2006-09-07 09:40:21 · 5 answers · asked by Ginette d 1 in Social Science ➔ Other - Social Science
The most widely accepted view among current anthropologists is that Homo sapiens originated in the African savanna between 200,000 and 250,000 years ago, descending from Homo erectus, and colonized Eurasia and Oceania by 40,000 years ago, and finally colonized the Americas by 10,000 years ago.
2006-09-07 09:48:05 · answer #1 · answered by Olivier P 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because there are no records of it basically. Homonid creatures and early humans were illiterate and mostly lead a hunter gatherer life style in mostly a clan style society. Early humans never ventured too far from where they were born so they would never have much need for advanced communication. Although many primitive dwellings do show cave paintings.
Also the concept of measuring time had yet to be invented most primitive people awoke with the sunrise and ended their day when the sunset. Measuring time in terms of days, weeks and years didn't appear until 5,000 years ago.
It wasn't until humans settled into cities and established governments that a need for any kind of advanced communication came about. It is widely believed that the first written language appeared in the year 3,000 B.C. in the Mesopotamia region of what is now Iraq.
Since there was nobody to record early information and no system of measuring time and very few relics of their civilization, accounts of early human activity is extremely difficult to find.
Scientists today use a system known as carbon dating to track the age of fossils and the earliest known fossils of humanlike creatures are believed to have originated around 7 million years ago. Homo Sapiens (modern humans) are believed to have first appeared 250,000 years ago in what is now the African Savannah.
2006-09-07 17:07:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's so hard to define "humanlike."
Are chimpanzees humanlike?
Are rhesus monkeys?
Fossils from cro-magnon times don't, unfortunately, leave enough intact DNA to perform cladistic analysis.
2006-09-07 18:38:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It difficult to determine what happened a year ago. It is very difficult to determine what happened a million years ago. But we will keep trying because we are curious.
2006-09-07 16:57:02 · answer #4 · answered by MikeJ 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why is so hard: we have just fossils to work with. It is obviously difficult.
Why we keep trying: there is at least one reason: all the unresolved problems let scientists continue working and be paid.
2006-09-07 16:50:50 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