There are many theories about how man came into being. 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 man came from and how he lived in ancient times.
Origin Theory
- There are several theories about how man appeared: he is a 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 the 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, let's analyze this version. How did human ancestors live in the deepest antiquity?
First stage: parapithecus
As you know, the ancestor of both humans and monkeys was a parapithecus. If we say the approximate time of the existence of 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 areplenty of evidence that great apes are evolved parapithecus.
Second stage: Driopithecus
If you believe the still unproven theory of the origin of man, then Driopithecus is a descendant of Parapithecus. However, a well-established fact is that Driopithecus is the ancestor of man. How did our ancestors live? The exact life time of Dryopithecus has not yet been established, but scientists say that they lived on Earth about eighteen million years ago. If we talk about the way of life, then, unlike parapithecus, which settled exclusively on trees, driopithecus already settled not only at height, but also on the ground.
Third stage: Australopithecus
Australopithecine is the direct ancestor of man. How did our Australopithecus ancestors live? It is established that the life of this ancient mammal originated about five million years ago. Australopithecus already looked more like modern man in their habits: they calmly moved on their hind legs, used the most primitive tools of labor and protection (sticks, stones, etc.). Unlike their predecessors, Australopithecus ate not only berries, herbs and other vegetation, but also ate animal meat, since these same tools were often used for hunting. Despite the fact that evolution was clearly moving forward, Australopithecus was more like a monkey than a man - thick hair, small proportions and average weight still distinguish them from modern humans.
Fourthstage: skillful person
At this stage in the development of evolution, the human ancestor was no different from Australopithecus in its appearance. Despite this, a skilled man was distinguished by the fact that he could freely make tools, means for protection and hunting on his own. All the products that this ancestor produced were made mainly of stone. Some scientists are even inclined to believe that in his development a skilled person reached the point that he tried to transmit information to his own kind using certain combinations of sounds. However, the theory that it was at this time that the beginnings of speech already existed has not been proven.
Fifth stage: Homo erectus
How did our ancestor, whom today we call "upright man" live? Evolution did not stand still, and now this mammal very much resembled a modern person. In addition, already at this stage of development, a person could make sounds that served as certain signals. This means that we can conclude that there was already speech at that time, but it was inarticulate. At this stage, the volume of the brain has increased greatly in humans. Thanks to this, a skilled person no longer worked alone, but the work was collective. This human ancestor could have hunted large animals, as hunting tools were already sophisticated enough to kill a large game.
Sixth Stage: Neanderthal
For a very long time, the theory that Neanderthals were the direct ancestors of man was considered correct and accepted by many scientists. Howeverstudies have shown that Neanderthals did not have any descendants, which means that the branch of this mammal was a dead end. Despite this, in their structure, Neanderthals are very similar to modern humans: a large brain, lack of hair, a developed lower jaw (this suggests that Neanderthals had speech). Where did our "ancestors" live? Neanderthals lived in groups, making their homes on the banks of rivers, in caves and between rocks.
Last step: Homo sapiens
Scientists have proven that this species appeared 130 thousand years ago. External resemblance, the structure of the brain, all the 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 barnyard and begin researching new plant crops.
Slavs
How did our Slavic ancestors live? This is the finally developed ancestor of modern man, who is characterized by division into racial groups. Human ancestors living in the Middle Ages were mostly Slavs. In general, this race appeared in the B altic lands, and soon, due to its large number, it settled throughout Western Europe and northwestern Russia. In addition, the Slavs fought constant battles, were distinguished by a special technique for owning weapons and stamina in battle. Slavs are the ancestors of specifically Russian, Germanic, B altic and otherpeoples.
