The Spirit in Human Evolution - Waldorf Research Institute

Good Tools
Having sharp tools capable of dissecting the carcass in seconds, dividing it up
into portable portions was a major advantage. Hacking through even thick tendons and
sinews was possible using the tools we know erectus used. Later the brain cases and limb
bones could be cracked and the fresh, rich, marrow and brain extracted. Such activities
required not only good observation but also foresight, co-ordination within the group,
good effective communication and an ability to learn from experience. These are all
human traits. The later erectus people, or their close relatives such as those at Boxgrove,
were demonstrating far more than mere animal scavenging skills.
Real Hunters
Fossil evidence shows that early humans were tackling large, healthy, highly
dangerous animals, such as rhinoceroses, large deer, horses, and hippopotamuses. It
is clear that these were not merely opportunistic discoveries of carcasses left by other
predators or died of natural causes. These animals were hunted and killed at close
quarters. The cut marks left on the bones by the butchering are overlaid with the gnaw
marks of scavengers’ teeth, which means the humans were there first to get the best
meat. What is more these butchery sites were the scenes of complex tool-making and
sharpening, of precise butchery (it is possible at Boxgrove to reconstruct the careful slicing
of prime rump steak from the cut marks on the spine). This speaks of a confident group
able to take their time without fear of other predators, as early hominids must have
been, anxiously looking over their shoulders, grabbing what they could and getting out
of the danger zone that a large carcass always becomes. All this means complex group
communication, efficient division of labor as well as courage and strength, clear evidence
of both brain and brawn.
Being familiar with the terrain and knowing quite large geographical areas and
the plant, animal, material and fresh water resources within range would also have
been necessary. Remembering where particular stands of fruit trees could be found and
when they were ripe, or where succulent tubers could be found, belonged also to their
skills.
The Saharan Pump Theory
If we imagine groups of Homo erectus ranging out into the savannah, always
looking for new resources, we can see the basic gesture of expansion. If these roamings
were “directed” by climatic or tectonic changes, shifting balances in the ecosystem,
the end result could seem like migrations. One model has been created based on
paleoclimatic studies on the changing nature of the Sahara. It is known that the Sahara
region has been periodically temperate and well-watered, providing an environment
for a wide range of plants and animals. At other times it has been more like its present
state, hot and arid. During cooler, moister periods there would have been a northward
expansion of animals typical of Eastern Africa, particularly up the Rift Valley.
It is likely that Homo erectus, as part of the ecological unity of herbivores,
carnivores and scavengers, would have moved with them. When drier conditions
returned, the fauna and flora would have retreated steadily back to the periphery,
radially in all suitable directions. In this way the Sahara would have functioned
over millennia like a gigantic organic pump drawing in groups of animals from the
surrounding regions, bringing about intensive interaction. These can be identified as
periods of active speciation as species rapidly adapted to new environments and “jostled”
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