Chapter 10: Neanderthals

readx;? The organizational form of Homo erectus in Heidelberg has entered the late stage of primitive population, and its characteristics are: with the progress of human thinking, the promiscuous sexuality between men and women of different generations has gradually been abandoned. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info marriage within the primitive population was limited to men and women of the same generation. Men and women of the same generation are both brothers and sisters and husband and wife. This kind of marriage relationship between peers is relatively stable compared with the hybridization relationship without generation restrictions. The relationship between men and women within the primitive population has evolved from unrestricted hybridization to blood group marriage of the same generation, which is a great progress in the history of human marriage. It not only improves the physique and physical fitness of human beings, but also begins to form the consciousness of the elders and the young. This is the earliest marriage system of human beings, and it is also the enlightenment of human ethics and moral concepts. The organization of primitive populations tended to be consolidated, thus promoting the development of human society.

At that time, the Sahara Desert was not yet fully formed. In sub-Saharan Africa, there are Central African cultures of the stone core axe type, such as the Sanguo culture and the Lubumba culture, and the Petersburg, Orange, Stillbay and Bambatta cultures of South Africa. It is generally the inheritance of the previous Acheuran stone axe culture, and has absorbed some stone civilizations of North Africa.

At that time, the Moster culture emerged in North Africa. Among them, the Moster culture is a typical representative.

The main feature of the Moster culture is the great development of the Levalova technique, and the typical artifacts are the more delicate turtle-shaped stone core (one side is relatively steep and convex as a countertop, and the other side is relatively flat and convex as a peeling surface) and triangular thin and sharp stone chips (called Levalowa pointed ware).

The main feature of the Levalowa technique is the meticulous repair of the stone core used to make the stone chips before they are laid, that is, the systematic trimming of the prefabricated stone cores, and the regular stone chips are peeled from the core, reflecting a kind of planning, foresight and skillful control of the technology. Therefore, it is also called the repair of stone core technology. The repaired core resembles an upside-down tortoiseshell. The stone flakes are thin and regular, and can often be used as tools without trimming. The back of the stone shards is covered with stone chip scars, and there are also many small scars on the countertop, which are the marks left by repairing the stone core.

The Levalois pointed object does not have the exclusivity of its characteristics, and the stone flakes that are consistent with the shape of the Levaloare pointed can be peeled off from the discoid stone core by the cross-striking method, which is called the "false Levalois pointed tool".

Levalois pointed technology quickly spread to West Asia, Europe and Asia with the Heidelbergers.

In Eurasia, humans moved into high latitudes, while in Africa they expanded into forests and dry areas. The success of this expansion of humanity is entirely due to technological advances. Due to its adaptation to different ecological environments, the Paleolithic culture in various places presents increasingly obvious local characteristics.

At this time, the human hair living on the continent was not long gone, and the ultraviolet radiation was not long, so the skin color was between purebred white and purebred yellow people. About 300,000 years ago, as the climate changed and the Sahara Desert formed, the cultures of North Africa and sub-Saharan began to diverge. During this period, the Paleolithic culture in various places took on local characteristics. Humans were separated by Neanderthals (early Homo sapiens) to the north and Rhodesian (Zimbabwean) people (a mixed race of Homo erectus from Heidelberg and earlier Homo erectus) to the south. The Sahara isolated the two places from cultural exchange, leaving southern Africa far behind the development of stone culture in northern Africa.

Southern Africa is mainly divided into two environments: forest and grassland, there are many fierce animals in the forest, the grassland and desert ultraviolet rays are strong, the environment is extremely difficult, the cultural development is extremely backward, and the melanin content of the skin has increased sharply. The Rhodesians became the ancestors of today's black people, and today's sub-Saharan Africa has a historical name ~ Black Africa.

Later, the Foresmith culture, centered in South Africa, emerged, which inherited the Acheauli cultural tradition and was widely distributed in the grassland areas. Hand axes and thin-bladed choppers are now smaller and more elaborate to craft. Symbiotic light tools, on the other hand, are made more widely using the Levalowa technique.

In the forest zone, another Zanggo culture, which is centred in East Africa but also found in South Africa, has developed, a culture adapted to the forest environment and characterized by the development of tools for working wood, in particular heavy hand axes, large pointed tools and high-backed planers.

Most of the Heidelbergers traveled out of Africa along the ancient migration routes, and due to the Sahara Desert, the Neanderthal army, descendants of the Heidelbergers in North Africa, could not tolerate the heat of the Sahara, so they mainly followed the Mediterranean coast to the Arabian Peninsula. A small part remained in Africa. Due to their more developed minds, Homo erectus Heidelberg was able to communicate simply in language and to interact in groups. Tall and muscular, with more advanced weapons, they can cooperate to hunt large animals. With the slaughter of other Homo erectus along the way, it soon became the majority ethnic group of the Arabian Peninsula. And used this as a springboard to migrate to Eurasia respectively, becoming the main ethnic group of Eurasia (at that time, its skin color was between white and yellow people, which could be called the yellow original race, and later gradually adapted to local changes and became a local characteristic race).

The vast majority of the yellow people who left Africa lived along temperate rivers, and these people became the standard yellow people, and the yellow people at that time were scattered throughout the main part of Eurasia. The original yellow people in Southeast Asia (with more sunlight) also have a tendency to develop towards blacks.

About 30~200,000 years ago, the descendants of Heidelberg Homo erectus in Eurasia developed a strong physique during the war, gradually adapted to the cold climate, and the brain volume developed highly, evolving into Neanderthals (early Homo sapiens) who could adapt to cold life.

The earliest Homo sapiens, such as the Petralona man in Greece (the age may be about 24~160,000 years ago) and the Totaville man in southwest France (also called Alago, about 200,000 years ago) have both the original traits of Homo erectus and the progressive traits of Homo sapiens, which is a transitional type between Homo erectus and Neanderthals.

Neanderthal fossils are mainly found in the vast areas of north-central Eurasia. Neanderthals (abbreviated as Neanderthals) have reached a brain volume of 1,300 to 1,700 milliliters, far exceeding the average brain volume of modern humans. The Ni people inherited the stone tool industry of the Mist culture of the Heidelberg people, represented by small pointed tools and scrapers. At that time, the climate in Europe was cold, and the Ni people were able to use fire and were already able to drill wood for fire, taking a more solid step in the journey of conquering nature. From this early onwards, Homo sapiens were able to stay away from their nests without having to stay at home to keep the fire safe. Whereas the previous Homo erectus could only use natural fire.

The Ni people also began to have the custom of burying the dead. European Neanderthal remains are often scattered with red rubble chips and tools, and the remains are often located head-to-to-foot. It is believed that this is an arrangement governed by certain religious ideas, and is regarded as the earliest form of worship.

The next chapter introduces Late Homo sapiens