There are many theories about how a person happened. How did our ancestors live? Who were they? There are a lot of questions, and the answers, unfortunately, are ambiguous. Well, let's try to figure out where the man came from and how he lived in ancient times.
Origin theory
- There are several theories about how a person appeared: he is the creation of the cosmos, a creature from another world;
- the creator of man is God, it was he who laid down everything possible that man possesses;
- man appeared from a monkey, evolving and entering new stages of development.
Well, since most scientists still adhere to the third theory, because a person is so similar in structure to animals, we will analyze this version. How did human ancestors live in the most ancient times?
The first stage: para-drink
As you know, the ancestor of both people and monkeys was parapithecus. If we say the approximate lifetime of the parapithecus, then these animals inhabited the Earth about thirty-five million years ago. Despite the fact that scientists know too little about such ancient mammals, there is much evidence that anthropoid apes are evolved parapithecus.
Second stage: driopithecus
If you believe the unproven theory of the origin of man, Driopithecus is a descendant of parapithecus. However, a well-established fact - driopithecus - is the ancestor of man. How did our ancestors live? The exact lifetime of the dryopithecus has not yet been established, but scientists say that they lived on Earth about eighteen million years ago. If we talk about lifestyle, then, unlike parapithecus, which settled exclusively on trees, driopithecus already settled not only at altitude, but also on the ground.
Stage Three: Australopithecus
Australopithecus is the direct ancestor of man. How did our Australopithecine ancestors live? It is established that the life of this ancient mammal originated about five million years ago. Australopithecus already looked more like a modern person with its habits: they quietly moved on their hind legs, used the most primitive tools of labor and protection (sticks, stones, etc.). Unlike their predecessors, Australopithecus fed not only berries, herbs and other vegetation, but also ate animal meat, since these very tools were often used for hunting. Despite the fact that evolution was clearly moving forward, Australopithecus was more like a monkey than a person - a dense hair, small proportions and average weight still distinguish them from modern man.
The fourth stage: a skilled person
At this stage of evolution, the ancestor of man was no different from Australopithecus in appearance. Despite this, a skilled person was distinguished by the fact that he was free to make tools, tools for protection and hunting on his own. All products that this ancestor produced were made mainly of stone. Some scholars are even inclined to believe that in his development a skilled person has reached the point that he tried to transmit information to his own kind with the help of certain combinations of sounds. However, the theory that it was at this time that the rudiments of speech already existed has not been proved.
Fifth stage: Homo erectus
How did our ancestor, whom today we call the "Homo erectus", live? Evolution did not stand still, and now this mammal is very reminiscent of modern man. In addition, already at this stage of development, a person could make sounds that served as certain signals. So, we can conclude that the speech at that time was already, but it was inarticulate. At this stage, a person has a very large increase in brain volume. Thanks to this, a skilled person was no longer working alone, but the work was collective. This human ancestor could hunt large animals, since the hunting tools were already sophisticated enough to kill a large beast.
Sixth stage: Neanderthal man
For a very long time, the theory that Neanderthals were the direct ancestors of man was considered true and accepted by many scientists. However, studies have shown that Neanderthals did not have any descendants, which means that the branch of this mammal was a dead end. Despite this, the structure of Neanderthals is very similar to modern man: a large brain, lack of hair, a developed lower jaw (this suggests that Neanderthals had a speech). Where did our "ancestors" live? Neanderthals lived in groups, arranging their homes on the banks of rivers, in caves and between rocks.
The last stage: a reasonable person
Scientists have proven that this species appeared 130 thousand years ago. External resemblance, the structure of the brain, all skills - all this suggests that a reasonable person is our direct ancestor. It is at this stage of the revolution that people begin their own cultivation of livelihoods, settle not just in groups, but in families, run their own households, keep their own farmyard and begin researching new plant cultures.
Slavs
How did our ancestors Slavs live ? This is the finally developed ancestor of modern man, which is characterized by division into racial groups. The ancestors of man living in the Middle Ages were mainly Slavs. In general, this race appeared in the Baltic lands, and soon due to its large number spread throughout Western Europe and northwestern Russia. In addition, the Slavs fought constant battles, were distinguished by a special technique of owning weapons and stamina in battle. Slavs are the ancestors of specifically Russian, German, Baltic and other peoples.