One of the first stages of human development is the primitive communal system. This is the longest period of history, which lasted about 650 thousand years. The resettlement of primitive people was uneven. Initially, they inhabited some of Africa, South Asia, and southern Europe. Then people began to occupy other territories of the Earth. The primitive communal system is an important part of the development of mankind.
At the time of primitive people, the climate was much warmer and milder. The vegetation covering the planet was diverse and very rich. People settled in small groups. They harvested fruits, hunted, and searched for plant roots suitable for human consumption. Nutrition of people in this period cannot be called regular. Food production depended on chance and was always accompanied by danger and risk.
It was not always possible to find food, so people often went hungry. In addition, predatory animals represented a great danger to them.
Man is a rational being. Therefore, people began to make tools and devices that helped them hunt animals, get food and make life easier. Initially, these were primitive tools made of stone or wood.
The characteristic of primitive society will not be complete if we do not mention that during this period people knew the fire. They observed natural phenomena (lightning, volcanic eruptions) and kept the fire that appeared in this case. However, much more time passed before people learned how to make fire on their own. With the advent of fire, people could cook, warm themselves or scare away animals.
The primitive communal system has already revealed the makings of the formation of society. People settled in groups. None of them would have survived alone. Jointly obtained food and carried out all the main work. This increased efficiency, improved skills and, as a result, improved living standards.
Communication with each other led to the development of speech. The common cause forced people to agree among themselves and share experiences. Speech contributed to more fruitful work and was the main difference between humans and animals.
The primitive communal system did not know the division into classes, states and countries. Humanity went through the stage of development of elementary skills, speech and thinking. This period lasted about 400 thousand years. Development was slow, but constant. The tools were improved, and with them the skills of people. Gradually formed groups. Together with people, the surrounding nature changed, which influenced their way of life. It can be said that labor created man.
Gradually a clan society arose. However, it was forbidden to enter into marital relations within the clan. So there was a need for contact with other tribal communities.
Ownership of the land, tools and objects created as a result of this labor was common. The primitive communal system is characterized by the presence of matriarchy. The mother woman was at the head of the clan.
Despite the fact that society was not yet fully formed, it had its own traditions and certain norms of behavior. One can especially single out customs and prohibitions, otherwise a taboo.
The art of primitive society is mainly sculptural structures. Most of them were found in Western Europe. These exhibits reflect the first impressions of a person about the world around him, the life of primitive people and their way of life. Many of them are associated with mythological ideas about natural phenomena and other events. But it was they who gave us a more complete picture of this period in the development of human society. The appearance of art became a new stage in the primitive communal system, which made people's lives more harmonious and organized.