Page 11 - 07_Social Studies and Population Education Book 7_2078 Revised and Updated Edition

Lesson
2 EVOLUTION OF SOCIETY

The evolution of society has been a dynamic process. The human society has
developed over many years and has experienced many changes and stages
since its origin. There is no single or similar opinion regarding the development
process of human society. The history of human society goes back millions
of years. Looking across an expanded span of human existence, the famous

anthropologists- E. B. Tylor and L. H. Morgan have presented three major stages
of human society: savagery, barbarian and civilized. According to them, society
gradually developed from savagery through barbarian to civilized society. Let’s

study these three stages of human society:
A. Savagery Stage or Stone Age (Preliminary Age)

This is the most preliminary stage of
human society. In this early stage, humans

were grouped together in small scale
societies. They gained their subsistence
from gathering plants and hunting wild
animals. The invention of fire, the use
of arrow and pottery were the major

achievements of this stage. Savagery Stage of Society

Major features of the savagery stage (Preliminary Age):
Like animals, humans lived in forest and caves.

Humans hunted animals and gathered leaves and roots of plants as well as
wild cereal grains in natural environments for food and livelihood.

They developed techniques of making stone tools and weapons for hunting
and security purposes.

Stone, bone and teeth of animals were used to make tools and weapons such
as hand axes, clubs and spears, bows and arrows, hooks, etc.

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