History form one| Evolution of man

EVOLUTION OF MAN

SUBJECT        :  HISTORY FORM ONE 

TOPIC             :   EVOLUTION OF MAN

By.Mwl.Jema

Evolution of man is the gradual changes development of plants and animals from simple form to a more complex form. This change leads to existence of plants and animals that are different from the original plants and animals. Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from ape like ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.

One of the earliest defining human traits, bipedalism the ability to walk on two legs evolved over 4 million years ago. Other important human characteristics such as a large and complex brain, the ability to make and use tools, and the capacity for language developed more recently. Many advanced traits including complex symbolic expression, art, and elaborate cultural diversity -- emerged mainly during the past 100,000 years.

Major theories that explain the origin of man.

There are two theories that explain the evolution of man that are;

1.      The theory of creation

According to this theory man was made by God, Muslims, Jews and Christians believe creation stories told in Quran, Torah and Bible respectively. In this theory, God created the whole universe including all plants, animals and non-living organism. God created the first people and those people reproduced and their descendants dispersed to all parts of the earth. 

2.      The theory of evolution

Evolution is the gradual development of plants and animals from simple form to complex form. The theory of evolution tries to explain the origin of man by describing the changes that our ancestors underwent until they were like modern man. The story of human evolution began in Africa about six million years ago and it describes the very long process that our ancestors went through to ultimately become modern humans. This process has been uncovered by studying fossils and understanding the underlying theory of evolution, and while new fossils are uncovered every decade revealing new chapters, scientists agree about the basic story. The theory introduced by the scientist called Charles Darwin in 1859 in his book known asThe Origin of Species.

STAGES OF MAN’S EVOLUTION 

1.      Primates (Ape, Gorilla, Monkey, Chimpazee) 

Characteristics

• Their bodies were covered with lots of hair.
• They walked on four limbs
• They lived in dense forest
• They had poorly mental abilities
• They totally depended on nature eg. ate raw food

2.      Australopithecus African family

This stage started about 12 million years ago (B.C) when primate changed to near man. This stage divided into;

1. Zinjanthropus
2. Homo Habilis

Zinjanthropus

• Fore limbs were free from walking
• Hind limbs were used for standing and body balance
•  Man started to design, make and use tools
• Man become skillful

Homo Habilis

•  It lived between 1,500,000 and 750,000 B.C
• Homo Habilis become more skillful man, because was systematic tools maker.
• Homo Habilis believed to be direct ancestor of modern man
• He had bigger brain and he was more systematic toolmaker.

·     The skull of those creatures were discovered at Olduvai Gorge and Omo in Eastern and Rudolf in     Kenya.

3. Homo erectus

• Man was fully moving upright
• He become more skillful tool maker than Homo Habilis
•  Its fossils have been dug up in Olorgesaille and near Lake Turkana in the Kenya, Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.

4. Homo sapiens

• He is the true man of today
•  Has a large brain size
• Has less thick jaws
• He was highly skillful man
• He made tools by using stones and bones

5. Homo Sapiens Sapiens

Homo sapiens sapensis a modern man. He is believed to have evolved into Homo Sapiens Sapiens about 50,000 years ago. This man has large brain and great intelligent.

NB: Theory of evolution has been supported by Archaeologist Dr. Leakey in Olduvai Gorge in 1959

Basic characteristics of human evolution

• Development of man’s ability to design, make and use tools
• Ability of man to walk on two limbs (Bi-pedalism).
• Ability of man to think
• Ability of man to domesticate plants and animals

STAGES IN THE EVOLUTION OF MAN

STONE AGE

An Age is a period based on man’s economic activities and type of the tools used. e.g. Stone Age, Iron Age, Bronze Age etc.

