Mobile phones are already part of our everyday lives. In a way, it represents technological advancements due to the constant changes in the key features of smartphones and tablets.
This evolution and development of mobile phones only show how culture changes through time. From the early writings of the cuneiform up to the present features of the different units of smartphones and tablets, we can say that the way of life of the people constantly changes and this concept is called cultural evolution.
What is Cultural Evolution?
Cultural evolution explains the changes in the beliefs, knowledge, customs, skills, attitudes, languages, etc. of the humans over time. It believes that as humans transform themselves, their culture becomes progressively complex due to social, environmental, and biological factors.
The cultural evolution of early humans can be traced to the beginning of Stone Age when they started creating and using tools made out of stones. This is the earliest known period of human culture which started roughly 2-3 million years ago and ended around 6000 and 3000 BCE (Before the Common Era).
This period is also known as the pre-historic period because writing was not yet invented during this time. It is divided into three separate periods:
Old Stone Age (Paleolithic),
Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic), and
New Stone Age (Neolithic).
Paleolithic period is the first phase of the Stone Age. This period started the creation and use of crude stone tools which is the most primitive among the three periods. The word "paleolithic" is derived from the Greek words palaios (old) and lithos (stone) meaning "old stone age."
The early humans who existed during this period showed their skills with fire and stones that changed their diet and food consumption. Hunting and fishing were the primary activities of the early humans during the Paleolithic period. They also had their religious rituals based on nature and developed their own language based on sounds and hand signals.
Mesolithic period is the second phase of the Stone Age. It was considered as the transition period between Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. The word "mesolithic" is derived from the Greek
wordsmesos (middle) and lithos (stone) meaning "middle stone age."
Early humans during this period gradually domesticated plants and animals. They also started to form their own settlements and communities. Hunting, fishing, and food gathering were the primary
activities of the early humans. They also started to use "microliths" or smaller and more delicate stone tools.
Neolithic Period
The word "neolithic" is derived from the Ancient Greek words neos (new) and lithos (stone) meaning
"new stone age."
Neolithic period started during the last phase of the Stone Age and at this point, modern humans started to exist. From being food gatherers, they became food producers and introduced the concept of farming. They also became herders from being hunters during the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods.
They crafted better stone tools and invented the axe. Pots and jars were evident during this period which served as their food containers and storage. Modern humans also formed their permanent homes and started to have their own tribes and villages.
Key Points
Cultural evolution is the idea that the human culture such as beliefs, knowledge, customs, skills, attitudes, languages, etc. constantly change.
Stone Age was the earliest period in the evolution of human culture when it started the use of weapons and tools made out of stones.
Paleolithic period is the first stage of the Stone Age and it started the use of fire and stone tools of the early humans. Hunting, fishing, and other practices such as religious rituals based on nature and language based on sounds and hand signals also emerged during this period.
Mesolithic period is the transition period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. It witnessed the gradual transformation of human culture such as domestication of plants and animals, formation of settlements and communities, and food gathering.
Neolithic period was the last stage of stone age when modern humans started to exist.
Modern humans introduced farming, started herding animals, and formed their permanent homes and settlements.
Nature has greatly influenced primal lifestyle. As such, developments in human life also occurred at the importance of the natural environment. In this lesson, a significant era of sociopolitical evolution will be tackled—the Neolithic Revolution.
The Neolithic Revolution
Paleolithic period involved humans as hunter-gatherers in society. They are nomadic people who can easily transfer from one area to another to hunt animals or gather plants for consumption and survival.
This had been the practice until around 12,000 B.C. E. (Before Common Era) where humans started to domesticate animals and crops. This era of a newfound lifestyle is called the Neolithic Revolution.
From hunter-gatherers or nomads, people became farmers through domestication, the process of increasing human control in breeding animals or plants to regulate certain traits that will make them useful for other human needs. The domestication of animals and plants implied that humans stay in a particular area to enable their resources to grow and expand. Some plants and animals utilized for domestication include wheat, barley, corn, nuts, cattle, goats, and sheep.
One of the first Neolithic societies recorded in existence was Mesopotamia, which is at present, the country of Iraq. It was believed that it concurrently existed with other Neolithic societies in China, the Americas, and Africa.
Implications of the Neolithic Revolution to the Evolutionary Process
The Neolithic revolution has facilitated an economic and societal shift that paved the way for further developments in early human lifestyle. As such, advances in different aspects of human life started during this era.
Below are the implications of the Neolithic Revolution in sociopolitical, economic, and human development.
A. Sociopolitical
The Neolithic revolution paved the way for the creation of civilization through permanent settlements dictated by reliable food supply.
Development in domestication techniques and practices allow for a more complex society and the possibility for urbanization.
With the emergence of towns and cities came the birth of trade and marketplaces. This led to the economy and a hierarchical society with public leaders and castes.
A form of social stratification was developed – created idea of inequality and ideas of social power and influence.
B. Economic
Because of the domestication of crops and animals, an abundant supply of food and resources were maintained.
An introduction to a selective breeding process of plants and animals that would allow for the development of new species.
C. Biological
Increase in lifespan and human population across civilizations.
People learned to play different social roles apart from being farmers (e.g. craftsman, priests, leader).
Evidence for the Existence of the Neolithic Revolution
Some artifactual pieces of evidence prove the existence and success of the Neolithic revolution in influencing sociopolitical development.
Here are some of the actual shreds of evidence found to support the existence of this era.
Morphological changes among Neolithic people, including brain size and mandible, simply dietary changes from solely eating plants to consumption of meat.
A subterranean structure in Abu-Hureyra, Syria was found to be built during the Neolithic revolution and served as a communal storage facility.
Palaeolithic people have fairly healthy teeth, but in the Neolithic, there is an increased caries rate. Neolithic teeth are also more worn down and pitted owing to hard inclusions from poorly ground-up flour.
Molleson (1n9b94) has proved that there are changes in the bones of women that are task-related and associated with cereal grinding.
Tips
The shift from a hunting-gathering society to the Neolithic revolution occurred gradually. It took thousands of years for this change to happen.
If you looked at a map of early civilizations under the Neolithic period, you would notice that all civilizations are near a body of water. This is strategically done by early humans because bodies of water may also function as a source of food and other resources.
Key Points
The Neolithic Revolution is a period where agriculture and farming became prominent through plant and animal domestication.
Domestication is the process of increasing human control in breeding animals or plants to regulate certain traits that will make them useful for other human needs.
One of the first Neolithic societies recorded in existence was Mesopotamia, which is at present, the country of Iraq.
The Neolithic Revolution has sociopolitical, economic, and human implications to evolutionary process.
A form of social stratification was developed – created idea of inequality and ideas of social power and influence.
Many artefactual pieces of evidence prove the existence and success of the Neolithic revolution in influencing sociopolitical development. A subterranean structure in Abu-Hureyra, Syria was found to be built during the Neolithic revolution and served as a communal storage facility.
Lesson 3:
SOCIOPOLITICAL EVOLUTION OF MAN: EARLY CIVILIZATIONS AND THE RIGHTS OF THE