Looking Back

at
Human Biocultural
and
Social Evolution
  Refers to the process whereby organisms undergo
Biological various genetic and physical changes that pave the
way for biological diversity

Evolution Examples:

 Populations adopted to colder sub – zero temperatures

Inuit People

 Have broader hips and short thicker

extremities (reduces surface area: body mass
ratio: facilitating heat conservation)

 More fat deposits (insulations)

  Refers to the changes over time in technology that give
humans increased control over their environment

Examples:
Technological
Evolution  Change from stone tools to metal tools

 Development of industrial technologies ( steam to electric)

 Agricultural and medicinal procedures

 Communication resources
  Refers to as “the mutual interactive evolution of
human biology and culture”

Examples:
Biocultural
Evolution  Being lactose tolerant

 Allergies
Cultural Beginnings
 Culture
 is defined as “ that complex whole which encompasses beliefs,
practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge
and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of a society”
(Taylor, 2010)

 It is a by – product of the attempt of humans to survive

their environment and to compensate for their biological
characteristics and limitations
 Biological
Capacity for
Culture
  The primary biological component of humans that allowed for
culture is the development of the brain

 It has the necessary parts for facilitating pertinent

1. skills ( touching, speaking, feeling, seeing and smelling)
Our  Compared to other primates, humans have a larger brain.
Thinking
 Due to the size of their brain and the complexity of its parts, hum
Capacity ans are able to create survival skills that helped them
adapt to their environment and outlive their less adaptive
biological relatives.
  Frontal lobe & Motor
Cortex function
- cognition and motor
abilities

1.  Parietal lobe
- touch and taste
Our abilities
Thinking
 Temporal lobe
Capacity - hearing skills

 Occipital lobe
- visual skills
  As the brain is the primary source of human’s capacity to
comprehend sound and provide meaning to it, the vocal
tracts as the mechanism by which sounds are produced
2. and reproduced to transmit ideas and values.

Our  The vocal tract of a human is longer than that of a

Speaking chimpanzee; a longer vocal tract means there is a longer
vibration surface, allowing humans to produce a wide array
Capacity of sounds than chimps.

 The tongue of humans is also more flexible than that of a

chimp, allowing more control in making sounds
  Look at your hands.

 Notice how your thumb relates with your other fingers.

 This capacity to directly oppose your thumb with your other fingers
is an exclusive trait of humans. It allowed us to have a finer grip.
3.  Thus, we have the capability to craft materials with precision.
Our  The hand of a human has fingers that are straight , as compared with
Gripping the curved ones of other primates.

Capacity
  The thumb of the human is proportionately longer than
those of other primates; thus it allowed 2 types of grips
3.  Power Grip :
Our Enabled humans to wrap the thumb and fingers on an
object; it gave us the capacity to hold tools firmly for
Gripping hunting and other activities
Capacity  Precision Grip:
Enabled humans to hold and pick objects steadily using th
eir fingers; this is crucial for tool – making activities
  Primates have 2 forms of locomotion:

Bipedalism – capacity to walk and stand on two feet

Quadropedalism – uses all four limbs
4. Our  Being bipedal, humans gained
Walking/ more capacity to move while carry
ing objects with their hands.
Standing
 This is an important trait, as it gave
Capacity humans more productivity with
their hands.

 Apart from this, humans gained a

more efficient form of locomotion
suitable for hunting and foraging.
 Human Origins and the Capacity for Culture

