The document discusses the biological capacity for culture in humans. It identifies four key capacities - thinking, speaking, gripping, and walking/standing. For each capacity, it describes the relevant anatomical features that enabled cultural development, such as the size and structure of the human brain, vocal tracts, hands, and ability to walk upright. It then provides examples of early stone tool industries, such as Oldowan, Acheulean, Mousterian, Aurignacian, and Magdalenian, tracing their development among early human species and Neanderthals.
The document discusses the biological capacity for culture in humans. It identifies four key capacities - thinking, speaking, gripping, and walking/standing. For each capacity, it describes the relevant anatomical features that enabled cultural development, such as the size and structure of the human brain, vocal tracts, hands, and ability to walk upright. It then provides examples of early stone tool industries, such as Oldowan, Acheulean, Mousterian, Aurignacian, and Magdalenian, tracing their development among early human species and Neanderthals.
The document discusses the biological capacity for culture in humans. It identifies four key capacities - thinking, speaking, gripping, and walking/standing. For each capacity, it describes the relevant anatomical features that enabled cultural development, such as the size and structure of the human brain, vocal tracts, hands, and ability to walk upright. It then provides examples of early stone tool industries, such as Oldowan, Acheulean, Mousterian, Aurignacian, and Magdalenian, tracing their development among early human species and Neanderthals.
The document discusses the biological capacity for culture in humans. It identifies four key capacities - thinking, speaking, gripping, and walking/standing. For each capacity, it describes the relevant anatomical features that enabled cultural development, such as the size and structure of the human brain, vocal tracts, hands, and ability to walk upright. It then provides examples of early stone tool industries, such as Oldowan, Acheulean, Mousterian, Aurignacian, and Magdalenian, tracing their development among early human species and Neanderthals.
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CULTURE
Is defined as “that complex which encompasses beliefs,
practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and share as a member of society” (Tylor, 2010). BIOLOGICAL CAPACITY FOR CULTURE 1. Our Thinking capacity 2.Our Speaking capacity 3.Our Gripping capacity 4.Our walking/standing capacity 1. OUR THINKING CAPACITY The primary biological component of humans that allowed for culture is the developed brain. It has the necessary parts for facilitating pertinent skills such as speaking, touching, feeling, seeing and smelling. Frontal lobe and the motor cortex- it is function for cognition and motor abilities. Parietal lobe- allows for touch and taste abilities. Temporal lobe- allows for hearing skills. Occipital lobe- allows for visual skills. Human have a larger brain, weighing 1.4 kg. Due to the size of human brain, they able to create survival skills that helped them to adopt to their environment. Chimpanzees have a brain weighing only 420 g. Gorillas weigh 500g g. OUR SPEAKING CAPACITY As the brain is the primary source of humans’ capacity to comprehend sound and provide meaning to it, the vocal tracts acts a the mechanism by which sounds are produced and reproduced to transmit ideas and values. o The vocal tract of a human is longer than a chimpanzee. A longer vocal tract means that there is a longer vibration surface. o The tongue of human is also more flexible than that of a chimpanzees, allowing for more control in making sounds o Homo Neaderthalensis (Neanderthals)- our nearest relative, was also found to have the same bone, which functions similarity as ours. 3. OUR GRIPPING CAPACITY The hand of human has digits (fingers) that are straight, as compared with the curved ones of the other primates. Characteristics of human hand Power grip- enables humans to wrap the thumb and fingers on an object. It has the capacity to hold tools firmly for hunting and other activities. Precision grip- enables human to hold and pick objects steadily using their fingers. This capacity is crucial for tool-making activities. OUR WALKING/STANDING CAPACITY Primates have two forms of locomotion: bipedalism and quadropedalism, Bipedalism- is the capacity to walk and stand on two feet. Quadropedalism- uses all four limbs. OLDOWAN INDUSTRY A stone tool industry, is characterized by the use of “hard water-worn creek cobbles made out of volcanic rock”. Percussion flaking, which is a process involving the systematic collision of a hammer stone with a core stone This industry is the evidence found by Mary and Louis Leakey at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. This industry is known to have been used by Homo Habilis. ACHEULIAN INDUSTRY Homo Erectus developed a more complex industry from what they inherited from Homo Habilis. Homo erectus created hand axes that were shaped in both sides and with straighter and sharper edges. This industry was named after Saint Acheul, a patron saint in Southwest France, as these artifacts were discovered in the area. MOUSTERIAN INDUSTRY This industry was developed by Homo Neanderthalensis (Neanderthals) in Europe and West Asia between 300,000 and 30,000 years ago. This industry was named after a site in France called Le Mousteir, where evidence was uncovered in 1860. Combination of Acheulian industry and Levalosian. AURIGNACIAN INDUSTRY This industry was mainly present in Europe and Southwest Asia. The term Aurignacian was derived from Aurignac an area in France where the evidence for this industry was found. Users of this industry used raw materials such as flint, animal bones and antlers. MAGDALENIAN INDUSTRY This industry saw at the end of the Paleolithic as it tranformed to the Neolithic period. The industry named after La Madelien site in Dordogne, France. The raw material is the fire, which allowed for a more precise.