ACHEULEAN TOOLS & FIRE

=Acheulean Tools= [image:http://i.imgur.com/V30PsVa.png?1] These '''Lower Paleolithic''' (early stone age) tools were slightly more advanced, with a typical ‘tear drop’ shape, carefully crafted with a slight bulge on each broad surface (called a ‘bi-face’). They differ markedly from earlier pebble tools in that there appears to be a standard ‘design’ and the manufacture of these tools requires many more blows to remove flakes. This standard design represents the ability of its maker to be able to ‘plan’ or ‘foresee’ what the stone will become. They were '''first widely used by Homo erectus as a hand axe''' for hunting. This represents a shift from the scavenger lifestyle of ''Homo habilis'' to the '''hunter-gatherer''' lifestyle of later Hominins. It was the dominant technology for the vast majority of human history, and more than one million years ago it was Acheulean tool users (Homo erectus) who left Africa to first successfully colonize Europe and Asia. This distinctive oval and pear-shaped handaxe has been found over a wide area and some examples attained a very high level of sophistication, suggesting that the roots of human art, economy and social organisation arose as a result of their development. Although these tools were first developed in Africa, they are named after the site of Saint Acheul, now a suburb of Amiens (northern France), where some of the first examples were identified. =The use of Fire= [image:http://i.imgur.com/Fc32ZCY.png?1] Charred remains are evidence that fire was used by ''Homo erectus''. This would have required ''Homo erectus'' to overcome a natural instinct to avoid or run away form fire. Fire would have initially been ‘captured’ from natural sources such as forest fires caused by lightning. Later humans developed techniques to create fire on demand. ==The Benefits of Using Fire:== '''Kills bacteria''': Cooking food killed bacteria and parasites, potentially reduces the effect of and the spread of disease. '''Food keeps longer''': Cooking meat makes it more difficult for bacteria to colonise / get into the meat. For instance searing meat gives it a barrier that helps it keep longer. '''Easier Digestion''': Cooked food becomes easier to chew and requires less energy to digest. '''Unlocking nutrients''': The most significant use of fire may not have been associated with preventing disease etc. Cooking some vegetables and plants can release nutrients from some otherwise virtually indigestible foods such as hard root vegetables. '''Protection from predators''': Other potentially dangerous animals / predators will naturally avoid fire. Keeping close to a fire, especially at night would have offered early Hominins such as ''erectus'' protection for some of these animals. '''Warmth''': Fire may also have helped early Hominins such as ''erectus'' to keep warm at night. This would have helped ''erectus'' to conserve energy otherwise associated with keeping warm. '''Social Significance''': Hominins such as ''erectus'' would have been forced to gather around a fire at night (for warmth / protection). This increased their social contact and in the quiet of night when it was no longer possible to be out searching for food / hunting, language may have started to develop. It is no surprise that we see the development of areas in the brain associated with language in those Hominins that first used fire. Because fire also made it possible for individuals to see each-other during the night, this development in communication may also have included developments in non-verbal forms of communications such as facial expressions and body language. '''Tempering''': ''Neanderthals'' later used fire to temper some of their flint tools. This simply involves heating the tool sufficiently and as a result the stone becomes harder / stronger.