Stone age refers to the period of human development in which man started to make and to use stone tools in production. Stone Age is divided into three periods;

• Early stone age or old stone age
• Middle stone age
• The Late Stone Age or New Stone Age

1. Early Old Stone Age

This is the first period of Stone Age. It existed between 1,750,000 BC and 750,000 BC. Zinjanthropus was the only man existed in this period.The early stone tools were pebbles and chopping which was used tools for;

• Killing and skinning of animal flesh
• Digging up roots
• Cutting tree branches.
• For defense

Man obtained food by hunting and gathering. In this period man had low ability to control his environment.

Characteristics of old or early stone age

In east Africa Stone Age sites are found at Olorgasaille, Nsongezi and Oldivai

• Man lived primitive life depending on nature
•  Man made and use crude (poor) tools
• Man lived by hunting and gathering
•  Man ate raw food i.e meat
• Man walked upright
•  Man lived in caves
• Man did not wear clothes

2. Middle Stone Age

This stage covered the period between 750,000 BC to 50,000 BC. This period man improved his stone tools. Tools were smaller, sharper and easier to handle and most of them were spears, arrows, needles, stone picks, knives etc. this tools were used for;

• Digging up roots
•  Killing and skinning animals
• Cutting and chopping

                             Middle Stone Age tools

Characteristics of Middle Stone Age

•  Man discovery fire
• Man developed some religious beliefs
•  Man started to live complex life
• Man’s main occupation were; hunting and gathering and sedentary/nomadic life.

                            Man ancestor making fire

Uses of fire

 

Fire was discovered during the Middle Stone Age and man used fire in the following ways;

1. Fire was used to scare away wild animals and thus keep man safe.
2.  Fire was used as a source of light
3.  Fire provide warmth during the cold nights and seasons
4.  Man used fire to cook his food
5. Fire also was used to fell down trees and clear land, making easy for man to occupy new area.
6. Fire was used to confine animals when man was hunting.
7.  Some communities used fire to communicate
8. Fire and smokes used to preserve food i.e when drying meat

3. The Late Stone Age / New Stone Age

In East Africa the late Stone Age started from around 50,000 BC to the first millennium AD. In this period man used better tools compared to the previous stone age tools as the tools used become more sharper and smaller in size, tools used were stone exes, blades, spears, arrows etc.

The tools were still largely made of stone but they were far better than those of earlier periods. This period marked the beginning of settled communities in areas such as Kondoa Irangi, painting and drawing in caved proved this fact and the paintings and drawings shows the shape of toots used and animal hunted.

Characteristics of the Late Stone Age

• Man used better tools compared to the previous age
• Man started to domesticate plants and animals
• Man become food producer
• Increase of population
• It was beginning of settled communities and villages
• This period marked to be primarily on division of labor. Example, women become child bearers and cares while man for protecting the families and hunting.

The notable changes in man’s way of life during the Late/New Stone Age

1. Man began agriculture (Domestication of plants and animals)
2.  Man began to live in permanent settlement
3. Development of social and political organization.
4. High population growth
5.  Specialization of labour and trade began.
6. Development of arts and crafts
7. Man began to believe on religious.

IRON AGE

Iron age believed to have started during the first millennium AD. This was the period when man made and used Iron tools and weapons in production. Iron tools were discovered about 3000 years ago. The first people to make and use iron tools in Africa were the people of Ethiopia and Egypt.

The first important towns for iron smelting were; Meroe in Sudan, Axum in Ethiopia, Nok area in West Africa also in East Africa, it is believed that man started to use iron from the first millennium e.g. Iron discovered earlier in Engaruka, Uvinza, Karagwe, Ugweno and Western shores of lake Victoria.

              Examples of iron tools and weapons

The result of using iron tools

1. It led to the increase of food production. Man could now clear his areas for cultivation.
2. Increase in population due to more food.
3. Increase in population due to more food.
4. There were emergence of specialization i.e. iron workers (black smiths) and food producers.
5. It led to the emergence of complex villages/development of political organization as kingdom and states.
6. Tools were highly improved and more efficient.
7. There was expansion of trade relation (expansion of trade).