Fascinating Facts About the Lives of Early Humans
Step back in time, folks, and imagine a world of primitive cave dwellers, clad in animal skins, and struggling to make fire. While that image may not be entirely off the mark, our ancient ancestors were far from the grunting, fire-making brutes that we often picture. In fact, they were innovators, inventing tools and techniques that laid the foundation for the world we know today.
Let's take a journey through history and discover how our early ancestors paved the way for us to become the dominant species on Earth today. Here are 20 facts about early human life.
Some Of Their Food Didn't Look Much Different Than Ours
Almost 14,400 years ago, the early humans were snacking on food that doesn't look all that much different from what we eat today. In northern Jordan, archaeologists found the remains of a fireplace that contained the remnants of flatbread. This was an impressive find for researchers, considering the labor-intensive and lengthy process that it takes just to make the dough.
This doesn't even include harvesting the grain, milling it, and grinding it down into a flour. Tobias Richter, an archeologist at the University of Copenhagen, commented, "Nobody had found any direct evidence for the production of bread, so the fact that bread predates agriculture is kind of stunning."
It's Possible That Humans Bred With Neanderthals
Neanderthals are humans' closest extinct ancestors. These ancestors lived in Europe and Asia from as early as 200,000 years ago until 30,000 years ago. Although we shared many similarities with Neanderthals, they were shorter and thicker than us, with angled cheekbones, wide noses, and prominent eyebrow ridges.
However, their appearance wasn't by chance; these features were necessary for survival in Europe's cold climate and for hunting large game. Yet, it's possible that early humans bred with Neanderthals, meaning that some of us may have Neanderthal genes in our genetic makeup.
They Navigated The Treacherous Waters Of The Indian Ocean
Around 50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens first arrived in Australia. But how did they get there from Africa? Well, it's assumed that they fashioned boats that were most likely lashed together with reeds.
At the time, it was essentially an impossible task, with no way to navigate the treacherous waters, and who knows how many attempts it took for someone to land on the shores of an island. Yet, they eventually succeeded. Over time, they utilized these boats on several occasions, eventually populating the entire continent of Australia.
We Used To Have Way More Hair
It's no shock to learn that humans are one of the most naked species on the planet, especially when compared to our much harrier ape cousins. However, we didn't always use to be this way.
A common belief is that our ancestors shed their excess hair when migrating across the savannas in Africa to keep cool. On top of that, it is believed that we lost our hair in order to keep us free of parasites and disease that is brought about by having so much body hair.
Cooking Food With Fire Changed Human Anatomy
Early humans began cooking food on controlled fires around 790,000 years ago, which resulted in humans consuming much less bacteria than eating it raw. This changed the anatomy of early humans leading to shorter digestive tracts since there was less of a need to process food.
Cooking meat over fire also led to humans receiving more energy from the meat which resulted in taller bodies and larger brains. Humans would look much different if we never discovered the magic of cooking food.
The "Flores Man"
The "hobbit" or "Flores Man," is the nickname given to a small skeleton found on the Indonesia isle of Flores in 2003. Currently, the remains are the subject of extensive research to determine if the individual could be an extinct species that were different from modern humans.
The individual would have stood around 3 feet and seven inches in height and is believed to have lived around 60,000 to 100,000 years ago. Stone tools were also found around the remains.
Why We Walk On Two Legs
Our ancestors began walking on two legs long before we developed our large brains or started utilizing stone tools. But the question remains, which is why do we walk upright? One of the leading theories that we do is because walking as bipeds might actually use less energy than walking on all fours.
Freeing up the arms also might have enabled early humans to carry more food or even help them control their body temperature by reducing the amount of skin exposed to the sun.
Homo Sapiens Are Still Rapidly Evolving
Although it might seem like we've reached the peak of our evolutionary growth as a species, that's far from the truth. According to evolutionary biologists, there are a few isolated areas of the human genome that are currently under rapid selection, which can result in mutations spreading throughout the population.
Our species is also still evolving given the way we live. Constantly looking at screens, sitting at desks, the way we eat, are all having an impact on the evolution of our species.
The Purpose Of Our Fists
Like the rest of our body, our hands changed over time as our species evolved. However, some researchers claim that our hands evolved not for dexterity, but in order to make fists, a theory that came about during the study of anatomical changes in the human body.
The theory goes on to claim that around the time we started walking upright, our hands became short and square with opposable thumbs. While some believe that this was to help make tools, others claim that it was in order to make a fist to fight.
Homo Sapiens Have Always Used Fire As A Tool
Although controlling fire is what allowed Homo sapiens to evolve and become the dominant species on Earth, we never actually had to discover fire.
