The Super Summary of World History - Alan Dale Daniel [7]
Please be acutely aware of how inaccurate most dates are in prehistory and ancient history. Even though the dates seem to be precise numbers (2071 BC for example) most of them are rough educated guesses. Kings lists are good points to pin past events on if you know when at least one of the kings lived, but often we do not. A chronicler may say King Joe lived 50 years, but this may be an estimate by the ancient writer based on hearsay rather than personal knowledge.
From the writings of our forefathers we have proof that one thing never seems to change, at least from the time that writing began, and that one thing is human nature. From the earliest written legends to our latest 3D movies the nature of people remains a constant. What it was like at the very beginning of human existence is speculation, but once writing begins it is apparent that human nature remains unchanged throughout history. The mind of humanity remains remarkably consistent (or is that inconsistent . . .); accordingly, the fundamental thoughts and emotional processes of our ancient brethren are the same as ours today.
Before proceeding to the arrival of Homo sapiens sapiens[2] into Europe we should mention one proto human type that existed, more or less unchanged, for over one million years—Homo erectus (upright man). This archaic human type spread throughout the old world including China (Peking man, 600,000 BC), but did not manage the trek to the Americas. Home erectus was a fire user[3], built dwellings (some of impressive size up to fifty feet in length), carved wood into spears and bowls, used stone hand axes, and lived in groups. The ability to use fire is a big deal.[4] With fire Home erectus could ward off the cold, keep dangerous animals away, and light the night . . . at least a little bit. Art, at least sophisticated art, is missing from the evidence of Homo erectus. Modern humans alone seem to have the ability or desire to create detailed and refined art. One amazing fact about this ancestor (latest theory) is he lasted so long. Homo erectus is thought to have been around for over 1 million years and may have overlapped modern man by 50 or 60 thousand years or more. Homo sapiens have been around for about 150,000 years. Compared to the one million plus years for Homo erectus modern man has barely started.
Another interesting proto human was the Neanderthal. Neanderthals had, on average, a brain as large as Homo sapiens. Neanderthals inhabited Europe and areas as far east as Palestine by about 200,000 BC. After modern humans arrived in Europe about 50,000 BC Neanderthals went extinct, although some claim they intermingled with Homo sapiens making Neanderthals part of the modern human genome. If modern man and Neanderthals interbred this would mean they were the same species and should all be identified as Homo sapiens. Interbreeding is difficult to prove, nevertheless, modern DNA research is showing there are genetic similarities. Both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals are said to have the gene for speech, and a few researchers think that intermingling caused the gene sharing; however, all this is speculation and other investigators can cite evidence pointing to extinction.
Researchers using modern methods to image the human brain have recorded areas that are more active than others when the brain is involved in certain tasks. The doctors conclude the brain’s pre-frontal cortex (front part of the brain) is the center for generating long-term goals and analyzing how to achieve them. This area also manages the ability to learn from the past. It is also one of the most modern