As our ancestors Archeologists refer to

evolved biologically these early traditions as
in response top their stone tools industries
instead of culture, as
environment, they the material products
have also developed of these periods merely
cultural technologies display the methods
that aided them to used by early humans
efficiently obtain in creating tools and
and deter predators. not the modern
context by which we
define it.
 Oldowan
Industry
• Characterized by the
use of “hard water –
worn creek cobbles
made out of volcanic
rock” (O’Neil, 2012)
• This industry is known
to have been used by
Homo habilis
• These forms of
Paleolithic
technology allowed for
the species to “butcher
large animals, because
human teeth & fingers
are totally inadequate
for cutting through
thick skin and slicing
off pieces of meat
Acheulian
Industry
• Homo erectus created
hand axes that were
bifacial, shaped in both
sides, and with straighter
and sharper edges.
• Homo erectus made
other tools ( choppers,
cleavers and hammers as
well as flakes used as
knives and scrapers) (O’
Neil, 2012)
• St. Archeul, a patron saint
in southern France where
the artifacts were
discovered and where this
industry was named after.
 Mousterian
Industry Paleolithic
• This industry was developed by
Homo neaderthalensis
• It could be said that these are
(Neanderthals)
pieces of evidence of
development of tradition, as
• It was named after a site in France
one efficient trait is borrowed
called Le Moustier.
or passed on to the next
generation or group of species.
• The type of tool is very efficient as
all the sides of the flake tool are
• By the end of the Paleolithic
sharpened and due to the
period, early humans have
reduction in size, more handy.
been engaged in proto –
culture type of industries
• Stone tools differ in size, shape
wherein they did not just
and sharpened sides; these
create tools but also started
differences are due to the shifting
creating art and other
needs of the users who were
symbolic materials
adapting to their environment
( need for food and/or security)
 Aurignacian Magdalenian
Industry Industry
• Users of this industry • This industry saw the end
used raw materials of the Paleolithic period
such as flint, animal as it transformed to the
bones and antlers. Neolithic period.

• Apart from more • This industry is also a

advanced toolmaking proto – culture used by
industry, what made
this industry a cultural
milestone for the
modern humans in
Paleolithic the early humans;
creation of microliths from
flint, bone, antler and
ivory.
Europe is their
development of self – • They are also engrossed
awareness. in creating figurines
personal adornments, and
• This development was other forms of mobiliary
projected through cave art.
paintings and the
fabrication of • The application of heat in
accessories such as creating tools; the use of
figurines, bracelets temporary man – made
and beads. shelters (tents made of
 Processes of Cultural and Sociopolitical Evolution
• The Paleolithic • The early humans
stage has provided have always been
the bases for the dependent on their
environment, which
development of made foraging the
complex human primary mode of
groups through the subsistence.
establishment of
culture. • With the drastic
changes in geography
• By the end of the and food sources, the
early humans were
Paleolithic period, once again faced with
earth was getting the need to adapt
warmer as the Ice new strategies to
Age was already at survive. (Childe, 1936)
its last stages
 The Neolithic Revolution
• This period is characterized by a major shift in economic subsistence of the early humans from
foraging to agriculture.

• This dramatic shift affected the other aspects of their lifestyle, as foraging made them nomads and
agriculture encouraged permanent settlement.

• This shift in itself changed the entire array of behaviors, attitudes, beliefs and corresponding
material inventions.

2 Perspectives on the Impact of the Neolithic Revolution

1.With the development of agriculture and technology, humans were able to develop sociopoliticaly,
as the existence of systematic food production has provided food surplus that enabled members of
the population to indulge in self actualizing activities (arts, politics, etc.)

2. Progressive scholars argue that the same phenomenon of surplus production has had negative
impacts on human populations (social divisions, high population density and gender inequality)
The Neolithic Revolution
Early
Civilization and
the Rise of State
A state has a political
entity that has:
Early civilizations were
characterized by: 1. territory

1. presence of city – 2. sovereignty

states
3. people
2. a system of writing
4. government
3. ceremonial center
where public debates
and decisions were
made
 5 Primary Theories

1. Divine Right Theory – rulers ascended to power convinced that

their right to rule is based on their filial relationship
with supernatural forces and entities.

2. Force Theory – a group forces members of another group to

subject themselves to their rules
How
3. Paternalistic Theory – the father essentially is the leader of the first
STATE political unit, which grew as the number of the members of his
family grew. This is true for highly patriarchal, male – dominated
Rose: society

4. Social Contract – the creation of a state was a mutual agreement

between the ruler and the ruled to ensure order and
security from outside threats.

5. Natural Theory – humans have an innate need to be part of a

community