Overview
This lecture reviews Era 2 of human history, focusing on early humans, their development as foragers, the cognitive and cultivation revolutions, and global migration patterns.
Early Human Life and Foraging
- Anatomically modern humans appeared about 250,000 years ago and survived mainly by foraging.
- For most of human history, people lived in small, family-based bands, moving to find food.
- Farming, cities, and states arose only in the last 2% of human history.
- Era 2 spans from 250,000 years ago to 3000 BCE and saw foundational changes.
The Cognitive Revolution
- The cognitive revolution enabled abstract thought, planning, and symbolic language in Homo sapiens.
- Symbolic language allowed humans to communicate complex ideas, past and future events, and abstract concepts.
- Collective learning—the ability to build and transmit knowledge over generations—distinguishes humans from other animals.
- This revolution underpinned major technological and cultural advances.
Peopling of the World
- Language and learning allowed humans to migrate out of Africa to populate Eurasia, the Pacific, and the Americas.
- Researchers trace migration via linguistic patterns, DNA analysis, and archaeological finds.
- Fossils and stone artifacts reveal the lives and tools of Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) foragers.
The Cultivation Revolution
- About 12,000 years ago, some humans began farming and herding, shifting to crop cultivation and animal domestication.
- Farming communities invented new tools, marking the start of the Neolithic (New Stone Age).
- Farming led to permanent settlements, population growth, job specialization, and the need for governance.
- Transition to farming was slow, difficult, and its benefits versus foraging remain debated.
- Not all early communities farmed; many continued foraging or mixed subsistence strategies.
Analyzing Early Societies
- Archaeologists study Neolithic sites to compare and connect early human communities.
- Early history involves diverse lived experiences rather than a simple path to complexity.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Foragers — People who survive by gathering wild plants and hunting animals.
- Cognitive revolution — Development of advanced thinking and language in humans.
- Symbolic language — Communication using symbols to represent words and ideas.
- Collective learning — Process of accumulating and sharing knowledge across generations.
- Paleolithic — Old Stone Age period, characterized by stone tools and foraging.
- Neolithic — New Stone Age period, marked by farming and new stone tools.
- Domestication — Selective breeding of plants and animals for human use.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review key Paleolithic and Neolithic developments for upcoming quiz.
- Compare foraging and farming lifestyles in assigned reading.
- Complete map activity tracing early human migration routes.