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1 - In the Beginning

from Section I - Growth of Communities and Knowledge, Armies and Wars in the Ancient Period

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

D. Vijaya Rao
Affiliation:
Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore
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Summary

‘To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life unless it moves into the life of our own ancestors by the records of life history.’

Cicero

Advent of the Genus Homo

Archaeological finds of skeletal remains, skulls and pieces, teeth and jaw bones, stones and shaped or crafted tools, carbon dating, geological data, etc. provide information about each stage of human evolution as well as reveal the climatic conditions that prevailed at the time. They yield ample data to help in a reconstruction of the happenings that led to that particular stage of evolution and then their cataclysmic or quiet extinction. Exquisite anatomical details can be worked out with just a few pieces of bone by employing anthropometric techniques. Predicting size, height, stance and gait of the skeleton's owner gives an idea of how the species stood and moved. Experts can even add flesh, sculpt a near life-like face and build a body to go with it all. The size of the skull indicates the size of the brain within; the larger the brain box, the more evolved was the species in terms of its skill development, its ability to acquire and assess information and knowledge from the surroundings, process and use it for survival and so on. The shape, size and formation of teeth, the size of the jaw bone, etc.

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Chapter
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Publisher: Foundation Books
Print publication year: 2012

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  • In the Beginning
  • D. Vijaya Rao, Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore
  • Book: Armies, Wars and their Food
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/UPO9788175969384.004
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  • In the Beginning
  • D. Vijaya Rao, Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore
  • Book: Armies, Wars and their Food
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/UPO9788175969384.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • In the Beginning
  • D. Vijaya Rao, Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore
  • Book: Armies, Wars and their Food
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/UPO9788175969384.004
Available formats
×