EVOLUTION OF MAN, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT.

EVOLUTION is the gradual change of either animals or plants from a simple stage to complex stages as it believed that man changed from simple stages who lived by depending on nature.

TECHNOLOGY, This is the scientific knowledge which helped man to make and use various tools .Historically technology traced back when man started to make and use stone tool during Stone age

Environment, are those things which surrounding man. Such things include water bodies like lake, river, ocean, Forest etc.

Note. Human beings undergo various changes due to the environment changes occurred Millions years ago.

THEORIES EXPLAIN ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF MAN.

There are various debate among scholars and archaeologist about the origin of man also different writers has been tried to write different articles on the origin of man but their articles fall into two theories which are creation of man and Theory of evolution of Man.

a. Creation theory

b. Evolution of Man theory

A.CREATION THEORY

This theory based on the use of holy book to explain the origin of man. According to this theory God created the universe and everything within the universe. This theory insist that after the creation of first man and woman the population increased trough biological reproduction also the followers of this theory argued that the people migrated to different places on the earth.

WEEKNESS OF THE CREATION THEORY

Theory of creation of man faced critism as it lacked biological evidence to support their explanation about the origin of man rather it based on biblogical evidence.

B.THEORY OF EVOLUTION OF MAN.

This theory tried to explain about the origin of man by basing on scientific evidences to support its arguments. This theory was started by British scientist named as Charles Darwin who argued that Human being and some non Human being shared the same ancestor more than 13 Million years ago.

Charles Darwin on his book titled as THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES Which published in 1859 rejected the ideas of Creation theory about the origin of Man.

According to Charles Darwin human being originated from primates and undergoes changes due to climatic and environmental changes happen million years ago. Archaeologist used fossil evidence to support their theory

FOSSIL, these are remains off living things from long time ago where by archaeologist through the study of fossil they argued that Africa especially East Africa and South Africa is the place of origin of Man.

For Example Dr Leakey argue that the first evolution of man was Africa latter spread to Europe.

STAGES OF EVOLUTION OF MAN IN THE UNIVERSE

Primates

Australopithecus

Homo Erectus

Homo Sapiens

Homo Sapiens Sapiens

EVOLUTION OF MAN AND TECHNOLOGY

Evolution of man went hand in hand with the development of technology which was stone technology and iron technology.

THE STONE AGE

This is historical period in which man depend on stone technology where he mane and used tools made from stone such tools includes flakes, choppers and cores. So during this period the stone tools were made by human being to meet their basic needs also although human being used stone but they used non stone tools like Bones, Woods and plants fibers.

Note, Stone age divided into three phases namely as,

a. Early Stone age

b. Middle Stone Age

c. Late Stone Age

A. EARLY STONE AGE

This is the first phase of Stone Age which existed and lasted around 3.0 Million years to 400,000 years ago an the first human species to use stone tools were Zinjanthropus were by they used stone tools for hunting and gathering.

This phase characterized by the use of two tools namely as Oldowan tools and acheulian tools.

A.OLDOWAN STONE TOOLS

This are stone tools which named after the discovery of Olduvai George.

STAGES OF MAN’S EVOLUTION

1. PRIMATES (Ape, Gorilla, Monkey, Chimpanzee)

Characteristics

- Their bodies were covered wit-h lots of hair.

- They walked on four limbs

- They lived in dense forest.

- They had poorly mental abilities.

- They totally depended on nature e.g. ate raw food

2. AUSTRALOPITHECUS AFRICAN FAMILY. This stage started about 12million years ago (B.C) when primates changed to near man. This stage is divided into two; Zinjanthropus and Homo habilis

Zinjanthropus

In this stage:

1. Fore limbs were free from walking.

2. Hind limbs were used for standing and body balance.

3. Man started to design, make and use tools.

4. Man becomes skillful.

Homo habilis

- It lived between 1,500,000 and 750,000 BC.

- Homo habilis become more skillful man, because was systematic tools maker.

- Homo habilis believed to be the direct ancestor of modern man.

- He had bigger brain and he was more systematic toolmaker.

- The skull of those creatures was discovered at Olduvai Gorge and in Eastern and Rudolf in Kenya.

3. HOMO ERECTUS. During this stage, man was fully moving upright. He becomes more skillful tools 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

its characteristics

 He is a true man of today

 Has a large brain in size

 Has less thick jaws

 He was highly skillful man

 He made tools by using stones and bones.

NB: Archaeologist Dr. Leakey in Olduvai Gorge has supported the theory of evolution in 1959

Basic characteristics of human evolution.

(i) Development of man’s ability to design make and use tools.

