Paleolithic Times Essay

Submitted By ConorThornton1
Words: 1145
Pages: 5
Open Document
During the Paleolithic times Homo sapiens developed many tools to deal and cope with a variety of tasks to ensure their survival. Many if not all these tools we implement to this day to some degree. Although these tools pale in comparison to their modern counterparts, we must accept their importance in the shaping of how homo sapiens progressed from foragers to farmers. The most important tool that Paleolithic humans employed was flint. Using this simple yet effective tool allowed humans to set fire at will for cooking, protection, and warmth. For the first time in the history of the world, animals were able to convert energy in a way other than chemically within their bodies. I can imagine early humans huddling in caves, staying close to conserve body heat, before their knowledge of fire. In the hostile environment of early times fire could be employed to keep beasts at bay protecting early man and propelling the species forward. Using flint and tinder provided warmth during the colder months and in the evenings.

Flint, stone, and bone fashioned into spears or blades gave early humans another more obvious form of protection. Having developed brains more than physical defenses left early humans vulnerable to other animal species. With stone early humans were able to fashion crude weapons for protection. With weapons humans were less likely to fall prey to other animals and could begin their struggle for dominancy of the planet. These same blades were used to fashion primitive dwellings, cut meat, reap grain, and cut furs for clothing. The tools available for disposal by Paleolithic man were inefficient enough to keep him nomadic but useful enough to make his life as a hunter-gatherer easier and more productive.

With these technologies at their disposal humans began to flourish. Tools provided man with a means of harnessing many things from his environment. Unfortunately there were several limitations to these tools that affected the lives of Paleolithic tribes. The physical limitations of stone, flint, and bone kept humans from cutting large timber for firewood, canoes, or dwellings and they were forced to use small trees or larger ones that had fallen. These tools were the most primitive of their kind and they were basically prototypes for later models.

The first civilizations began to appear due in part to technological developments that were being made at the end of the Neolithic period. Several technological advances in agriculture and irrigation made way for and the true development of farming. These advances, along with those made in metallurgy, propelled man forward at an increasing rate both socially and in overall population growth. This growth allowed for further growth in technology and tool use that eventually gave rise to civilization.

These technologies affected and were affected by lifestyle. They were created to aid in a lifestyle that was appearing and matured due to the lifestyle that evolved from their use. This advance in technology shaped Neolithic life from that of a hunter-gatherer to an agriculturalist. This change permeated throughout the world and further affected neighboring hunter-gatherer groups. This shaped the life of early man in an irreversible way. Although these primitive tools aided man through the daily workings in his life as a subsistence farmer they were also inefficient enough for mass agricultural development. These tools both advanced and limited man until it matured even further.

Perhaps the most prominent tool to develop during this age was the plow. Allowing early humans to cultivate larger stretches of soil and produce a food surplus. The primitive examples like a long timber with one branch left attached were very inefficient but still produced a larger yield per area than previous methods of sowing grain. Attaching stone or bronze undoubtedly increased efficiency and helped to cultivate in harsher soil conditions. Employing the ox or other beasts
Show More

Related Documents: Paleolithic Times Essay

Neolithic Vs Essay

While Paleolithic and Neolithic societies were similar for the reason that the cultures shared the polytheistic belief of life after death, the civilizations differ due to the fact that Neolithic's population had inequalities between genders and a division of people by wealth while the Paleolithic people lived an Egalitarian life. Hunter-gatherers of the Paleolithic era moved from place to place depending on food supply and lived a nomadic lifestyle unlike Neolithic societies who built shelters…

Words 777 - Pages 4

Surviving The Human Race

the Human Race The beginning of time is quite a mystery when it comes to the Human Race and how we all evolved to present time as humans. The timelines of our existence is a combination of scavengers’ called the hunter-gather society which were called Paleolithic’s to a food producing society who were called the Neolithic’s. According to today’s life style we are somewhat similar to the Neolithic era which is based on certain aspects of both life styles. Paleolithic Era Known as the “Old Stone Age”…

