Prehistoric Humans vs. Modern Humans

1067 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Neolithic paleolithic

The Paleolithic era is known as the time when early humans developed tools made out of stone, hence the name “ Stone Age”. This time period dates back to prehistory and is regarded as the earliest stage in human development. These people were primarily known as hunters and gatherers, which meant they survived on either what they could kill or eating berries and nuts. Today, the modern human has since evolved to a more dominant species, as we are now more intelligent, have written language, and no longer have to rely on killing animals to survive. Although many things have changed over the centuries, I believe that we still have some aspects that are similar to our ancestors. Some similarities that I believe we have in common with the prehistoric people are in their tools and architecture, their culture, and their use of spoken language.
The early humans were mainly hunters and gatherers but we manage to find evidence of activities besides hunting and that’s in their use of tools and architecture. Göbekli Tepe, an ancient temple, was excavated in the early 1990’s and was described as early Neolithic. According to lecture, it is said that the hunters and gathers, which were from the Stone Age, built the temple around 9000 BCE. If the evidence from lecture was true, then I believe it is a clear sign that they knew architecture like modern humans. Another example of a Paleolithic building is the mammoth bone house and it was built around 16,000 to 10,000 BCE. This house was made for shelter and protection but was constructed purely from mammoth tusks, shoulder blades, and jawbones. In comparison to the present day, the contemporary humans have built more complex and larger monuments like the Statue Of Liberty, which stands around 93 ...

... middle of paper ...

... by discovering the past, we can learn more about ourselves in the present.

Works Cited

Sayre, Henry M., and Henry M. Sayre. Discovering the Humanities: Culture, Continuity & Change. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.
Yirka, Bob. "Linguist Study Finds Core Group of Words Has Survived for 15,000 Years." Linguist Study Finds Core Group of Words Has Survived for 15,000 Years. Phys.org, 7 May 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
Ghose, Tia. "Alcohol: Social Lubricant for 10,000 Years." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 28 Dec. 2012. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
Hautala, Keith, and Benjamin Kandt. "UKNOW University of Kentucky News." UK Linguist Reconstructs Sounds of Prehistoric Language. University of Kentucky, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Feb. 2014.
Sancho-Velazquez, Angeles. "Beginnings of Culture." Cal State Fullerton. Langsdorf Hall, Fullerton, California. 28 Jan. 2014. Lecture.

Show More
Related

  • Early Hominids and The Pleistocene and Holocene Eras

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ever since the Pleistocene era, human societies have expanded rapidly, developing innovative ways to defend their territories and migrate across the land. Consisting of an aggregate of humans living together, these societies became more powerful as time progressed by consuming more meat (megafauna). Supporting this development, the more mammals that humans would eat, the more protein their bodies would absorb. When humans consume high amounts of protein, they develop stronger muscles, which leads to the stimulation of brain activity. By way of further explanation, amino acids from the proteins are used to make the neurotransmitters that allow your brain cells to network and communicate. Amino acids that come from the protein you eat are the building blocks of your brain’s network. They can excite or calm your brain as well as nourish your brain throughout its lifetime. Also, they allow the body's own proteins to be used to support life, particularly those found in muscle. This led humans to develop intelligence and create a wide variety of tools. These tools are what the early hominids used to develop their culture into that of hunter-gatherer-fishers, making humans a more dominant mammal within that ecosystem.

    Read More

  • What´s Processual Archaeology?

    2075 Words  | 5 Pages

    As an instance, in the field of paleolinguistics, Colin Renfrew, in re-examining Proto-Indo-European language and making a case for the spread of Indo-European languages through neolithic Europe in connection with the spread of farming,[11] outlined three basic, primary processes through which a language comes to be spoken in a specific area: initial colonization, replacement and continuous development. From some obvious reasoning he proceeded to some radically new conclusions.

    Read More

  • Taking a Look at the Garifuna Language

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hill, Jane H., P. J. Mistry, and Lyle Campbell. The Life of Language: Papers in Linguistics in Honor of William Bright. Berlin [etc.: Mouton De Gruyter, 1998. Print.

    Read More

  • Neanderthals and Homo sapiens

    2241 Words  | 5 Pages

    There is evidence to suggest that Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens had coexisted for approximately 35-40,000 years, (Fagan 2010) from around 60,000 years ago to 25,000 years ago when they finally went extinct (Gibbon 2001). Anthropologists are still uncertain what the cause of their extinction was. This paper will analyze three main theories of Neanderthal extinction. The first theory is the competition theory, which claims that the Homo sapiens and Neanderthals had to compete for resources, ultimately leading to their demise. The second theory I will discuss is the climate change theory, which claims that Homo sapiens lived while Neanderthals died because they were better adapted to the climate. The last theory I will discuss is the possible “extinction through absorption” theory which claims the Neanderthal interbred with the Homo sapiens and became one species. In this paper I will also be comparing the technologies, and diets of both species. In addition, I will look at the anatomic relation between the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, how their body shape and size differed, and if this gave any advantage to one side or the other. My thesis for this paper will state that Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis had co-existed but the disappearance of the Neanderthal in Eurasia is due to the appearance of the more culturally advanced and genetically superior Homo sapiens and the failure of the Neanderthal to adapt in an evolving climate.

