Who were the Hunter Gatherers?

According to the anthropologists, the first humans were hunter-gatherers. This means that they procured their food from a combination of hunting and gathering. As soon as they were able to fashion effective weapons, humans began to rely less on simple scavenging. Learn more here.

However, scientists remain relatively certain that these early societies obtained most of their food, as much as eighty percent, through gathering. The reason for this is simple: hunting was extremely dangerous. And when the first hunter-gatherers appeared, about 1.8 million years ago, their weapons were quite primitive.

A sharpened stick or a spear was often not enough to pierce the tough hide or fur of a predator; and when it did not, the hunter quickly became the hunted. It was not at all uncommon for a hunter to die on a hunting trip. Therefore, most members of the tribe focused solely on gathering.

What did they gather? Foods like nuts, berries, eggs and seafood were not hard to find. It was only when these items were in short supply that gathers were forced to sharpen their spears and become hunters. However, there is ample evidence to suggest that most hunting parties actually searched for animals that had been killed by predators before they went after live animals.

After some time, of course, hunters developed more effective weapons. They also learned that it was much easier to dispatch small animals than huge beasts. Even if there was less meat, hunting a small herbivore was relatively safe compared to tracking a vicious carnivore.