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Caveman to Town dwellers, the transition era
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Matthew View Drop Down
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  Quote Matthew Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Caveman to Town dwellers, the transition era
    Posted: 04-Apr-2009 at 17:56
Hello all,

I have always been curious about the history of the period in history between the last ice age where 'man' lived in caves and were little more than intelligent beasts to the period where 'civilized' history began. I know the time periods I have given are quite vague, but I hope you understand what I am trying to say.

What I want to know is firstly a brief explaination of how man moved from being a cave dwelling 'beast' to a village dwelling 'human'. Secondly I would love it if anyone could refer me to some books about this time in history. 

Again I hope I have been able to aticulate myself Smile

Thanks
Matt
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calvo View Drop Down
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Posts: 846 		  Quote calvo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Apr-2009 at 18:08
Men no longer lived in caves way before the Ice Age.
From as early as 20,000 years ago (and probably before), people already built simple huts out of wood.
Physically speaking, human beings 70,000 years ago were as much as intelligent as we are today. 
Stone age man was far more intelligent than common beasts for the mere fact that he was able to make stone tools, control fire, and hunt in organized teams.
Many tribes in Africa and the Amazons today live a very similar lifestyle to what our ancestors did before the last Ice Age.
 
The transition to "town-dwellers" was tiggered by an important event: the invention of agriculture.
Once humans learned how the cultivate the land, the population exploded; and towns were a natural phenomenon of population growth.
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Ikki View Drop Down
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Posts: 1378 		  Quote Ikki Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Apr-2009 at 18:17
 
 
Originally posted by calvo

Men no longer lived in caves way before the Ice Age.
 
Well, human be has followed living in caves until today, althought not the majority.
 
Originally posted by Matthew

Hello all,

I have always been curious about the history of the period in history between the last ice age where 'man' lived in caves and were little more than intelligent beasts to the period where 'civilized' history began. I know the time periods I have given are quite vague, but I hope you understand what I am trying to say.

What I want to know is firstly a brief explaination of how man moved from being a cave dwelling 'beast' to a village dwelling 'human'. Secondly I would love it if anyone could refer me to some books about this time in history. 

Again I hope I have been able to aticulate myself Smile

Thanks
Matt
 
Althought like said calvo you are wrong in your view about the paleolithic societies, what you are looking for is the Neolithic Revolution, you'll find a lot of info in the net with these words.


Edited by Ikki - 04-Apr-2009 at 18:22
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Apr-2009 at 18:29
Hello,

Sorry, In an attempt in trying to explain the transition I was curious about. I forgot to mention that what I was interested in was specific 'cultures' from the last people that would be refered to as a caveman to say for example the start of the egyptian empire.

I guess another way of putting it is I am curious about 'cultures' 20,000BC.

I pretty much want to be able to picture in my mind just like how everyone is pretty much capable of picturing in their mind ancient egypt. But about cultures 20,000BC.

does that make sense??

Thanks
Matt
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Apr-2009 at 18:30
[/QUOTE]
 
Althought like said calvo you are wrong in your view about the paleolithic societies, what you are looking for is the Neolithic Revolution, you'll find a lot of info in the net with these words.
[/QUOTE]

Thank you ! 

That was the phrase I must have been looking for :)

Google is a great tool .... only if you know the right words :D

Thanks I'll look up Neolithic Revolution :)
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gcle2003 View Drop Down
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Posts: 7035 		  Quote gcle2003 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Apr-2009 at 21:21
To what extent did humans ever actually live in caves? Isn't living in caves (which is incompatible with nomadism) more likely to be associated with agriculture than not? (cf the Basket Maker culture of the American south-west.)
 
Do the cave paintings that have been found in a few places indicate that the people lived in the caves, or merely made occasional, possibly ritual, use of them?


Edited by gcle2003 - 04-Apr-2009 at 21:26
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calvo View Drop Down
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Posts: 846 		  Quote calvo Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05-Apr-2009 at 11:49

During the last ice age, men apparently built their homes with the bones of mamouths. There is a theory that mammoths were hunted to extinction for this very purpose.

I can't remember where I've seen it: an illustration of a hut built out of mamouth bones: very impressive.
 
Regarding more info on the Neolithic era, check out this site:
 
it is about a pre-historic city-size settlement found in central Anatolia dated to around 9500 years ago. Houses were made out of mud-brick.
According to the definition of the word "city", this could be the first city ever built.
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edgewaters View Drop Down
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Posts: 2394 		  Quote edgewaters Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06-Apr-2009 at 03:32
Originally posted by gcle2003

To what extent did humans ever actually live in caves? Isn't living in caves (which is incompatible with nomadism) more likely to be associated with agriculture than not? (cf the Basket Maker culture of the American south-west.)
 
Do the cave paintings that have been found in a few places indicate that the people lived in the caves, or merely made occasional, possibly ritual, use of them?

Bingo!

Big game hunters were not in the least sedentary and followed migratory herds constantly, similarly, small game hunters and gatherers would have to had relocated seasonally. 

Lean-tos and similar basic shelters would have left absolutely no trace whatsoever, apart from possible midden heaps (and that, only if they remained in the area for some time). And such structures certainly weren't beyond their technological means. Towards the Upper Paleolithic, before the Neolithic, we have remains of larger and more complex shelters such as those found at Gönnersdorf; these were hide tents not unlike teepees or yurts, which featured stone paving carved with designs.
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Nick1986 View Drop Down
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02-Jun-2012 at 20:02
How would we define a "town"? Does it include the "tent cities" of nomadic hunter-gatherers who concentrated themselves by a stream or river? While the men were out hunting, the women fished and cooked
Me Grimlock not nice Dino! Me bash brains!
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