Human Bio-Cultural & Social Evolution – Quick-Review Notes

Evolution: natural process of biological change across generations; drives adaptation & species emergence.
Enables analysis of human physiological development critical for survival.

Cultural change shapes rules, customs, norms.
Paleolithic Age: unpolished stone tools, hunting-gathering, nomadism.
Neolithic Age: polished stone tools, plant & animal domestication, permanent settlements.

$Homo\ habilis$ — first stone tools; scavenging; “handy man”.
$Homo\ rudolfensis$ — larger face, teeth, brain (frontal lobes).
$Homo\ erectus$ — upright stature; first fire; hunters with axes/knives; spread Africa–Asia.
$Homo\ heidelbergensis$ — cold-adapted; hunted large game; built shelters.
$Homo\ floresiensis$ — “hobbit” (~ $3$ ft); lived $95,000-17,000$ yrs ago on Flores Island.
$Homo\ sapiens$ — “wise man”; appeared $200,000$ yrs ago; modern humans.
$Homo\ sapiens\ neanderthalensis$ — Neanderthals; burials, sewing; lived $200,000-28,000$ yrs ago.
$Homo\ sapiens\ sapiens$ — Cro-Magnon; cave art & decorated tools; $40,000-10,000$ yrs ago.
Scientists estimate $15-20$ early human species overall.

Hunting & Gathering: foraging; stone/wood/bone tools; small nomadic bands.
Horticultural:
• Subsistence farming – small, kin-based, male authority.
• Surplus farming – dense settlements, specialization, social stratification.
Pastoral: herding animals; nomadic; male-centered kinship; strong yet non-centralized leadership.
Agricultural: plow & irrigation; large surplus; land-based wealth, taxation, entrenched classes, state formation.
Industrial: mechanized production; mobile specialized labor; bureaucracy; pronounced class lines; urban shift.
Post-Industrial: knowledge & information economy; computer industries; technology-driven, globalized social relations.

“Change is permanent”; humans evolve biologically & culturally to adapt.
Studying evolution clarifies advances in cognition, language, diet, immunity, and social complexity.