Cultural Evolution Flashcards
tools, fire, clothing,
Tool culture
ability to make a useable tool in a specific way and then teach another individual how to use that tool
Oldowan
Homo Habilis, 3.3-2.4mya
roughly flaked on one side, pebble tools
very simple, used for cutting meat, skins
not very sophisticated, only a few strikes
Acheulian
Homo Erectus, 1.5mya
Tear shaped hand axe, used for chopping, specialised, cutting
flakes of rock off both sides of the stone
Mousterian
Homo Neanderthalensis, Europe
Precisely made and specialised
large flakes and big strikes, many strikes
more refined
what was moustarian made from?
flint, rock
Upper Paleolithic
Homo sapiens, found almost everywhere
diverse range of tool cultures
more developed tools freed up time to do other things, art, communicating ideas
what was upper Palaeolithic made from?
ivory, bone, antler, some rock, more developed
Tool culture time line
Oldowan
Acheulian
Mousterian
Upper Palaeolithic
Old apples make you pale
Why was homo habilis the first to make tools?
brain was becoming more developed and therefore more sophisticated thinking
larger Brocas area
successful hunters, using rocks for throwing and digging roots
lived in cooperative groups
Homo erectus linked to acheulian tools
more developed brain, more organised brain to help organise ideas and have more sophisticated ideas
Use of fire?
warmth, light, scares away animals, cooks food, gets rid of bacteria
benefits of fire?
absorb more calories from food, and makes the food easier to digest, meaning less energy needed to make large teeth
when was fire discovered?
fire has always been around, but discovered by homo erectus around 1.7-2mya
evidence of fire
microscopic traces of wood ash around 1mya by Homo erectus
current culture where a fire can start by striking flint or rubbing wood, friction
protien
more easliy consumed when cooked
detoxify
remove toxic material from a substance when cooked
Key words with fire
cooking, less chewing, increased variety in diet, detoxifying food, light, extended day, kills parasites, heat, keeps predators away, softens proteins and carbs, more digestiable, more opportunity for storytelling and learning, community
shelter
Homo sapiens, last 20,000 years, making walls and structures using wooden poles and large animal bones, covering with animal hides and have hearths for warmth and protection
Food gathering
going from scavenging to hunter gather
why was bipedalism important for food gathering?
being able to carry food home and collect food for community
mesolithic period
12-10 tya, foraging and fishing using small tools, microliths
neolithic period
10tya, plant cultivation and animal domestication, beginning of agreculture
food gathering tools
sickle for chopping and gathering grasses, Quern stone and rubbing stone to grind seed and grain
scavenging
searching for discarded food scraps and carcasses
domestication
the process of changing plants of animals to make them more useful to humans
hunter gatherer
people who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits and nuts to survive
Nomadic
wandering, moving about from place to place usually following food and better climate
Division of labour
division of work into a number of separate tasks performed by different members of the group
what were clothes made from
hides, stone scrapers used to remove animal fat
bone needles used for sewing clothes together
Clothing and Neandethals
made capes of fur and wore skins of large animals around their shoulders
Advantages of clothing
warmth, shelter from rain, UV and insulation from the elements
