Iron
• It is believed that trade shutted down and new metalsmith turned to iron making materials
• With Iron being found, farming became a lot more easy and effective.