The onset of pastoralism

The onset of pastoralism

The presence of different and better tools during the Late Stone Age enabled humans to perform various tasks that helped them to adapt to their environment.

Among the successes of the Late Stone Age tools was the introduction of animal husbandry and bird keeping in human habitats.

Those activities increased humans' access to food and clothing because they easily got meat, skin and milk.

In addition, dog was one of the first animals to be domesticated by the early humans. Thus, pastoralism reduced human dependence on wildlife and wild birds for their livelihood.

The beginning of agriculture

One of the results of pastoralism at the end of the Late Stone Age was the establishment of permanent settlements. Humans would go to the wild searching for food then returning to their homes. Having permanent settlement encouraged the growing of food crops around the habitats. The introduction of animal husbandry and crop cultivation was, therefore, one of the most revolutionary events in human life. Some of the impacts of agricultural and pastoral revolutions in human development by the end of the Late Stone Age include:

1. Human beings were able to get enough food and surplus. Thus, they stopped spending too much time on hunting and gathering of animals, birds, roots, and fruits;
2. Because they were assured of food provision, reproduction increased and this stimulated population growth;
3. Living together encouraged the emergence of language as an important tool for communication among community members;
4. Increase in population resulted in cooperation which stimulated the emergence of leadership in the respective communities;
5. Adequate food supply gave early humans ample time to spend on art and crafts, such as, pottery, blacksmithing, sculpture and weaving;
6. This marked the beginning of the division of labour based on sex and age group such as the youth and the elderly.

Comparison of developments in the Stone Age periods

In each phase of the Stone Age, humans undertook important stages of development. This depended heavily on their ability to adapt to the environment to improve their lives and their ability to reason. Reasoning ability increased as they adapted to their environment and interacted with other human beings. The following table compares the differences in the levels of human development in the Early, Middle and Late Stone Age.

The Early Stone Age	The Middle Stone Age	The Late Stone Age
Humans began to make and use tools that were crude, scarce, and for temporary use.	Humans improved to walk on two legs.	Humans made better stone tools for specific uses.
Humans practiced nomadic life, moving long distances in search of food and shelter.	They made better and different stone tools.	They started animal husbandry and food crop cultivation.
They lived in caves, forests, and along river valleys.	They discovered how to make fire.	They established permanent settlements.
They obtained food by digging roots, picking fruits, catching insects, hunting birds, animals, and collecting eggs.	They made clothes by softening animal skins and crushing tree barks.	Division of work was based on gender, age, and abilities.
		Artists and artisans began to emerge among community members.