The Hunting of Ancient Human Beings Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Hunting of Ancient Human Beings - Term Paper Example These hominids evolved into Homo Erectus 1.5 million years ago followed by the Neanderthal man 200000 years ago. These hominids were hunter-gathers and used stone tools for this work and each stage was marked by improved intellect and mind. Due to increased population leading to overhunting, a Neolithic Revolution occurred 12000 years ago thus shift from hunting and gathering to plant and animal domestication in the Middle East along the Nile. This paper will discuss the hunting methods of the early man from Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Neanderthal men to the beginning of Agriculture by the Homo sapiens. The Homo habilis is the earliest species of â€Å"humans† or bipedal beings. They were regarded as the â€Å"handymen† or â€Å"skillful human† by Louis and Mary Leaky who discovered their fossils alongside at Olduvai Gorge in Africa in 1959. According to the archeologists, Homo habilis existed 2.5 million years ago and were the earliest tools making hominid. They had a brain fifty percent larger than their predecessors the Australopithecus who lived 3-4 million years ago (Duiker & Spielvogel 3). They were regarded as handy as they could use their hands to grasp objects and make stone tools marking the beginning of the Paleolithic period (Old Stone Age). They were bipedal humans in that they had an upright posture and could walk with their legs, unlike the Australopithecines who were more like chimpanzees. According to Brown, Fairfax, and Sarao, they had â€Å"larger teeth than human and elongated premolars† (n.p). Their brain had a cranial capacity of 55 0cc. The development of the brain was a very crucial for early men as it determined the way of life and advancement to the next stage of evolution. These hominids depended on hunting and gathering hence intellect determined the types of tools to make and the type of game and fruits to gather as well as survival tactics.