As a species, we never existed without fire, which was learned to be controlled by our previous hominid relatives such as the Homo erectus, who then passed the knowledge onto us. So, in essence, we had a head start in terms of evolution, and somebody else to thank for it.
Neanderthals Made Complex Tools And Weapons
Although Neanderthals are often cast in a negative light as being simplistic and brutish cave dwellers, that's not necessarily the case. In fact, it's been discovered that Neanderthals were far more capable than previously assumed and were even capable of trading among groups and even making glue.
Neanderthals made a wide variety of weapons and tools, even developing a type of tar from plant resin that acted as a type of glue to fix stone tools onto wooden handles. Not so brutish after all!
They Built Uniform Urban Dwellings
While many people assume that early humans lived in caves only mere step-above wild animals, a discovery in Turkey in the 1960s revealed something else. What was found was one of the first signs of evidence of urbanization among early humans. Nine thousand years prior, these Neolithic people lived in houses made of brick and mud in a sort of neighborhood.
Each structure was built in the shape of a rectangle and around the same size, using a hole in the roof as the front door. The houses were also simple with most simply consisting of a hearth, an oven, and platforms to sleep on. It's assumed that most of their time was spent on the roof.
They Were Artistic
Around 17,000 years ago, early humans had developed many of the tools needed in order to help their survival. However, with the help of tools and other kinds of technology, humans also had more time on their hands. This led to them becoming more artistic, decorating their tools and giving their pottery individual flare.
However, prehistoric art dates far further back than 17,000 years. The oldest known use of color to make art was 250,000 years ago, which can be found in the form of a doodle in a cave in Zambia.
Our Brains Tripled In Size
Over the course of human evolution, the human brain size has tripled, which is the main reason that we were able to survive as a species. However, our brain size didn't just allow us to survive, but to thrive, becoming the dominant species on Earth.
Interestingly, scientists are still not totally sure why we developed such large brains in the first place. Some believe that it was the result of climate change, or our need to evaluate new locations and unknown terrain.
There Was A Massive Population Decline 80,000 Years Ago
Around 80,000 years ago, there was a significant decline in the human population. Scientists still aren't entirely certain of what happened, but they know that something definitely did. Some theorize that there was a massive volcanic eruption, which filled the sky with ash, blocking out the sun.
They believe that the ash particles blocked the sun's heat for many years, resulting in freezing temperatures, which seriously affected human life and population growth during that time on Earth.
A Pointless Leg Muscle
Around nine percent of the human population has a completely useless muscle in their leg. It's what's known as the Plantaris muscle and actually did have a purpose back when humans resembled monkeys more so than a person.
It helped us to grip and manipulate objects with our toes, but we eventually stopped having a need for it thanks to our fingers, and especially our thumbs! The Plantaris muscle is actually so useless that surgeons take from it when reconstructing other parts of the body during surgery.
Cancer Was A Problem
Interestingly, bone cancer has been found in several remains of the early human species of Homo Kanamensis. One of the remains was discovered in Kenya by the leading paleoanthropologist, Louis Leakey, who was surprised to find a lump by a left tumor on the jaw.
This discovery proved that while most people might assume that cancer is more of a modern disease that came about after mankind became civilized, that's certainly not the case. It's been afflicting humans for far longer.
The Purpose Of Goosebumps
While goosebumps are a natural biological response among humans, if you think about it, they don't serve much of a purpose anymore. However, they used to back in the days of early humans.
Back when first Homo sapiens had large amounts of hair, goosebumps served an actual purpose. They made us look bigger by raising our hair follicles, so we looked more formidable so that predators or enemies might think twice about attacking. Now, we get goosebumps for far less threatening reasons.
It Was Not Uncommon For Homes To Be Passed Down To Future Generations
When prehistoric people needed a place to live, they didn't always go find a nice cave like most people think. What they would typically do is refurbish old homes in the area and take up residence there.
According to Silje Fretheim at NTNU's Department of Archaeology and Cultural History, "People became more settled and linked to certain sites because they saw them as good places to live." In some places, some homes would be continuously lived in for over a thousand years.
Climate Change Posed A Serious Threat
Around 11,000 years ago, the climate changed drastically, which posed a serious threat to the early humans of the time, especially those in what is today northeastern England. In order to survive, they had to make some serious lifestyle changes to fight off the cold.
Researchers have found, however, that many groups decided to acclimate to the new climate rather than move elsewhere. this can be seen in how they built the structures of their home, their diet, and the kinds of tools that they used.