Von der Tiersozietät zur menschlichen Urgesellschaft – Probleme eines Modells

Concepts of anthropogenesis are in most cases based on observations in recent primitive populations arranged as a continuous sequence of evolutionary phases and complemented with archaeological-typological conclusions. The basic aim of this report is to draw attention to the role of some factors of human anatomy, archaeology and cultural history of early man, not yet utilized in the models of anthroposociogenesis.

Such a factor from the semantic point of view is the ability to form besides vowels also consonants when communicating. Anatomically it was facilitated by the reduction of the alveolar margin of the symphyseal portion in the human mandible with protruding chin. These changes led to a vertical closing of the lips in Homo sapiens sapiens, whilst Neandertal and earlier man had protruding alveolar margins of the mandibular symphysis and of the maxillary, allowing only a tentative superposition of the lips. Another difference between Homo sapiens sapiens and the Neandertal and earlier man is the vertical position of the head in anatomically modern man compared with the hanging position of the head in other forms (verticalization of buccal air passages). These changes led to the evolution of human speech resulting in the emergence of human culture and society.

Tool-making abilities developed in the following order : manual tools, spears for hunting and fighting purposes by elongating the hand, and finally Homo sapiens sapiens constructed the first "machine" – the bow and arrow that made hunting and fighting much safer for the hunter and also enabled the hunting of small animals living in masses around him (hares, grouse etc.).

Following the introduction of speech as a high-level tool of communication the next step was the recording of information first in graphic form and later in writing.

All these facts indicate that the evolutionary process of Homo sapiens sapiens and of his culture took place independently of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis.