Evolution of man and culture(Ay 304)
According
to Charles Darwin, Evolution the study of transformation is species through
time including both changes that occur within species as well as origin of new
species.
Also can refer to the changes in the properties of groups of organism over the
course of generation (Futuyma 2006).
Evolution can also mean change through time as species become modified and
diverge to produce multiple descendant species or the historical accurance of
change.
Culture is the distinctive way of life of the people (this is according to
Bruce a Trigger 1996) and in 19th century Herder added that culture
meaning that each people had their own culture, that is to say that culture
differ from one community to another.
Fargan B.M (1982:24) added that “human society has its recognizable cultural
style, which shapes the behavior of its members their political and judicial
institutions as well as morals. Fargan explained more that “human culture is
unique because much of its content is transmitted from one generation to
another by sophisticated communication system (p25).
Generally culture is the total way of life of human including knowledge,
belief, arts, law, customs and any other capabilities and exposure (www.
Answer.com).
Also this can refer to the change of gene frequencies per time as reflected in
genotype are characteristics where by genotype are characteristic which are
observed inside the organism and phenotype characteristics which are observed
outside the organism example colour/ size/ height e.t.
Generally the Biological change/evolution is any genetic change in a population
that is inherited over several generation, these changes may be small or large,
noticeable or not so noticeable.
Biological changes are the key influences of cultural evolution in term of
language, symbolic change in body size and shape, and activities such as
hunting and gathering.
It means biological make up starts first then cultural evolution follow
when there as the biological change lead to the starts with the other culture.
Originally culture started in 2.5 million years ago at the period of Stone Age
tools formation. The history of culture can be traced from the early Stone Age,
middle late Neolithic metal age to present. All these shows sign how cultural
evolution was influenced by biological changes.
Through the Genus Homo the members of the genus homo who showed these change in
cultural due to development in biological in term of brain size, locomotion,
shape and body size includes homo habilis, Homo eractus, how Neanderlhalensis,
Homo Sapiens sapience.
These relationships are explained below as follows;
To start with Homo habilis as the oldest member of the genus homo appeared in
2.5 mya at early Stone Age at old wan culture (2.5 – 1. Mya).
He had brain size of 650cm3, he was responsible in tools making at
the period of and had capacity of producing tools such as pebbles, choppers,
although these were simple while it was hand and sharp, for cutting edge and
all could be for hunting and gathering.
In locomotion, Homo habilis was bipedal development by working by two limbs
which influenced the development of other activities of making tools compared
to other primitive homonism.
In the body size and shape Homo habilis was short and had long arms helped him
to gather fruits on trees.
With Homo eractus who appeared in (1.7 – 1.5 mya) during early Stone Age at the
period of Acheulian culture had brain capacity of 1250cm3 compared
to the previous Homo habilis.
The Homo Erastus was
responsible in making tools which were more advanced and the importation from
the previous culture of old way also advanced points and sickle.
Economically the Homo
eractus was flexible with the cognitive capacity and thrive in vastly different
environment because of increase in brain capacity and he based on hunting and
gathering as the mode of subsistence.
He was bipedal, so led to increase the level of activities
and mastered his environment well, how eractus was a bigger, master and faster
hominin lineage and morals size teeth were reduced due to the soffer and richer
diet.
The case of Homo sapiens who appeared is middle Stone Age per iodized around
500000 – 50000mya with brain capacity of 1400cm3 has influence
increase behavior sophistication. He had large body size so it influenced cultural
change because he was the first hominid species to hunt large, medium and small
mammals as well as fish.
The system of food and diet preparation were changed due to the Bipedal and
technological development, including tool making for chopping vegetables and
this lead to the change in his fore teeth.
These was change in
vision as the need to see distant object and the ability to stand upright
motivated the development of three dimension vision color – the taller the
hominid’s the far it could see, so the bipedalism went hand in hand with the
vision development and vision ability.
Also human could
distinguish colour and vision, this situation result to the expansion in
thinking capacity hence brain developed largely.
According to scientist
the hominid’s ability to have information with five sense organs is through
seeing that as to say exes – vision did not only used to see but also to
retrieve information into the brain, this started to Homo habilis and improved
through the way to Homo sapiens (modern man). (camplell and loy 2000 : 102 –
108.)
Adoption of environment
and development of language and brain had influence to the development of brain
size and ability to develop speech organs because adaption of
changing conditions goes
together with improvement of social life of human which grew more complex.
Homo sapiens who
appeared around 0.25mya had resembled the modern man with the brain size of
1400cm3 and where found all over the world.
He was able to make
tools because of his brain capacity development, spoken language and probably
postdated in Homo sapiens. It was new and extraordinary efficient means by
which
human acquired and
passed one from generation to another flexible network of learning rather
genetically inherited.
Once languages have
emerged, culture had symbolic from that changes the ancient hominid skull have
been transforming into modern Homo sapiens skull.
Basically the
relationship between biological evolution relies on how biological
changes changed human culture as explained the changes of brain
capacity helped human in making tools to satisfy his demands and needs,
development of bipedalism helped in the development of several economic
activities of hunting, gathering even fishing.
Biological changes
/evolution led to the changes in human skull in shape and size to the modern
man’s skull, changes to bipedalism, feeding process changed also to food
production as well the structure and size of molars, premolars, incisors
changed, vision also changed and brain capacity developed also man had reduced
his hairs (hairless) because of the changes in climatic condition and other
genetic changes.
Conclusively changes in
term of brain, locomotion, body size and shape and process of chewing due to
teeth morphology were able to influence the culture change from one stage to
another from early Stone Age to present. As because of the brain size its
believed that culture such as tools making began in 2.5 may with Homo Habilis
because of brain size compared with Australopithecus had no ability to make
tools material culture because of low brain capacity.
And by about 30000 years
ago the changes were largely complete and the world was populated with people
who looked the modern man, living in larger hands than they
over hand before, hence
culture and biological change are related as discussed above environmental
changes was the main sources of its evolution and changes.
Lastly the successive
initiatives in technology symbol making brought on more initiatives and cultural
change steadily accelerated.
REFERENCES
Brue G. Trigger (1996).
A history of Archaeological thought (2nd) ed: London Cambridge
university press.
Camplel and loy (2000)
Human kind, 8th ed University of Rhode Island.
Fargan B.M (1982).
Archaeology: a brief introduction 2nd ed. Santa, Barbara: university
of California press.
Pontzer, H. (2012).
Overview of Homonins evolution, nature education knowledge. Hunter collage New York.
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