paleolithic inventions - pannous/hieros GitHub Wiki

inventions wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_historic_inventions

Lower Paleolithic & pre human archaic-inventions:
∞, singing, dancing, playing (toys: dead pray?), nests, beds, twich roofs, shelter, stick angler hooks, decoration, scratchers, rock hammer clubs and anvils, sponges, cups, chisel, lever, spades… , medicine, raft ?

Regular usage and cultural teansmission versus occasional opportunism

Hand axes greatest invention of all time, unchanged for almost 2 My! : • relativly easy to make, from many rock types, little maintenance

3.3 million years ago Lomekwi 'pebbles and anvils' , Australopithecus 2.9 million years ago – 1.7 million years Oldowan assymetric (or Mode I) 2.8 Mya: Genus Homo: later weaning ! 2.3 Mya: Extreme opportunism: occasional fire and cooking, by Homo habilis 1.95 Mya Acheulian Mode II, Homo erectus, single touch until 0.13 Mya 1.75 Mya – 150 kya: Proto language (signs and grunts) to full language

Externalized claws & canine teeth: Sharp branches to prick pray, defend, …

Increase in endocranial volume (ECV), a steady rise in cranial capacity is observed already in Autralopithecina, from about 460 cm3 (28 cu in) in A. garhi to 660 cm3 (40 cu in) in H. habilis and further to 760 cm3 (46 cu in) in H. erectus, 1,250 cm3 (76 cu in) in H. heidelbergensis and modern humans average closer to 1,350 cc. up to 1,760 cm3 (107 cu in) in H. neanderthalensis.

Use of Hand axes (evolution!) : 1.5 mya shows clear microwear produced by plant phytoliths, suggesting that the hand axes were used to work wood

  1. Tree & branch stripping for root&tuber-diggers, spear production later(!)
  2. Universal cutting tool "axe" is a misnomer, knife would be better
  3. chopping, piercing, hammering, scraping, defleshing (carrion?)
  4. clubbing pray by blunt force or 1000 cuts
  5. expose bone marrow, cutting ligaments, perforating, wedges
  6. symmetry favoured by sexual selection:
  7. considerable skill, design and symmetry beyond that needed for utility
  8. less signs of use or evidence of edge wear under electron microscopy !?
  9. flake cores
  10. retouches

Acheulian flat axes and symmetry was useful for splicing wood!!

The modern day villages along the Sepik river in New Guinea continue to use tools that are virtually identical to hand axes to clear forest.

1.5 Mya: Bone tools in Africa by Homo erectus to dig in termite mounds!

Distinctively human: 900 kya - 40 kya: Boats 500 kya: Hafting in South Africa by Homo heidelbergensis 450 kya - 500 kya: Woodworking construction in Zambia by Homo heidelbergensis 400 kya: Pigments in Zambia by Homo heidelbergensis 400 kya - 300 kya: Spears in Germany likely by Homo heidelbergensis

Middle Paleolithic

Biface

Refinements of the Extremely successful Acheulian industry:

The earliest Acheulean sites in Europe appear only around 0.5 mya! The Acheulean tradition did not spread to Eastern Asia, they used Oldowan!

Two layers of knapping (one made with stone knapping and one made with bone knapping).

160ka to 40ka Mousterian • racloirs • knives • scrapers • punches • fire making pyrite sparks 50k BP

Levallois technique

A hand axe has a long blade with different curves and angles, some sharper and others more resistant, including points and notches. All of this is combined in one tool, hand axe as "Swiss Army Knife"

700ka H. heidelbergensis may have been able to carry out coordinated hunting strategies, and consequently they seem to have had a higher dependence on meat.

The dawn of homo sapiens around 300 ka coincides with the start of the Middle Paleolithic period. Towards the middle of this 250,000-year period, humans begin to migrate out of Africa, and the later part of the period shows the beginning of long-distance trade, religious rites and other behavior associated with Behavioral modernity.

Three different innovation events relating to fire:
Usage of fire: early middle paleolithic? 1.8 Ma ago, but not a single heated lithic 1 mya
Guarding of fire: Middle pleistocene? with global cultural spread 400k-250k ago in different hominin subpopulations
Making of fire: Upper paleolithic, Neanderthals ?

