CHAPTER 2: EARLY MAN - KCSE HISTORY & GOVERNMENT NOTES

3/5/2019

PREVIOUS: INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT

Theories that explains the origin of man

The creation theory
The mythical/traditional theory
The evolution theory

Was put forward by Charles Darwin in 1859. In his book “the origin of species by means of natural selection. He argues that plants and animals evolved from simple life form to complex organisms that occurred slowly over millions of years ago through

Mutations
Natural selection
Environmental adaptation
Isolation

He noted the following important points

All organisms of creatures uniquely different and this uniqueness is based on hereditary factors which the organisms has from birth
Although many young organisms are produced, few manage to develop to maturity
Those who manage adapt to the existing environment
Only the fittest organisms could survive as the weak species become extinct.
Having now survived all the states the species may be isolated from the rest. Through adaptation to the new environment and this may take on a significantly different physical form

The archaeologists have proved that Africa was the cradle of mankind and particularly east Africa. From Africa human beings spread to other parts of the world. They adapted in the environment of different areas bringing about race differentiation

The creation theory

In the book of genesis it is written that God created the universe and all the living creatures including man, six day
God created man and woman in his own image
He blessed them and told them to reproduce and fill the earth

Mythical theory

Most African community has myths of origin whose main points are that the first people were created by God.

The evolution theory

Why Africa is considered the cradle of man

There are numerous archeological sites on the continent where early fossils that resemble man has been found
The savannah grasslands provided space for early man to effectively hunt and gather his food
The tropical climate was suitable for early man’s existence for it was warm throughout the year
There were many all seasons rivers that provided fresh water and trapping for wild animals
Geographically Africa was at the centre of the Pangaea which made it possible for all early ape-like creatures to move to other regions during the continental drift.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL sites in east Africa

Uganda

Tanzania

garusi
apis rock
ngorera caves
eyasi
olduvai gorge
isimila
peninj
laefoli

nsongezi
nyero
magosi
paraa
napak
ishanga
nyabusora
mweya

Ethiopia

omo river valley
hadar
afar depression

South Africa

skerkfontein
kromaruai
swartkrans
maka pansgat

Stages trough which man evolved

Aegyptopithecus
Dryopithecus africanas (proconsul)
Kenyapithecus (ramapithecus)
Australopithecus
Homo habilis
Homo erectus
Homo sapiens
Homo sapiens sapiens

Evolution has given humans useless body parts pic.twitter.com/UWLHi7W4Sf
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) May 7, 2020

Aegyopithecus (egyptophicus)

He was an ape like skull found in the faiyum depression in Egypt
He means an Egyptian shape
The teeth was closer to that of a herbivore

Features

He was small about 4 kgs
He lived in the forest and looked like a monkey
Had stereoscopic vision (sharp)
He had enclosed eye sockets
He had 32 teeth
Had a tail
Walked on four limbs
Used his hand to swing from one tree to the other

Drypithecus africunus (proconsul)

The skull was found at Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria
He lived in the east African forests
He lived between 20-25 million years ago

Characteristics

He moved on all four limbs
He was small in size and looked like a chimpanzee
He had long teeth
He had a smooth forehead

Ramapithecus / kenyapithecus / woodland ape

The skull was discovered at fort tenan near kericho by Louis Leakey in 1961
He lived between 12-14 million years ago
He lived in open savannah

Characteristics

He had 32 teeth and he had smaller canines than earlier apes
He had a brain size of 400cc
He had massive jaws
He weighed between 18-36 kgs
He occasionally walked one two legs

Australopithecus / zinjanthropus / southern ape

He lived between 1-7 million years ago
The skull was first discovered at taung in Botswana in 1924
Dr Louis and Mary Leakey discovered similar fossils at Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania and Lake Turkana in 1959
Similar fossils were found in omo valley and hadar in Ethiopia

Types of austropithecus

Australopithecus anamensis

This is the latest fossil found at kanapoi and allia bay of Lake Turkana by dr meave Leakey

Australopithecus afarensis

Lived between 4-3 million ago It was found at afarensis afar depression (hence it name)

Australopithecus africanus

It was found at koobi fora and taungi makapansgat bterkfontaini in South Africa

Austropithecus robustus/ bosei

Found in South Africa
East Africa at olduvai gorge in Tanzania and was called the bosei.
Also called zinjantropus

Characteristics

Walked on two legs
He was hairy, short and strong
He has a low forehead and deep-set eyes
His brain capacity was 450-550cc
They had sharp vision
They had massive jaws with large molars and smaller canines
They did not make tools

Homo habilis

Homo means man habilis means ability. It means man with ability
He was the first species of man
His remains were discovered by Jonathan Leakey at Olduvai Gorge in 1964

Characteristics

He developed elementary speech
His brain capacity was between 500-800cc
He was a tool maker (oldowan)
He developed the thumb
He was about 1.8 m in height
His skull was shaped like modern man
His teeth were in the same position on the jaws as ours

Homo erectus

The word means upright man
His remain were found at afar triangle, hadar valley in Ethiopia and Lake Victoria region

Characteristics

They walked in an upright posture
They had a more advanced speech than his predecessors
He was 5 feet tall
He had a brain capacity of between 775-1250cc
They were the first people to use fire
They were omnivorous
He made more advanced tools (Acheulian)

Homo sapiens

It means thinking man or intelligent man
His remains were found near Lake Turkana, kanjera, omo valley and Lake Victoria