Words 1335 - Pages 6

Paleolithic Vs Neolithic Essay

Scientist divided the Stone age into two parts, the Paleolithic and Neolithic age. The Paleolithic age was 2.5 million years ago and lasted until 10,000 bce. The other half is the Neolithic age, that began from 10,000 bce about around 3,000 bce. The Paleolithic and Neolithic age is prehistoric human past. We are going to talk about what kind of similarities and differences they have together in religion, technology, and agriculture. The Paleolithic era, also called Old Stone Age was the beginning of…

Words 444 - Pages 2

Compare Mesopotmia to Greece Essay

The lifestyles, culture and technologies changed from the Paleolithic societies to the first river valley civilizations around the year 3500 BCE. The Paleolithic times were much simpler than that of the first river valley civilizations. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the river valley civilizations were superior. In the first river valley civilizations there were many prominent and new inventions, however, there were also more wars and the creation of slavery. The four main river valley…

Words 828 - Pages 4

Paleolithic Era Essay

The Paleolithic Era The Paleolithic Era was an era of great change with technology, new cultures, and hunting bands. In this essay I will be addressing the lifestyle, inventions of new tools, social aspects, development of speaking, and the importance of art in the Paleolithic Era. The Paleolithic Era brought up lots of technology and tools. One discovery of technology in the Paleolithic Era was fire, used to help in hunting and foraging, protect themselves, and to adjust to cold environments…

Words 658 - Pages 3

intro to hist Essays

3/15/2008 HIST1016 World History Dr. Shawn Ross The Paleolithic Era & the Neolithic Revolution Thursday 13 March 2008 Announcements •Course convenors: Nick Doumanis & Shawn Ross – come see us on the 3rd floor of Morven Brown •You may also email us at: n.doumanis@unsw.edu.au or shawn.ross@unsw.edu.au, but please: –Include your course # in the subject line –Include your name –If relevant, include your Tutorial time •WebCT is active; information such as the Course Outline will…

Words 2630 - Pages 11

The Difference between the Neolithic Era and the Paleolithic Era Essay

The Neolithic era would’ve been a more preferable era to live in because it gave more of a variety than the Paleolithic era. The variety it gave was in lifestyle, tools, economy, and health. Even though the apes that lived in that era didn’t live long, it seemed more beneficial. Their food sources and the way they were able to eat included less labor than it did during the Paleolithic era. The Neolithic era provided more such as agriculture, pottery, social inequality , and so much more.…

Words 509 - Pages 3

Origins Of Art Essay

activated by art. It is intended to provide a complete reconstruction of the world, which is possible only if the combination of cognitive, ethical, aesthetic, and all other aspects of the human spirit are present. No one really can now determine the time of occurrence of the arts but a lot of evidence suggests that art emerged in the era of Homo sapiens. The problem of the appearance of art is inextricably linked with the problem of man. As there are several theories about the origin of man, so there…

Words 2932 - Pages 12

Transition of Mankind Essay

Transition of Humankind HIS/112 July 11, 2013 Professor Shelton Transition of Humankind The Paleolithic Era is the most primitive and a long era of human prehistory, extending from 2.6 million years ago to 10,000 BP. Transitioning from a hunter-gatherer society to an agriculture society, Neolithic community has been perceived as one of the paramount human development in history. Agriculture was first introduced in 7000 BC and it became a widespread into Africa…

Words 691 - Pages 3

Early Man Essay

the time Homo Erectus walked on earth approximately 1.6 million years ago, and it was even more important than the development of language. Fire is used for many things, and can even help people survive through disasters. The mastery of fire is the most important element in the development of human civilization, because it provides light, the cooking and preservation of food, and produces warmth. Homo Erectus were the first early men to use fire. They roamed the earth during the Paleolithic Age…

Words 368 - Pages 2