Humanities Wordle

Humanities Unit #2 Reflection- Prehistory+Early Humans

For this test I studied by using the method Ms.Moore taught us. I studied and went over the mind-map that we made and then made an Acronym for each of the big ideas. My acronyms told me what were the factors of this big idea they consisted of; Development of Culture- Lucy Baked And Ordered Eleven Strawberries, Tools-Hungry Flatulent Squirrels Chasing Hunting Gathering Fishing, Development of Human Anatomy- Peggy Learnt To Serve Eggs But Cold, Human Adaptation- Clones Say Fire May Trigger Physical Changes. I then wrote these things down on a scrap piece of paper, and used them to write out the mind-map.

This was a effective strategy because I was able to remember most things. And it left space for me to memorize small details and fact like exactly which time period a Hominid lived in or something else. The only bad thing is that in the beginning when it comes to writing everything down it is a little time consuming. You end up starting the test a little late. Next time I will probably use the same method because it was proved to be quite good when it came to taking the test because I felt prepared and not as worried as I could've been.

I think the most interesting thing I learned about in this unit was that how complex and different all the kinds of Hominids were. I didn't really realize before this unit how complex these prehistoric people were and how many different kinds there were. This made me think about the development of humans and really got me more interested. If we had more time to study this unit something I would like to learn about would be more about their family groups and how those were setup or even more about their village dynamics. Of course we knew that they had roles but I wish we could have learned more because it would've been interesting to learn.

Who were Hobbits?

The Hobbits(correctly names Homo florensis(Flores Man)) are, according to evidence, is a hominid that is about 38,000 to 18,000 old or either 12,000 years old (Researchers still have not drawn a conclusion, has a small brain that is about the size of a modern chimps. The thing that confuses scientists is the fact that anatomically the Hobbit has a small brain but tools and evidence of intelligence have been found where the paleontologists, in 2003, excavated a cave called Liang Bua on the Island of Flores, Indonesia. One conclusion to the reason that these hominids are so small is that they simply suffered from Microphaly which is a genetic disorder that shrinks brain and body size. Another conclusion is that Island Dwarfing occurred, Island Dwarfing happens to species on isolated islands. They usually become smaller over time to adapt. A 3rd conclusion is that the Hobbit is a scale down version of a known human ancestor like Homo erectus. The problem is we have very little evidence to prove that any of these theories are true. The most complete skeleton we have is that of "Flo"and female who died at 30 years old. She had protruding brows and cheeks and no chin. Her wrists were like apes and he shoulder blades slightly forward.The feet of Flo were long and flat. With all the information we have gathered still do not have enough evidence to truly draw conclusions. For example how do we know that they made the tools? Or even if they did, did they have the muscle to even lift them?

Tools and Language

Why were tool-making and language important for the development of human culture?
These things were important because they allowed us to develop further and interact with each other in a deeper level. We were able to communicate basic feelings with out real language but developing language allowed us to further communicate our feeling and allowed us to explain in more detail how to do something, how are day was, etc. Having language also helped us pass down information to generation. For example tools that were made in a particular way were passed down with language. This leads us to tool making and how it helped the development of human culture. Tools allowed us to hunt animals which then led to people talking about the hunt or drawing it. Tools allowed us to develop other things like cutlery, or a knife with a blade they allowed us to hunt animals bigger than us or faster. Tools also helped us develop things pottery to maybe store the tools. There are so many thing that can come out of a single idea and that is what happened with early humans.

Why did early humans begin to walk on two feet?

Bipedalism means to walk upright. Studies show that this might have occured in humans before their brains started to get larger, about 6-7 m.y.a but why did we start walking on 2 feet?
There are different theories to why early humans began walking on two feet and these theories include:
- They started walking upright because they needed to free their arms in order to make tools (this was actually disapproved because they found early humans started walking before they started using tools)
- They walked upright to collect food for their mates which then made them more attractive to a mate which meant they would reproduce and their genes would be passed down.
- The walked upright to cross the hot savanna
- To see over the tall African grass.(Scientists also think this could not be plausible because according to research hominids started walking upright in forest habitats.)
- We walked upright to wade across water
- To be more energy efficient
- Helped hominids spot predators
- It was easier to get food that was higher above them, like on a tree.
The theory that I found seemed the most realistic was that hominids started walking on two feet to collect food that was not reachable from a non-bipedal position. This theory states that while on the ground we would reach up to grab fruit that hung from small trees. This then led us to using this as a regular habit because it was so convenient. This seemed the most logical theory because it was an adaptation to our an environment and we needed not to think very much about it. Even if this theory is wrong, why does it truly matter that hominids started walking? Well bipedalism contributed to a shift that had a great signifigance in human evolution. It not only changed us anotomically, like an arch in the foot due to supporting the body weight, shorter toes, etc. It changed the way hominids related to the world and allowed them to find many new opportunities.

Taming Fire

Prehistoric humans used fire to adapt to their environment because fire enabled them to do so many things. It enabled them to:
-Socialize with others
-Protect them from predators
-Allowed them to digest foods easier
-Made food tastier
-Disabled bacteria
These thing then helped humans to adapt to their environment. They could now eat food that they weren't able to eat before because it was raw. This lowered the risk of caching a flu and getting sick from the cold(if it was cold)because the fire provided warmth. Since they then had the ability to transport warmth prehistoric people were able to move to places they couldn't before because it was to cold. They also found another way to ward of predators that would threaten them in the night. Night also brings us to the fact that they could stay up after the sun went down enabling them to share ideas, hopes, dreams and fears to others. The most important thing is that the experimentation of fire opened a world of experimenting to the prehistoric people.

Reflection for Unit 1- Understanding History and Archaeology

After finishing this unit I have learned so much about how archaeologists go about doing their job, I have learned about the steps they take, the precautions that are practiced and have actually gotten the chance to experience what it is like for archaeologist to do a real excavation. With history I have learned about the daily lives of the people before us, I have seen in books what kinds of tools they used and how they used them and also when.
What I found the most interesting was probably studying Stonehenge and what kinds of theories about why it was built are our there.It was also interesting to see why these theories or conclusions were drawn and what evidence had made researchers choose these theories.
I have learned how to organize my notebook and use it as a very effective learning tool. I found that I learned a lot through out this unit which will help me later on in studies and life.