Some of the greatest inventions can often be the simplest
and some can even be the oldest
In this case we must go 70 thousand years into the past.
This was a time of hunting and gathering.
A time in which humans who looked just like us, lived a very different lifestyle.
A tribal life, roaming the region of Africa.
At the time, Earth’s climate was heading into the peak period of the Ice Age.
This change would cool the earth’s average temperature by 6 degrees Celsius and would
drop the sea levels by an entire 100 metres.
For reference, this is Japan before and during the ice age.
You can also see a lot of land is under the water now
Japan today is no longer connected to the asian continent either.
Two million homosapiens (humans) were estimated to populate the earth at the time.
Bands of 50 to 300 individuals roamed the lands of Africa in search of areas with enough
water, wildlife and vegetation to survive.
While most had roamed in their most familiar region of Africa, some had tried to migrate
out of it, towards the cooler climates.
These migrations did not go well though.
Human remains have been found outside of Africa as far back as a 100,000 years ago
but there isn't much evidence that they survived for long.
They likely died from disease or famine.
More migration attempts continued, until a few, more advanced tribes, had successfully
migrated through the region of Iran, then India and even as far as Malaysia by the end of 70,000 BC.
Those waves of migrations, from Africa to Malaysia, were only possible because of the
fast advancements, of our tools and techniques.
Needles made from bone, have allowed our ancestors to make clothing from furs, which sheltered them
from the cooler climates they had migrated to.
Humans of those times, have also started using throwing spears which had allowed them to
hunt more effectively, from a safer distance.
They used fire to burn forests, to lure animals into traps, and to encourage a quicker growth
of edible roots and tubers.
They could also fish with bone hooks, harpoons and by setting up stone fish traps.
Those are some of the examples, of new tools and techniques that have helped our ancestors colonise new regions.
What's perhaps more interesting though, is how they began their migration to Australia
as they have used a technology, that would revolutionise exploration for thousands of years to come.
Up until 65,000 years ago, according to Archaeologists, the only means of long distance travel was walking.
but the populations located in Borneo, had a different idea.
The humans roaming the coasts of Borneo, probably noticed land far into the sea, and the curiosity
might have driven them to attempt to reach it.
This in turn, over hundreds or thousands of years, might have led them to the invention
of canoes as well as sea travel.
The advancement of sea travel, has allowed humans to reach lands in which the ecosystem,
has completely developed in isolation, wildlife totally unaware of the human threat.
This gave our ancestors all the advantage they needed, to not just survive but to actually thrive.
The first over the sea migration, probably started in Borneo, where the local tribes
must have crossed to Sulawesi by water.
Followed by a crossing of multiple small islands, they made their way to New Guinea which was
still at the time connected to Australia by land.
Those first few tribes that inhabited the surface of Australia, must have been completely
shocked at the difference, between the two continents they had the pleasure to see.
The unique situation of Australia being completely isolated, surrounded by sea, for the past
40 million years, enabled the ecosystem to develop in a very unique way.
Our seafaring ancestors who walked the Australian continent must have witnessed strange animals.
Such as the Now long extinct Diprotodon.
A 3,000 kilogram mammal that was the largest known marsupial to ever exist, or.
Megalania, a venomous 7 metre long reptile, which outweighed even some of the smaller dinosaurs.
These animals evolved in total isolation for millions of years.
The isolated nature of Australia has left them ill-equipped to face humans and consequently
almost 200 Australian species have gone extinct within a very short period of 20,000 years after the first humans arrived.
Interestingly It was found that the Australian settlers at some point had began falling behind
technologically compared to other African migrants.
The theory is, there wasn't much need to innovate, since there was no threats, no hunger and
no hostility between clans on the Australian continent at the time.
That's just one instance of canoes as well as sea travel and how it affected our ancestor’s way of life.
Since then boats have been used for a multitude of tasks, and, have assisted us in almost all parts of life.
They weren't just used for exploration, but also for trade, fishing, transport, as well as entertainment.
They are an integral part of today's society, and it's sometimes shocking, to think that
it was our cave dwelling ancestors, 65,000 years ago who first invented sailing.
I hope you have enjoyed this video, if you did I think you would be interested in this one...
It's about the origin and evolution of fishing by the ancient humans.