Human Origins: Evolution, Family, and Hunter-Gatherers
Origins of Human Socialization
Early Explanations of Human Origins
Historically, people have sought to explain how the first men and women appeared on Planet Earth. The responses were, and continue to be, diverse. Some explanations are based on religious beliefs.
One example is the first book of the Old Testament, called Genesis, which recounts the creation of the world and humankind by God.
Another example comes from the Maya, who explained that the gods created humans from earth, wood, and corn. Other explanations for the appearance of the first men and women come from a scientific point of view, although different positions exist.
The Theory of Evolution
Through this process, individuals developed physical characteristics that allowed them to adapt to their environment and survive.
This scientific explanation is known as the theory of evolution and was developed by the Englishman Charles Darwin in the second half of the 19th century. He argued that the individuals best adapted to their environment leave more offspring, allowing advantageous traits to become dominant within a species. For the same reasons, some species became extinct.
The Family: The First Society
The oldest of all societies, and the only natural one, is the family. Children remain attached to their parents only for the time they need them for their preservation.
As soon as this need ceases, the natural bond is dissolved. Children, released from the obedience they owed their father, and the father, released from the care he owed his children, return equally to independence. If they remain united, it is no longer naturally, but voluntarily, and the family itself is then maintained only by convention.
This common liberty is a consequence of human nature. Its first law is to provide for its own preservation; its first cares are those which it owes to itself. As soon as a person reaches the age of reason, being the sole judge of the proper means of preserving themselves, they become their own master.
The family then may be called the first model of political societies: the ruler is the image of the father, the people are the image of the children; and all, being born free and equal, alienate their liberty only for their own advantage.
The whole difference is that in the family, the love of the father for his children repays him for the care he takes of them, while in the State, the pleasure of commanding takes the place of the love which the chief cannot have for the peoples under him.
Hunter-Gatherer Societies
Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras
The first phase of the Stone Age is called the Paleolithic (from Greek: paleo – ancient, and lithos – stone) and is characterized by the production of rudimentary carved stone tools. The most recent phase is called the Neolithic (neo – new, and lithos – stone), featuring polished, more complex stone elements.
Between these ages is a transition period, the Mesolithic. Researchers refer to the first human groups, who shared living space and subsistence activities, as bands or hordes.
It is probable that these bands or hordes were small groups, typically numbering between seven and fifteen members. Paleolithic bands or hordes obtained food through hunting and gathering: they hunted large mammals (like the mammoth) for meat and gathered roots, leaves, and fruits.
These hordes did not produce their own food because they lacked knowledge of agriculture or animal husbandry; therefore, it is said they had a predatory economy.
Because resources were limited and food could be scarce, population growth was slow. Over time, these groups also developed fishing.
Nomadic Lifestyle and Climate Change
Hunter-gatherers led a nomadic lifestyle: the bands moved constantly in search of food and water. In cold weather, they took shelter in caves. In temperate and humid climates, they might have built huts with branches.
Between 10,000 and 8,000 BC, during the Mesolithic, the Earth’s climate underwent major changes, ending a period of glaciation.
The great masses of ice and snow gradually melted as temperatures increased. While the warming climate allowed humans to live in less harsh conditions, they had to adapt their subsistence activities accordingly.