  • c. 320 ka: trade and long-distance transportation of resources (e.g. obsidian), use of pigments: Ocre as insecticide, later as paint
  • c. 300 ka: Cultural spread of the Levallois technique across hominin subpopulations
  • 279 ka: Early stone-tipped projectile weapons in Ethiopia
  • 250 ka: small flake-tools
  • c. 200 ka: grass sleeping mats, their ash as insecticide, Border Cave workshop near fire
  • c. 200 ka: Glue in Central Italy by neanderthals. More complicated compound adhesives developed by homo sapiens have been found from c. 70 ka Sibudu, South Africa and have been regarded as a sign of cognitive advancement.
  • 170-83 ka: Animal hides as Clothing (among anatomically modern humans in Africa). Some other evidence suggests that humans may have begun wearing clothing as far back as 100,000 to 500,000 years ago.
  • 164-47 ka: Heat treating of stone blades in South Africa.
  • 135-100 ka: Beads in Israel and Algeria
  • 100 ka: Ostrich eggshells bottles, crystal collection
  • 100 ka: Compound paints made in South Africa
  • 100 ka: structure: series of sandstone blocks set in a semi-circle with a 180cm by 120cm oval foundation dug 30cm deep ƒ??
  • 100 ka: Funerals (in the form of burial) in Israel/Kenya
  • 90 ka: Harpoons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • 77 ka: Beds in South Africa Artistic markings counting?
  • 70-60 ka: Oldest arrows (evidence of blow-arrows, throw-arrows, spear-heads or bow-and-arrow technology)
  • 70-60 ka: oldest needle, at Sibudu Sibudu, South Africa 61 kya - 62 kya: Cave painting in Spain by Neanderthal?

• Wooden Tool perfecion: fork, spoon, ladle, cup/bowl(!?), hoe, chop-sticks, … • Spear fishing, traps, …

  • ? ka Baskets and nets
  • ? ka 𓐎 bucket

FIRE camps , fire clearing , torch , hardening FIRE => cook cooking, roasting, grilling 𒆬 KUG ⇔ cook 𒆬𒆪 kuk-ku cake (kitchen/metal) 𒌑𒆪𒊌 u₂ku-uk "to burn"

Upper Paleolithic to Early Mesolithic

50 ka has been regarded by some as the beginning of Behavioral modernity, defining the Upper Paleolithic period, which lasted nearly 40,000 years (though some research dates the beginning of behavioral modernity earlier to the Middle Paleolithic). This is characterized by the widespread observation of religious rites, artistic expression and the appearance of tools made for purely intellectual or artistic pursuits.

  • 47ka IUP Initial Upper Paleolithic toolkit replacing Neanderthals, with beads and necklaces
  • 49-30 ka: Ground stone tools – fragments of an axe in Australia date to 49-45 ka, more appear in Japan closer to 30 ka, and elsewhere closer to the Neolithic.
  • 47 ka: mines in Swaziland, and extracted hematite for red pigment ochre.
  • 44 ka: Long Flint Knives (Ahmarian)
  • 44–42 ka: Tally sticks (see Lebombo bone) in Swaziland
  • 43.7 ka: Cave painting in Indonesia …
  • 40-20 ka: Domestication of the Grey Wolf
  • 40 ka: three-ply cord from a Neanderthal site
  • 37 ka: Mortar and pestle in Southwest Asia.
  • 36 ka: Hemp Weaving – Indirect evidence from Czechia, Georgia and Moravia. The earliest actual piece of woven cloth was found in Çatalhöyük, Turkey
  • 36 ka: Hemp Weaving for bags and sacks?
  • 35 ka: Flute in Germany 70 ka South Africa?
  • 33-10 ka: Star chart in France and Spain. Symbolism
  • 28 ka: Rope
  • 28 ka: Phallus in Germany
  • 26 ka: Ceramic Figurines in Europe. (not pottery)

The following could be called proto-neolithic inventions since they constitute the beginning of farming, sedentarism, and domestication (dogs only):

  • 25 ka: prehistoric quern 龙王产 Longwangchan !
  • 23 ka: gardening : intensive usage of plants in the Levant, Ohalo II site
  • 20 ka: string cordage found on fired clay in Europe, two-ply laid rope 7 mm diameter 15 ka
  • 19 ka: Bullroarer in Ukraine
  • 18 ka: First settlements Kebaran culture
  • 18 ka: painted stones and plaquettes, Kebaran and Europe
  • 18 ka: pestle and mortar grain grinders spread to egypt
  • 17 ka - 13 ka: communal storage, communal graves, signs of violence
  • 16 ka: Pottery in China, Korea, Japan
  • 14.5 ka: Bread in Jordan
  • 14.2 ka: dog buried beside humans (Bonn-Oberkassel) !
  • 14 ka: Dentistry in northern Italy
  • 14 ka: subterranean stone foundations for tents, No traces of mudbrick yet
  • 11 ka: war ! Jebel Sahaba in Sudan
  • 9.5 ka: child buried with a cat (Cyprus)

round houses have a diameter between three and six meters, and they contain a central round or subrectangular fireplace. In Ain Mallaha traces of postholes have been identified. Villages/camps can cover 15 to over 1,000 square meters.

