In the Beginning

"In the Beginning"
This text, the first chapter of Part I: The Era of Middle Eastern Dominance to 500 B.C., addresses the early stages of human history, described as "a great darkness".

Key Points

• Limited Evidence:
  Early human history relies on fragments of man-like skeletons from scattered locations. Comparative anatomists and embryologists classify Homo sapiens among primates, though human evolution details remain uncertain.

• Archeological Remains:
  Shaped stones and potsherds reveal vanished cultures. By comparing styles and stratifications, archaeologists infer tool development and prehistoric life, but the picture is tentative with expert disagreements.

• Classification of Remains:
  A threefold generic classification includes:

  • Australopithecine (Early Pleistocene)
  • Pithecanthropi (Middle Pleistocene)
  • Homo (Late Pleistocene)
    with further subdivisions.

• Racial Types:
  Distinct racial types emerged during the last Ice Age across habitable Old World regions: Europe and western Asia, eastern Asia, Africa south of the Sahara, southeast Asia, and India.

• Early Achievements:

  • Domestication of animals (dogs, sheep, goats, pigs, cattle) likely began in southwestern Asia, possibly later in southeastern Asia.
  • Horse domestication and pastoral nomadism developed in the Eurasian steppe.

• Agriculture:
  A crucial step, agriculture was independently invented in fertile regions like the Middle East, southeastern Asia, and possibly Central and South America. The plow, initially ox-pulled, marked a significant innovation.

Conclusion

The text underscores the obscurity of early human history, relying on fragmented evidence to trace biological evolution and the emergence of toolmaking, domestication, and agriculture.