Types of Homo sapiens

The Rhodesian man

Was discovered in modern Zambia hence the name Rhodesian man

Neanderthal man

Was found in the neander valley in German in 1856
He was heavily built, with a thick skull, broad shoulders and eyebrows like an ape
He was a nomad gathering and hunting deer, wild pigs and wild sheep
Other remains were found in Asia and other parts of Europe e.g. France, Belgium, gilbraitar, Italy and former Yugoslavia

Cro-magnon man

He cooked with fire and made improved tools
He was hunter-gatherer, painter and lived in caves

Characteristics

He was about six feet tall
He had long straight legs for swift movement
He had small teeth with a steep was round four head
He was a fisherman
He was a religious
He made tools that were refined (microliths)

Homo sapiens sapiens

Modern man
He lived from 10000 years ago

Characteristics

He is curious. Intelligent and plans ahead
He made boats
He developed agriculture
He has a brain capacity of about 1400
He lived in settlements
He has invented which have made life more

The culture of early man and economic practices

Culture refers to the way of life a people. It is understood through the study of the stone age of Paleolithic periods.
This periods includes:

Old Stone Age
Middle Stone Age
New Stone Age

Old Stone Age/ early / lower Paleolithic tools and weapons

Stone Age refers to a period in time when man widely used stone as materials to make tools, weapons and artifacts
These tools are found at Olduvai Gorge, koobi fora, omo valley in Uganda and kariandusi in Kenya
The tools are associated with Homo habilis and austalopithecus. They are referred to as oldwan or peeble tools
They represent the first phase of Old Stone Age
Other tools were at acheul valley in France and are known as Acheulian tools

They are associated with Homo erectus and represent the second phase of Stone age. They include:

Fist hatchet
Hand axes
Knives
Scrappers
Spear heads
Arrow heads
Clubs

Use of stone tools

Cutting meat and vegetables
Grinding tough vegetables
Skinning animals
Digging roots
Scrapping skins
Sharpening
Defense and hunting

Houses and food

They sheltered in stone caves during the day and at night they slept on trees to avoid animal attacks
They ate raw meat, fruits, vegetables, eggs, insects and roots

Climate and clothes

The climate is coldest than it is now
Man had hairy body and didn’t wear clothes

Social life

They lived in small groups of about 20-30 people. They had small families
Man used gestures growling and whistling to communicate
There was division of labour as women were involved in gathering and men hunted animals

Hunting methods used during the Old Stone Age

Chasing and throwing stone and spears at the animals
Digging large on the paths through which animals went to drink water and covering the pit with delicate stones and grass
Chasing animals over steep cliffs and forcing them to fall over and break their limbs
Driving the animals in the swampy areas where they stuck
Waiting for animals near watering points
Man killed animals that were injured by others

Middle Stone Age period / middle paleolithic

Tools and weapons

The period is associated with Homo erectus who continued to use smaller, thinner, lighter and sharper tools known as Acheulian
He used wood together with stone and this reduced the weight and size of tools
Some of these tools were named sango bay of Lake Victoria and were named sangoan

Climate and clothing / food

It become warmer leading to heavier rainfall
They ate meat. He also ate vegetables, fruits, insects, eggs and fish
He cooked his food
Man started wearing animal skin, necklaces and he his body with red ochre and oil
He made waist belts using skins

Shelter

Man started living in cares and rock even at night
The entrance of the cave was covered to keep out wind and rain
At night they kept fire burning at the entrance of the care to scare away wilds

Social life/language

They lived in groups of 50 people had a leader
They helped each other in times of hardship
They moved in groups for security reasons
They developed a language of communication which strengthened their social bonds
They used clicks and grants

Rock art/ painting

Man painting pictures of the animals he with arrow piercing them would their hunting expectations great rules
Cave painting also shows a keen observation of life
They painted to decorate their caves
Cave painting helped to develop mans writing skills
Man preserved his cultural heritage through painting

Invention of fire

Man learnt to make and use fire

How fire changed man’s way of life

Warming himself during the cold nights
The flames of fire gave him light
Fire provided man with protection by keeping away dangerous animals at night
He used fire to cook and soften his food
Fire was used to harden the tips of his tools
He used fire to hunt by scaring wild animals towards muddy or swampy areas at night
He used fire to preserve his food e.g. meat and fish by drying it
Fire was used as means of communication
Fire made it possible for man to move out of the warm savannah to other cold parts of the world

New Stone Age – upper PALEOLITHIC

Tools and weapons

They are associated with Homo sapiens
The types of tools were known as microliths. They were very small.
The tools were found in qadan site in the Nile valley and gamble caves in Kenya

They includes

Daggers
Fishing harpoons
Saw blades
Knives
Arrow heads
Bone needles
Bows and arrows

Shelter /clothing /social life

He lived in rock shelters
He built hut using sticks, mud, grass and trees branches
People lived in groups of up to 1000 members
Man developed speech or spoken language
Man wore clothes made from animal skins, fibres and barks of trees
He decorated his body using red ochre and beads

Art and craft

Man continued painting animal and hunting scenes and other designs
Man learnt to make rough baskets and pots

Religion and government

Man started performing rites and ceremonies to influence natural forces e.g. rain drought and death
He started burying the dead with some of their tools and possessions showing man believed in life after death
Man developed a way of maintaining law and order where he lived and this was the beginning of government

Agriculture and trade

Man started growing crops and keeping animals
With development of agriculture there was surplus food which man exchanged with what he lacked leading to development of trade

CHAPTER 3: DEVELOPMENT OF AGR. AND ANIMAL DOMESTIFICATION

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