Primitive Technology/Volume 1 Introduction

The first volume of Primitive Technology is focused on on The Scavenger.

The origins of human technology predates the emergence of the modern man. Whether it is stone tools, fire, clothing, or hunting, these skills were demonstrated by many early non-human hominids. Neanderthals had sophisticated societies comparable to those of early Homo sapiens. Chimpanzees have been observed using wooden and stone tools.

The earliest technology is not limited to the human species, nor was it invented by our kind.

Volume one is dedicated to the Pleistocene Era (2,588,000 - 11,700 BP).

Overview

The nearest living relatives of the human species are chimpanzees, with DNA that is 99% identical with humans. The last common ancestors are estimated to have diverged 4-7 million years ago, giving rise to to the first bipedal hominids in the genus Australopithecus. The first member of the Homo genus evolved 2.8 million years ago.

During this evolutionary progression, dietary changes are a defining feature that correlates with tool evolution.

Early hominids were predominantly frugivores and fiber-biased omnivores. The development and utilization of complex tools enabled a radical expansion of hominid diet, greatly enhancing the versatility and adaptability of early humans. Stone tools enabled Homo habilis to crack into the bone marrow of scavenged prey, and fire enabled Homo erectus to expand their dietary range to foods that were previously intolerable.

By examining the diet of human ancestors, it is possible to formulate an evolutionary trajectory of early human technology.