Neolithic Inventions

The proverb, “necessity is the mother of invention” states that in time of need, people are forced to find a solution. During the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age, various items were composed from the little that they had to create structure and management. It was crucial for the Paleolithic people to create these inventions so people in the Neolithic and Bronze Age era could improve on it and so on. Without this starting point, societies wouldn’t be as advanced as they are today. Inventions such as cave art, agriculture, toys, and laws display how something so little and pointless can soon create something big and purposeful. First, in the Paleolithic era, cave paintings have been found dating back all the way to 26,000-28,000 years

The introduction to finger flutings represents record keeping. Finger flutings are patterns that have been scratched into the cave walls. Since the markings have been found in various other locations, it concludes that this is not a coincidence and it represents some sort of data. The small scratches on the wall were the start of collecting data. In addition to finger flutings, paintings were a main focus in the cave walls. Various types of animals like horses, felines, bovids, etc., fill the walls deep inside prehistoric caves. The Chauvet Cave in France is well known for some of the oldest preserved cave paintings. Inside of the cave, there are many paintings that show movement, whether through multiple legs to show walking or multiple heads to show gesture. Archeologists believe that these paintings were used for storytelling and communication. Finally, cave art represented gender roles in the community. Archeologists were able to figure out who stayed in the caves more and who went out and hunted by the size of fingers. John Manning determined that men’s ring fingers were longer than the index finger while the women’s ring and index finger were the same

Hammurabi’s code, the first true form of law, created unity and justice in Mesopotamia. The code demonstrated that good will be rewarded and the evil will be punished. With this, ideas became easier to follow and pass on. For the Hammurabi code it was really important to follow the class system when determining the punishment. Even though punishments might not be as strict as they were back then, people today follow the same outline of rules. An example stated in the Hammurabi code, “if a man has committed robbery and is caught, that man shall be put to death.” Even though today the death penalty for a crime that insignificant would be extreme, back in the Bronze Age rules like that set regulation and made a settlement organized. Another set of laws that made a settlement manageable were the standards set by the eternal life in Egypt. To have a life after death, citizens had to meet the criteria set by the Gods. They believed pure intentions, quality life, and no harm to anyone would get you into the afterlife. Different from the Hammurabi Code in Mesopotamia, Egypt believed the class system did not matter and anyone could be accepted from God. This invention is very important and still used regularly everyday. It created the government and judicial systems today and it is still followed in both systems of class and equality just like it was thousands of years