de-sac of cultural evolution or, at least, difficult to show technological 

 and typological continuity with the long lithic tradition. 



Homo habilis: seemingly the first systematic, progressive, stone culture prac- 

 titioners; implements of a set, regular pattern; numbers of patterns 

 slowly increasing with diversifying tool-kit; degree of trimming on im- 

 plements progressively increasing with advance from Oldowan to devel- 

 oped Oldowan cultures; continuity with ensuing (Acheulean) cultural 

 phase easier to demonstrate; first indications of constructional activities; 

 culture-dependence for survival is becoming a reality. 



Homo erectus: where good cultural associations are present, manufacturers 

 of advanced stone implements; Acheulean in Africa, a kind of devel- 

 oped Oldowan in Europe (Vertesszollos) and Asia (Choukoutien); sus- 

 tained continuity of cultural development; consistency of patterns; 

 diversification of tool types; first fire-making in places; possible dawn 

 of ritual (Blanc 1961); survival value of culture is very high. 



Homo sapiens: all significant trends of cultural hominization intensified: 

 consistency, complexity, refinement, versatility, diversity within cul- 

 tures, diversification between cultures with cultural adaptation; com- 

 plex ritual life, with artistic manifestations; tolerance of wider range 

 of human variants within the social group, leading to greater variability. 

 Man is absolutely culture-dependent for survival. 



Some features are difficult to place in such a taxonomic sequence. Where 

 did hunting begin? Dart (1964 and many earlier references) is convinced that 

 the transition from apehood to humanity was, as Darwin (1871) had sus- 

 pected, predatory. According to this view, Australopithecus would have been 

 a primitive hunter. Others have regarded Homo erectus as the first big-game 

 hunter (cf. Krantz 1968). My own view is that Australopithecus and probably 

 Homo habilis were primarily food-gatherers and scavengers with an element 

 of facultative hunting, especially of young and weak or aged and infirm 

 animals. As the armamentarium of H. habilis shows an improvement on that 

 of Australopithecus, we may expect that predatory episodes would have be- 

 come more common and that the taste for scavenged meat would have 

 declined proportionately. 



By the time H. erectus emerged, it seems that hunting had become a 

 systematic, obligatory way of life, supplemented always of course by gather- 

 ing. All the mental attributes necessary for sustained predaceous effort must 

 have appeared. 



^ 138 



