From Stone flakes to the Bow and Arrow. How Stone Age weapons innovation shaped humanity and triggered global extinction events. Three million years ago, we were semi-hairless apes hiding from lions. Today we're the apex predator of planet Earth.
This episode traces the entire weapons journey through Ancient History; sharp rocks, hand axes, spears, atlatls, and bows and arrows.
Learn how we became humans we know today as we outsourced biology to technology, trading muscle for tools, brute force for precision. We also changed socially as values of teamwork, trust and intelligence forged the mental models that would build civilization and transformed humanity forever.
Key takeaways:
- Technology and humans co-evolved - every tool invention was matched by physical, intellectual, and social updates
- Marginal advantages compound into existential differences over time - other hominids were wiped out as only sapiens remained
- Wisdom takes time to catch up with out power
Discover how ancient innovation patterns still shape the future of technology today.
ABOUT
How to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission to document the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change.
Learn more - ChangeTheWorldPod.com
Written, edited, recorded, and produced entirely by Sam Webster Harris.
(He also makes the music...)
Help from:
Francisca Correia does the designs (available to hire)
Jeremy Enns is our incredible podcast mentor (available to hire)
BOOKS
The Human Story - Robin Dunbar
How humans evolved away from apes and developed tools.
Stone Tools in Human Evolution - John J. Shea
How our stone tools evolved over 3 millions years.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Magical Powers
02:10 Introduction to Stone Age Weapons
04:28 1 - THE OLDOWAN FLAKE (~3 MYA)
07:07 Evolution feedback loop
08:18 Human obsession with time saving
09:08 Status flexing
10:01 2 - ACHEULEAN HAND AXE (~1.7MYA)
10:55 Why did we care about beauty?
12:08 Status games
13:00 Brain growth and imagination
14:40 3 - SWEAT AND PERSISTENCE HUNTING (~1.5MYA)
17:59 4 - HAFTED SPEARS (~500,000BC)
20:52 Steps to make a Hafted Spear
22:24 Co evolution of shoulder throwing
23:37 Teamwork and language co-evolution
24:47 Leadership qualities
26:06 5 - ATLATL / SPEAR LAUNCHER (~100,000-50,000BC)
28:40 How an Atlatl works
30:12 Accuracy over strength
30:30 Timeline of Atlatl development
31:15 6 - BOW AND ARROW (~64,000BC)
33:06 How to make a bow and arrow
34:33 The First great invention?
35:50 Yes my sister shot the headmaster...
36:40 Hunting with archery
38:55 Evolution compared to Neanderthals
41:30 HUMANITY - THE GREAT FILTER
42:18 Australian Extinction event
43:34 Europe - Neanderthal Extinction
44:46 The Conquest of America - Pleistocene Blitzkrieg
46:11 The Rise of Human Conflict
47:58 MODERN LESSONS AND FUTURE WEAPONS
49:07 Algorithms
51:58 Supply Chains
52:55 Cognitive Warfare
54:13 Teamwork
56:02 ROUNDUP
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