40ka? old Australian aboriginal techniques used before european settlers arrived:
aboriginal inventions :
It is proven that the dingo was introduced around 4000 years ago so it's possible that other technologies are late arrivals: Round stone buildings 1-2 m high "Bora rings, Gunyahs"
The boomerang
Weirs and fish traps
fire Flint and fire drill "Firestick farming" controlled burning
Water bag 'fridge'
nets, clothing, baskets
grind seeds
ground edges on natural stone / glass tools
didgeridoo < proto-flutes
TOYS: attles, dolls, spinning tops, and balls, toy propellers out of strips of long leaves
game using spinning tops made from a rainforest gourd, beeswax, bark fibre and hardwood. ??

Before the arrival of modern farmers, both Aboriginal Australians and Papuans engaged in forms of plant management that were sophisticated yet distinctively different from conventional agriculture.

Aboriginal Australians: Aboriginal plant management was characterized by a blend of horticulture and wild harvesting rather than formal cultivation. They practiced fire-stick farming, which involved the deliberate setting of fires to manage landscapes and encourage the growth of beneficial plant species. This form of environmental management promoted the abundance of particular plants that were useful for food, medicinal purposes, and tool-making. Key species included various fruits, nuts, seeds, and tubers such as the yam daisy. These practices ensured sustainable food sources and supported the stability and health of ecosystems.

Papuans: In contrast, Papuans developed a more recognizable form of agriculture that included the deliberate cultivation of plants. They are known for early forms of agriculture in the highlands, dating back at least 10,000 years(introduced by sea farers?). Key crops included taro, yams, and bananas, among others. Papuans practiced shifting cultivation, where land was cleared, cultivated for several years, and then left fallow to regenerate. This type of cultivation is part of a broader swidden or slash-and-burn agriculture system. Papuans also engaged in the cultivation of sugarcane, various roots, and leafy vegetables, employing complex multi-cropping strategies to maximize yield and minimize risk.

Aboriginal Australians: Aboriginal Australians utilized a variety of natural materials for constructing shelters, depending on the climate and region. In the arid and desert regions, shelters were often made from branches and brush, sometimes covered with earth or sand for insulation. In forested and coastal areas, materials such as bark (especially from trees like the paperbark) and leaves were more commonly used. While animal skins were used for various purposes such as cloaks, bags, and water containers, there is no widespread evidence of their use in making tents or large shelters. Their shelters were typically temporary and designed to suit the nomadic aspects of their lifestyle, which involved moving within their traditional lands according to seasonal availability of food and water resources.

Papuans: In Papua New Guinea, traditional shelters and houses were mostly constructed from plant materials like wood, bamboo, and leaves, including the iconic stilt houses in coastal and swampy areas designed to protect against flooding and pests. In the highlands, materials like grass and tree ferns were used for thatching. Papuans utilized animal hides for various tools and ornaments, but not typically for shelter. Their communities often involved more permanent village setups compared to the more nomadic lifestyle of many Aboriginal Australian groups.

Tents? and Houses?
Early Signs of both before Gobekli Tepe: Stone circles as foundation/tent-poles?

Three different house architectures developing in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%87ay%C3%B6n%C3%BC
Initially Round houses the south Levante, square in the North

Hütte Hut comes from Hide!

Mesolithic Egypt

The Harifians are viewed as migrating out of the Fayyum and the eastern deserts of Egypt during the late Mesolithic to merge with the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB)[b] culture, whose tool assemblage resembles that of the Harifian. This assimilation led to the Circum-Arabian Nomadic Pastoral Complex, a group of cultures that invented nomadic pastoralism, and may have been the original culture which spread Proto-Semitic languages throughout Mesopotamia.

Neolithic

Around 6000 BC, Neolithic settlements appear all over Egypt. Studies based on morphological, genetic, and archaeological data have attributed these settlements to migrants from the Fertile Crescent

Neolithic inventions