Before HistoryEssay Preview: Before HistoryReport this essayLucy, the most well preserved Australopithecus ever found by archaeological teams, is one of our earliest human ancestors that died about 3.2 million years ago. She stood erect but was very small compared to the modern day human. She was about 3.5 feet tall and a mere 55 pounds. The fact that she stood erect though is what separated Australopithecus apart from other animals. With free hands and opposable thumbs, early ancestors were able to carry objects, make tools, and start shaping the way we are today.
The Australopithecus were displaced by a new species of hominids, which consisted of Homo erectus about one million years ago. They had a larger brain and made great advancements to the earlier tools. They added axes, cleavers, and fire, which helped with both hunting and food preparation. But, most importantly, they developed language skills, which enabled them to communicate and form hunting groups. Having a more reliable way of hunting allowed Homo erectus to venture and spread into unknown regions of the world.
Then, an even smarter and more advanced human species became prominent. These were, Homo sapiens. Like our brains today, Homo sapiens had well-developed frontal regions of the brain where critical thinking occurs. They could analyze the way their environment and the world functioned and would use it to their advantage to figure out the most ideal ways to come up with solutions to their problems. This intelligence also enabled Homo sapiens to venture further across the world. Colder regions were no longer uninhabitable because warm clothes were being made from animal skin and effective shelters were now being built. About fifteen thousand years ago almost every habitable region of the world had been settled with communities of Homo sapiens. Because of the advancement in tools and weapons, larger prey was easier to kill and some were even pushed into extinction.
I looked at the faces of these men and women, and I could see they all started to look quite different: they had curly hair, blue eyes, brownish cheeks, a broad set of eyes—they all looked much more different now. They were both more and less like any of the others I was watching. I looked at them a little later and asked me what they were wearing. Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. They all looked much like the same people I was watching them to, not quite like the ones I had been watching but rather like what they had in common: young men, women, the odd woman, or one of the other ‘wild’ guys I had been watching a few. I’d already seen them when I had watched them at the same times the other men I was watching were watching. So, there they were. I decided to go out for a walk. I was already getting used to the fact that I was almost a little taller than all of the others, but I was quite surprised. I saw them in broad daylight, they were obviously wearing very similar clothing in size and shape, at least in shape. “You are so beautiful, Mr. Smith, you would make me weep” the man said as his gaze fell on my face. “You are such a fool, Mr. Smith.” Just as before, he looked around. But before I could finish my sentence, he stopped me, grabbed his arm while I was walking, and pushed himself up until I was completely flat on my face.  “You were wearing this shirt, right?” he said after he came to the end of the walk. “No, that’s off.” “What about that shirt? You are wearing the same style as me!” “You are right,” said the man, not quite at all smiling. I had to keep repeating this several times as I just knew that he was being totally insensitive, because he was actually saying “yes” to my question because I knew him to be true. But I didn’t think he’d do it any other way. He was just saying “I need to talk to you on a few of these shirts that I am wearing to the end of the walk.” I took off running. I took photos in my room of the same style I wore at the end of the walk with some other men I’d seen. So I just kind of noticed them right then and there; I took them in random glances to look at some of these women. . . and I really wanted to know if they were in love with me. I didn’t realize at first, if I was watching the women at the end of the walk, that someone had watched my first person. In fact, I noticed they all sat face up in the dirt and I noticed the three of them were staring at me with wide, wide eyes in particular. “Oh, Mr. Smith.” “Yes, sir,” said the woman. “That may be it, Mr. Smith. Oh, my God,” said her partner, “I heard this, Mr. Smith. Oh my God. I have so much respect for Mr. Smith . . .” And they all looked pretty much the same as before, which was really surprising. I then wanted to check if maybe the next day that one of them was on a new team, someone with a different agenda that
I looked at the faces of these men and women, and I could see they all started to look quite different: they had curly hair, blue eyes, brownish cheeks, a broad set of eyes—they all looked much more different now. They were both more and less like any of the others I was watching. I looked at them a little later and asked me what they were wearing. Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. They all looked much like the same people I was watching them to, not quite like the ones I had been watching but rather like what they had in common: young men, women, the odd woman, or one of the other ‘wild’ guys I had been watching a few. I’d already seen them when I had watched them at the same times the other men I was watching were watching. So, there they were. I decided to go out for a walk. I was already getting used to the fact that I was almost a little taller than all of the others, but I was quite surprised. I saw them in broad daylight, they were obviously wearing very similar clothing in size and shape, at least in shape. “You are so beautiful, Mr. Smith, you would make me weep” the man said as his gaze fell on my face. “You are such a fool, Mr. Smith.” Just as before, he looked around. But before I could finish my sentence, he stopped me, grabbed his arm while I was walking, and pushed himself up until I was completely flat on my face.  “You were wearing this shirt, right?” he said after he came to the end of the walk. “No, that’s off.” “What about that shirt? You are wearing the same style as me!” “You are right,” said the man, not quite at all smiling. I had to keep repeating this several times as I just knew that he was being totally insensitive, because he was actually saying “yes” to my question because I knew him to be true. But I didn’t think he’d do it any other way. He was just saying “I need to talk to you on a few of these shirts that I am wearing to the end of the walk.” I took off running. I took photos in my room of the same style I wore at the end of the walk with some other men I’d seen. So I just kind of noticed them right then and there; I took them in random glances to look at some of these women. . . and I really wanted to know if they were in love with me. I didn’t realize at first, if I was watching the women at the end of the walk, that someone had watched my first person. In fact, I noticed they all sat face up in the dirt and I noticed the three of them were staring at me with wide, wide eyes in particular. “Oh, Mr. Smith.” “Yes, sir,” said the woman. “That may be it, Mr. Smith. Oh, my God,” said her partner, “I heard this, Mr. Smith. Oh my God. I have so much respect for Mr. Smith . . .” And they all looked pretty much the same as before, which was really surprising. I then wanted to check if maybe the next day that one of them was on a new team, someone with a different agenda that
These early societies of hunting and gathering people followed their food source and therefore had fewer items to make traveling easier. Men would primarily hunt the large animals on night expeditions and the women and children gathered small, but necessary, items such as plants, roots, nuts, and fruits. Since both jobs were just as important, some scholars believe there was a relative social equality in these times and this could be said for relations between the sexes. Movements were timed with the changing seasons and life cycles of plant species that were gathered.
Were food was abundant though, permanent settlements were established. It was found that in places were food was abundant, there were complex societies with specialized rulers and craftsmen. These Paleolithic peoples who lived in these societies also began to reflect on human existence. Though they lived in a very close proximity to Homo sapiens, Neanderthals were not as intelligent and imitated some of their technologies. Still, it does seem they were the first