hominization

• When the genesis of living organisms is studied, countless theories emerge. Many religions have their interpretations of how the world and the organisms have come into existence. However, naturalists consider science the explanation of the creation of organisms.
• In his book On the Origin of Species (1859), British naturalist Charles Darwin says that all organisms have undergone evolution, the process by which beings develop from earlier beings.
• In The Descent of Man (1871), Darwin gives a precise theory of how humans have evolved through eons.
• Archeological findings paved the way for humans to discover artifacts that supported the theory of evolution.
• For humans, history started with hominization or the evolutionary development of human characteristics that made hominids (organisms belonging to the Homo genus) distinct from their primate ancestors.
• Hominids differ from their predecessor, the australopithecines, in the sense that they are the first to use stone tools for survival.
• Hominids


  • Bipedal
  • Expanded brains
  • Enlarged bodies
  • Less sexual dimorphism
  • Narrower limb proportions
  • Reduced size of cheek, teeth, and crania
• Homo rudolfensis


  First hominid, discovered in Kenya in 1972
• Some scholars believe Homo rudolfensis should be classified under the genus Australopithecus, since its molar and premolar teeth resemble those of its predecessor, although its brain is similar to those of the other hominids.
• Homo habilis


  First hominid to use stone tools for survival, dated back to 1.9 million years ago
• The skill of tool-making has been carried from Eastern Africa, spreading to most parts of Asia. The survival of this group of hominids in the different regions of Earth only shows its capacity to adapt to the changing conditions of the planet.
• Homo erectus


  Hominid believed to be crucial in defining the moments by which humanity evolved, could manipulate its environment to survive
• Homo erectus left behind the earliest surviving traces of constructed dwellings, the earliest worked wood, the first wooden spear, and the earliest container, a wooden bowl.
• Homo erectus discovered fire, which helped this species survive longer and made their lives more convenient.
• Homo neanderthalensis


  Hominid similar to Homo erectus, more primitive in comparison to modern humans but exhibited similar mental sophistication
• Neanderthals were deemed to be the first to bury their dead, showing concern for other individuals and an attempt to control the environment.
• The birth of language paved the way for the possibility of cooperation, which eventually led to the formation of social organizations.
• Through language, ideas and knowledge necessary for survival were articulated and passed on to younger generations.
• Paleolithic Age


  The earliest stage of human development, about 2.5 million years ago to 10 thousand years ago, subdivided into Lower, Middle, and Upper Phases
• In the Lower Paleolithic and Middle Paleolithic Phases, rough and unpolished stones were used as implements by the hominids, specifically Homo habilis and Homo erectus.
• The Upper Paleolithic Phase saw the use of more sophisticated stone tools and the emergence of cave art, personal ornaments, and the first evidence of religious beliefs.
• The Neolithic Age was characterized by the development of agriculture, the domestication of animals, and the emergence of permanent settlements and cities.
• The Paleolithic Age transpired throughout hominization, subdivided into Lower, Middle, and Upper Phases
• Lower and Middle Paleolithic Phases


  • Rough and unpolished stones were used as implements by the hominids, specifically Homo habilis and Homo erectus
• Upper Paleolithic Phase


  • New materials came into use like the first man-made material, a mixture of clay with powdered bone
  • Invention of spear-thrower, the bow and arrow, and the barbed harpoon
  • Art has emerged in the form of prehistoric paintings and carvings in caves
• During the ice age from 2 million BCE to 12 000 BCE, people spread out to different places around the world using land bridges exposed by falling sea levels
• Neolithic Age


  Cultural era where people employed polished stone tools as a replacement for rough stones
• The Neolithic Revolution provided circumstances that greatly impacted the way people lived, including the invention of agriculture, domestication of animals, and permanent settlements
• Early Neolithic towns


  • Jericho in Jordan
  • Çatal Hüyük in Turkiye
• In the Copper Age, many great civilizations grew, including the Sumerians in Mesopotamia and civilizations along the Nile river in Egypt
• Developments in the Bronze Age


  1. Sumerians learned how to smelt metal and make bronze

  2. Invention of the plow, calendar, and wheel

  3. First recorded form of writing, cuneiform, originated

  4. Establishment of city-states
• Cultural developments led to the discovery of iron in Europe during the Iron Age
• In 508 BCE, a new democratic form of government came about in Athens, Greece, where the people held the power in governing their land
• Athenian democracy


  Citizens (male Athenian parents aged 18+) had a voice in the assembly, but still elected leaders to exercise responsibility for the state
• The birth of Athenian democracy showed that people could rule and govern their land, even without "supernatural powers" or military influence