What were humanity’s first inventions?
And so, without further ado, here are some of humanity’s earliest and most ancient inventions. This list is far from exhaustive and is in no particular order.
1. Early stone, wood, and bone tools likely kicked the whole thing off
Stone, wood, and bone tools were likely https://ryuukoi.id/ one of, if not the first, things we invented in our ancient past. But interestingly, they may well have been developed by our early ancestors as far back as over 3 million years ago.
Many stone tools from the lower Paleolithic (around 2.58 million years ago) have been found in present-day Kenya and Ethiopia. Since human beings (homo sapiens) first arose around 250,000-300,000 years ago, in the mid-Paleolithic, it appears we inherited this technology from our distant ancestors. Possibly our far-distant ancestors, as in 2015, researchers near Kenya’s Lake Turkana discovered stone tools embedded in rocks dating to 3.3 million years ago. Those tools predate the oldest confirmed specimens of Homo by almost 1 million years
2. Humanity’s mastery over fire was a game-changer
Another major ancient human invention was our ability to create and control fire. Finding evidence of the earliest regular use of fire is difficult, but there is clear evidence that the regular use of fire, including for roasting meat, comes from caves in Israel dating back between 400,000 and 300,000 years ago.
Like stone tools detailed above, it may well be that controlled use of fire is another invention homo sapiens inherited from our ancestors. It is thought that our earliest interactions with fire might well have been opportunistic. We may have kept existing natural fires burning by adding extra fuel as needed.
3. The bow and arrow changed hunting (and war) forever
The humble bow and arrow was yet another early human invention. It provided early hunters with a safer way to engage and kill prey from a distance, thus rendering the need to get “up close and personal” with potentially dangerous animals less necessary.
Tantalizing evidence from the Sibudu Cave in South Africa points to their invention sometime between 60,000 and 70,000 years ago. The earliest definite bow and arrow remains have been found in Mannheim-Vogelstang, Germany, and date to between 17,500-18,000 years ago.
4. The invention of boats was another major leap forward
Another major early human invention was the boat. Developed between 40,000 and 700,000 years ago, they would expand mankind’s horizons.
Evidence of early human settlements in Australia (40,000 years ago), Crete (130,000 years ago), and Flores, Indonesia (700,000 years ago) appear to indicate that our early ancestors must have developed some form of transportation over water.
5. The invention of agriculture and animal husbandry changed the course of history
Yet another early and critical human invention was agriculture and animal husbandry. First thought to have been developed over 11,000 years ago, agricultural development would enable human populations to explode.
Evidence shows that agriculture was independently developed in at least 11 centers of origin around the world, with the eight major founder crops in Eurasia (emmer and einkorn wheat, hulled barley, peas, lentils, bitter vetch, chickpeas, and flax) first being cultivated in the Levant about 11,500 years ago.