SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY SECTION 23

Bolotaolo, Gem Alyssa L. Montero, Erika

Gabriel, Joane Mulles, Aljames T.

Montefalcon, Jemimah

HUMANKIND EMERGES: TOOLS AND TOOLMAKERS

SUMMARY

The Arrival of Handyman

McCllellan and Dorn started with having a distinction between the prehistory and history. In
definition, prehistory is taken over 2 million years ago wherein this is considered as the province of the
archaeologist and it left some exclusive material nature of artifacts in the form of stone, bone or ceramic
products. Furthermore, prehistory obscures two eras which is the Paleolithic and the Neolithic. Paleolithic,
also known as Old Stone Age, took over 2 million years ago wherein humans used stone to make tools and
more generally associated with the cultures and lifestyles of the hunter-gatherers who produced the tools
in question. On the other hand, Neolithic, also known as New Stone Age, took around 12,000 years ago
which saw the spread of agriculture and ended with the coming of shiny bronze tools.

The scientists believed that the cosmos itself originated with the Big Bang (12-15 billion years
ago). Homo sapiens, also known as “wise man”, are the first modern humans who made their appearance
around 500,000 years ago. Many Scientist look upon the Neanderthals as it was similar to ourselves as to
form only an extinct variety and labeled them as Homo sapiens Neanderthalensis. Preceding Homo
sapiens, Homo erectus, also known as the highly successful species, arose around 2 million years ago and
spread around the Old world (the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia). On the other hand, Homo habilis
is the first human species who coexisted with the Paranthropus and Australopithecus or the Southern Ape
which includes Australopithecus afarensis that was shown by the fossil “Lucy”. Based on archeological and
anthropological evidence, hominids diverged from other primates somewhere between 2.5 and 4 million
years ago in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Biology is known as the root of technology because some nonhuman animals created and used
tools in the past generations until now. Technology was culturally transmitted from generation to
generation among monkey and ape communities. Since they are known as “nonhumans”, the activities
are not instinctive, so the mothers taught their juveniles. Meanwhile, there is a “monkey genius” that
became the source of documented feats of technical innovations and cultural transmission in the animal
world, it is a female monkey named Imo. It was documented that she removed sand from potatoes that
are thrown at the beach by washing it in the sea and separating rice from the sand by dropping some
water so the sand will sink.

Making and using tools and the cultural transmission of technology played a big role in the human
mode of existence as it was practices in all human societies. Without these tools and technology, humans
will never survive. So, humankind owes its evolutionary success because it is grounded in the history of
technology. For example, the use of fire. Before, it provided warmth but as time passes by, the use of fire
became more useful to humankind.

Another human tool that also evolved through natural selection is “speech.” It evolved from animal
songs or calls but once acquired, it enhances the ability to convey information and communicate in words
that results to dramatic social and cultural consequences for humanity.

There are many evolutions in humankind that were based from the history. Neanderthals had
produced simple and multipurpose tools from local materials and we - Homo Sapiens Sapiens, began to
produce great assortment of tools yet in terms of basic social and economic way of life, we continued in
the same path - we remained being nomadic food collectors. The arrival of handyman became the source
of our tools and technology at the present until the future but as time passes by, there are new
innovations and technologies being invented that make our lives a lot easier.

Foraging for a Living

The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age era have its essential attribute which is food-collecting and it is
codified in the term hunter-gatherer society. Paleolithic people have made their tools that aided in
hunting animals and for collecting plant and animal food. The Paleolithic technology developed in the
service of a basic food-collecting economy. Division of labor based on gender governed the pattern of
food collection. Males are the hunters and scavengers of animals, while females are the ones who gather
plants, seeds, and eggs as food and medicine. Men and women together contributed to the survival of the
group. Paleolithic food-collectors are nomadic, they only follow the migration of animals and seasonal
growth of plants. The upper Paleolithic used weapons such as spear-throwers and the bow and arrow for
hunting and scavenging animals.
 The Ice Age is the most heralded example of the cultural flowering produced after anatomically
modern humans appeared. In hard-to-reach galleries and recesses of caves, there are enduring and justly
renowned paintings and sculptures produced by several late upper Paleolithic cultures in Europe.
Anthropologists have suggested that the purpose of the cave paintings may be hunting rituals, initiations,
magical beliefs, and sexual symbolism. The great cave paintings of Europe are the better known,
Paleolithic people left their artistic handprints in the world.

In the middle Paleolithic centers of mortuary and burial activity may have existed and one can
speak of a cult of the dead. Intentionally burying the dead is a distinctly human activity, this bespeaks self-
consciousness and effective social and group cohesion. Paleolithic burials and cave arts strongly suggests
that Paleolithic populations developed religious or spiritual attitudes.

Is Knowledge Science?

The extraordinary existence of Paleolithic society survived their generation by discovering thigs
they need through experience and practical knowledge with the knowing the use of “science.” In fact,
Paleolithic people did not self-consciously pursue “science” as their knowledge, yet they do things in a
more practical way. By the way they lived closed to nature, Paleolithic people ways of living thought the
science that there are things we can do without the consciously use of science in daily life. The movements
of Paleolithic people show the simple ways to deal with theoretical knowledge, but the outcomes appear
to be more abstract than knowledge gained from direct experience and not quite the same as what
Paleolithic peoples does that is generally embodied in their crafts.

Leaving the Garden

Technology formed an essential element of nomadic food collecting economy of Paleolithic

societies. But before that, they are not into technological innovations/revolutions, they use tools that are
made of stones and natural fibers and made gardening possible. During their time they gather and hunt
environment resources and they even use lunar cycles and observed climate to check when will they hunt
and gather safely. Having knowledge in gardening had no compelling incentive to revolutionize their way
of life. But when increasing population density that could no longer be readily relieved by migration finally
upset the balance between needs and resources were plants and animal husbandry taken up as new way
of life.
Learnings:

Through reading the “Humankind Emerges: Tools and Toolmakers”, we have comprehended more
about the evidences for the emergence which includes the mode of living during those times and also the
establishment of ancient societies shown in this chapter. We are able to identify the differences, to
compare and contrast the prehistoric and history, and the different human species. We have also learned
that all things that we have now came from the practical thinking and experiences of the Paleolithic
people. The early humans in the Old Stone Age era lived their lives by doing and discovering things
that they needed for them to survive. They have discovered things without knowing the scientific
explanations or theories about it. All of the activities that was made or performed by the Paleolithic
people contributed and is a part of the ideas and knowledge that modern humans have today.