Hunting Methods of Early Man - Coursework Example

Hunting Methods of Early Man Hunting can be described as the practice by which living organism are trapped or killed or even the intent of doing such a thing. Hunting is associated with the early man who depended on hunting and gathering for food. Hunting also part of his economic activity, which meant that, at the end of the day it brought something on the table. The early man was omnivorous in nature, but used to hunt to supplement his diet. He supplemented his diet by adding some protein in it from the wild meat. The early man is divided into three stages, and in each stage, man evolved in his hunting skills. The three stages associated with the early man are; the lower Paleolithic period (the early Stone Age period), the middle Paleolithic period (the middle stone age) and the upper Paleolithic period (upper Stone Age). Due to evolution, tools used in hunting also evolved and the skills used in hunting also evolved. The discovery of fire in the middle Stone Age meant that hunting had gone a notch higher, as the early man could now use fire in his hunting missions. Fire could also be used in cooking the food obtained, and in doing so, the early man could be able to remove the toxics form the food. Hunting methods therefore, cannot be summed up as one method among the various stages of evolution. Hunting methods also depended on the evolution stage as well as size of the animal being hunted. For example one man could not have hunted a big animal being alone, and this is where group hunting came in. During the earliest stage of evolution, man used tools known as old wan tools. The tools and weapons at this stage were crude, but they still helped the early man in his hunting. He was then capable of throwing the stone tools at an animal within a certain interval. This technique made sure that the animal aimed at was hit at the most sensitive area, such that it could easily die. This was also made possible by the fact that man was living on trees; therefore they could wait for animals to pass and then throw daggers at them. Early man was able to butcher large animals by use of spears. Hunting was a risky business, but by use of spears, the early man could go on hunting at a safer distance. Most of these animals were a gazelles and other animals that walk in groups. Another method that was used by the early man was use of traps. The traps were aimed to capture dangerous animals which could not have been hunted by the normal tools and by an individual person. During this stage, man did not have a bi pedal walking pattern, but instead used all four to walk. It was therefore not possible for him to chase after the animals by foot. The next stage that followed was middle Stone Age period, which is associated with a hominid called Homo erectus. This particular hominid is associated with the invention of fire. Fire came in handy as man was now able to do things he could not have managed to do in the previous stage. Man could now able to harden the tools he used for hunting making them sharper and lighter when throwing at animals. Evidence of these tools has been found in various archaeological sites in Africa. For example, ‘Koobi Fora in Kenya and Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania’. These archaeological sites show clear evidence that, at one point man was involved in hunting and gathering to obtain food. The early man also used fire to hunt. He could scare animals with fire and chase after them. By this time, the early man had stopped living in the trees and had moved to living in caves. He had also adopted bi-pedalism which enabled him to walk by two. The posture enabled the early man to spot animals from a far distance and prepares to hunt them down. The posture also enabled man to get a clearer view of what was surrounding him. In case of dangerous animals, he could take refuge in his caves. Evidence of fire includes, charred bone fragments, and ash form burnt plants. This was clear evidence that man invented and used fire in this stage. This is when the brain capacity of the hominid also started to expand, and he also became taller and acquired some modern ways in doing his things. Another method that was used in hunting was driving animals in swampy areas. This involved some thinking and working in groups. Animals that posed a challenge in hunting were the targets in this kind of hunting method. The swampy area trapped the animal, so that it could have limited movements. After getting stuck, the animal could then be struck by use of spears, so that it could have bled to death. The early man could then remove the animal, skin it and then cook it to make it tender. Group hunting was facilitated by the fact that man had acquired social life. They were living in groups, and this made it easy for them to cooperate in various tasks. As man continued to evolve, and so was his lifestyle. The middle Stone Age period, was closely followed by upper Stone Age. This stage is associated with Homo sapiens, which is taken as the most modern man in the evolution theory. The hominid is associated with the use of modern and sharper tools which were called the microliths. They included flakes and scrappers. But one thing that stands out is that, he had started domesticating animals because there was competition between him and the wild animals. This does not mean that Homo sapiens did not continue hunting; he hunted and practiced fishing to supplement his diet. At this stage, he could think more logically than the latter stages. Therefore, even the methods that he used for hunting were also modernized. The hominid could use his tools to dig a hole to trap the animals, in their pathways. These holes could be dug on their pathways to a drinking point, where the early man made sure that animals would not fail to pass through there. An animal could then get trapped in the hole, and the early man could come kill it and carry it to their places of settlement. A big animal could be shared by more than one family, since their settled lives allowed them to develop some social strategies. The skin obtained after the animal was skinned was used s clothing by the Homo sapiens; this clearly shows that he had started living just like the modern man. The earliest animal to be domesticated by man was a dog. It was very useful in various aspects, for example, the dog could be used for security, as a pack animal and the most importantly, it was used for hunting. A dog was domesticated as a man’s companion. It used to help the Homo sapiens in pursuing and killing the hunted animal that at times was dangerous to hunt. Persistence hunting is another method that has been associated with the early man over a million years. It involved running after the prey, until the prey could not have run any more. It was then captured killed, and taken back to the early man’s settlement. This method involved chasing the animal in sunny condition for about two to three hours. The animal could get exhausted and when it runs for a shade, it was captured and killed at a close range with a spear. Some archaeologists have argued against this method, citing that the early man could also get very tired from running, and gave up the chase. All in all, evidence has been found with the people of South Kalahari in Africa, who used to run after antelopes for food. In conclusion, hunting methods have not been left out in the evolution stages. As the hominids evolved and so do the hunting activity. Hunting may be associated with the early man, but it is a fact that even now the modern man still enjoys hunting as a leisure activity. In the modern society, hunting is associated with the male child. It is therefore very rare for a female to be spotted hunting even if there is gender equity and equality in everything that we do Works Cited Leakey, M. D. “Olduvai fossil hominids: their stratigraphic positions and associations.”Early hominids of Africa. Duckworth, London (1978): 3-16. Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. Neanderthals Sophisticated and Fearless Hunters. Science Daily, 14 May 2009. Web. 29 October 2014. Thieme, Hartmut. "The Lower Palaeolithic art of hunting." The hominid individual in context. Archaeological investigations of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic landscapes, locales and artefacts. Routledge, London New York (2005): 115-132. Read More