(ii) Ability of man to walk on two limbs. (Bi-pedalism)

(iii) Ability of man to think.

(iv) Ability of man to domesticate plants and animals.

5. HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS. Homo sapiens is a modern man. Homo sapiens are believed to have evolved into Homo sapiens sapiens about 50,000 years ago. This man has a large brain and great intelligence.

DEVELOPMENT OF STONE AGE.

Stone Age: This is historical period in which man made and used stone tools. Is a period based on man's economic activities and type of the tools used. e.g., Stone Age, Iron Age, Science technology age etc.

Stone Age is divided into three ages;

(a) Early or Old Stone Age.

(b) Middle Stone Age

(c) Late or new Stone Age

THE EARLY OR OLD STONE AGE: This is the first period of Stone Age. It existed between 1,750,000 B.C and 750,000 B.C. Zinjanthropus was the only man existed in this period. The early stone tools were pebbles and chopping.

Man used these tools for killing and skinning animal flesh, digging up roots, cutting tree branches, and for defense. Man obtained his food by hunting and gathering. In this period, man had low ability to control his environment.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF EARLY OR OLD STONE AGE

In East Africa Stone Age sites are found at Olorgasaille, Nsongezi and Olduvai.

1. Man lived primitive life depending on nature.

2. Man made and used crude (poor) tools.

3. Man lived by hunting and gathering.

4. Man ate raw food i.e. meat

5. Man walked up right.

6. Man lived in caves.

7. Man did not wear clothes.

THE MIDDLE STONE AGE. This stage covered the period between 750,000BC to 50,000 BC. This period man improved his stone tools. Tools were -smaller, sharper and easier to handle. Tools used during this period were spear, Arrows, Needles, Stone picks, Knives etc. These tools were used for; digging up roots, killing and skinning animals, cuttings & chopping.

THE DISCOVERY OF FIRE. Man who was scratching pieces of wood using his hands discovered fire.The more he continued scratching, the pieces of wood got heat the smoke come out, the scratch caused friction of scratched wood and led to emission of fire.

IMPORTANCE/EFFECTS OF FIRE TO MAN DURING THE MIDDLE STONE AGE

The following were the effects resulted after the discovery of fire during the Middle Stone Age

 Man started to eat roasted food i.e. meat

 Man started to live in cold areas.

 Man used fire to clean bushes

 Man used fire to provide light at night.

 Fire used to kill small animals e.g. rabbit

 With fireman increased working hours.

 Man use fire to attract prey.

 Man used fire for defense from dangerous animals like lion.

THE LATE STONE AGE (NEW STONE AGE). In East Africa, late Stone Age started from around 50,000 BC to the first millennium AD. In this stage, man used better tools compared to the previous stone ages. Tools become sharper and smaller.Tools were stone exes, blades, spears, arrows, etc. Man started permanent settlement. The tools were still largely made of stone but they were far better than those of earlier periods were.This period marked the beginning of settled communities. In areas such as Kondoa Irangi, paintings and drawings in the carves proved this fact. The paintings and drawings show the shape of tools used and animal hunted.

Characteristics of the late stone age.

1. Man used better tools compare to the previous ages.

2. Man started to domesticated plant and animal.

3. Man became food producer.

4. Increase of population.

5. It was beginning of settled communities and villages.

6. 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 Informal education started in this period.

THE IRON AGE. Iron Age is believed to have started during the 1st millennium A.D. This was the period when manmade and used Iron tools. The discovery and use of iron improved man’s standard of living. 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. Iron skills and knowledge were not uniform or the same in Africa.

Famous iron Sites

The first important towns for iron smelting were Meroe in Sudan, Axum in Ethiopia, and Nok area in West Africa. In East Africa, it is believed that man started to use iron from the first millennium A.De.g. Iron discovered earlier in Engaruka, Uvinza, Karagwe, Ugweno and Western shores of Lake Victoria.Iron tools included iron spears, arrows, Axes, Hoes etc also, Iron technology helped early African societies to produce and use iron tools as well as to produce better weapons for defense.

THE RESULT/EFFECTS/ IMPACTS OF USING IRON TOOLS

The discovery of iron tools in East Africa led to the following effects;

 It led to increase in food production. Man could now clear his areas for cultivation.

 Increase in population due to more food.

 There was emergence of specialization i.e. Iron workers (black smiths) and food producers.

 It led to the emergence of complex villages / development of political organization as kingdom and states.

 Tools were highly improved and more efficient,

 It led to the improvement of security due to better weapons like arrows, spears and pangas

 It resulted to the development of trading activities due to surplus production