The Development Of The Early Indigenous Societies Of Africa From Prehistoric Times To The Rise Of Civilization.
THESIS: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Not understanding all theories or opinions makes my decisions and awareness limited. .
I was brought up in a religious Christian household. I never understood or contemplated the theory of evolution. I never knew so much of what was written in the Bible and other scriptures of my faith took place in Africa. And certainly never considered the facts that I have learned in these few chapters and in this class. Our book, "The African Experience," is racked with biblical references to the Old Testament book of Genesis.
The infamous Garden of Eden for which I studied in my youth was in Africa? Was it really in the highland interior of East Africa? What would my Sunday school teacher say to that? And what is this pre-man growing into man? I was never taught to believe in evolutionary philosophies. .
These so-called pre-man "creatures" were called "hominids." Their human ancestors were called "Australopithecoines", dating back approximately 4 million to about 1.5 million years ago. They were considered to be hunters, scavengers, and gatherers.
I guess if you think of this in my biblical schooling terms then Australopithecus begat Homo habilis, and Homo habilis begat Homo erectus. Then, a million years or so ago, Homo erectus left the African Eden and headed east, not, like Cain, into the land of Nod, but into southern Europe, south-east and southern Asia. .
In the 19th Century the fossils of Homo erectus were discovered by European scientist and made them realize that man's origins might not lie in the white man's continent. That Homo erectus eventually begat Homo sapiens is not in doubt, however the manner of the begetting is. .
What I discovered is that there is a lot of theories how the Homo erectus transformed into Homo sapiens.