    Read More

  • Ancient Man, Clovis

    2063 Words  | 5 Pages

    The archaeological record shows us what the intelligent ethnographers preach; there is more out there than what we see, and we are constantly underestimating the cultures that came before us. The widespread use of tools like harpoons and spears, the spread of pottery and boxes, and the actual contents of ancient stomachs (like the Ice Man's) show us that ancient people were once more variable than they are now. Considering that ancient men spread from Pittsburgh to South America in an incredibly short span of time (though from whence they came is unknown), ancient people must have been very adept at adapting.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Old World Civilizations

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although, archaeologists have heavily debated the definition of civilization, there are still some key elements that are general agreed upon. I will define civilizations, and reflect and compare on two such Old World civilizations.

    Read More

  • Similarities Of Neanderthals

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ancestral lines of Neanderthals and modern humans is split roughly about 800,000 years ago, making them our closest relatives in the hominid ancestry. Neanderthals inhabited Europe and parts of the Western Asia before going extinct around 30,000 years ago. Neanderthals made and used a range of tools, they were able to control fire, make and wore clothing, were very skilled hunters of large animals however also ate plant foods, they lived in shelters, and occasionally made symbolic or ornamental objects, which no previous hominid species, had ever practiced this representative and complex conduct. Over this essay we will be covering some elemental information on Neanderthals, their differences and similarities anatomically with modern humans, along with their differences in behavior, and finally giving some possible implications for the timing of the development of culture.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Argument Paper

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    "American Cultural History." American Cultural History. Lone Star College, June 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of William Rorabaugh's The Alcoholic Republic

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people point to wars, Presidents or the economy when asked to describe the history of the United States, but what about alcohol. Social history in general has always taken a back seat to political and economic history, mostly because many aspects of social history are not exactly bright spots from the past. Alcohol, for example, is actually a much bigger aspect of our history than one may expect. As a matter of fact, early America was centered around drinking as a kind of social event. William Rorabaugh’s book Alcoholic Republic outlines how prevalent drinking really was during the years after the Revolutionary War. Rorabaugh argues that post-colonial Americans should be considered alcoholics. However, the evidence Rorabaugh uses

    Read More

  • Paleolithic Vs Neolithic Dbq

    1368 Words  | 3 Pages

    Paleolithic is often referred to as the Old Stone Age. "Paleo" means old and "lithic" means stone. The Neolithic time period is often referred to as the New Stone Age. "Neo" means new and "lithic" also means stone. The Paleolithic culture or way of life began about 2.5 to 2 million years ago. The Paleolithic Period ended at different times in different parts of the world, generally around 12,000 years ago in Europe and the Middle East. When the Paleolithic period ended, the Neolithic period took over and began 12,000 years ago somewhere in the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is characterized by the beginning of farming, the domestication of animals, the development of crafts such as pottery and weaving, and the making of polished stone tools. Life changed dramatically between Paleolithic and Neolithic times.

    Read More

  • Neolithic Revolution

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Paleolithic Culture

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    The cultural innovations analyses presented here illustrate the presence of cumulative cultural evolution in the upper Paleolithic and portray how a steady rate of change continuous with that seen in later human history. This should serve to encourage interests in the internal process of evolution that may tend to produce a smooth curve, including the possible the autocatalytic effects of the increasing technological

    Read More

  • The Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages

    329 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Paleolithic Age, Greek for "Old Stone", is the era of the emergence of modern man. During this age, man was a hunter-gatherer species. Due to the plentiful sources of animals and plants, man could simply follow the herds and their migratory patterns. With no proprietary knowledge, each nomadic band was egalitarian as there was no distinction for a social ladder.

    Read More

  • Sports: The Ultimate Stress Reliever

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sayre, Henry M., Discovering the Humanities: Culture, Continuity & Change. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.

    Read More

  • Witchcraft in Contemporary African Society

    2504 Words  | 6 Pages

    Kroeber, A. and C. Klockhohn, Culture: A Critical Review of Concept and Definition New York: Vintage Books, 1989.

    Read More

More about Prehistoric Humans vs. Modern Humans

Open Document