The World's Progress, Vol. 01 (of 10): With Illustrative texts from Masterpieces of Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Modern European and American LiteratureDelphian Society
History
The World's Progress, Vol. 01 (of 10): With Illustrative texts from Masterpieces of Egyptian, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Modern European and American Literature
Delphian Society
Civilization -- History; World history
While fire became one of man's aids, it wrought a decided change in the
position of woman. Before its discovery, man and woman had probably gone
side by side, sharing alike dangers and hardships. With its acquisition,
some one was required to stay to watch lest it go out, and thus was
developed the fireside and the home. "The fire has made the home. We
have heard much in these later days about woman's position. We are
assured that she has not all her rights. Now, there can be little doubt
that the primitive woman had all her rights. It is probable that she was
as free as her husband to kill the wild beasts, catch fish, fight her
savage neighbors, eat the raw meat which she tore by main strength from
the carcass of the lately slain beast. The beginning of woman's slavery
was the discovery of the fire. The value of fire known and the need of
feeding it recognized, it became necessary that someone should stay by
it to tend it. Notwithstanding the fact that woman had all her rights
and was free to come and go as she would, it was still true that, on
account of children and certain physical peculiarities, the woman was
more naturally the one who would remain behind to care for the feeding
of the flame. Before that, men and women wandered from place to place,
thoughtless of the night. After that, a place was fixed to which man
returned after the day's hunt. It was the beginning of the home."[1]
THE HOUSE.
The man of the Paleolithic Age crept into any cave that offered shelter
from the storm and molesting beasts. Such caves were plentiful along the
river's bank. Here today, elsewhere tomorrow, little heed was given to
the particular shelter in which he took refuge. With the possession of
fire, a fixed home became desirable. Even so, caves still remain the
homes of men for a long period of time.
The Neolithic man sought an abode farther away from the main
highway--the river. In cliffs towering above the river bed--sometimes
away from streams altogether, he scooped out a cave similar to the ones
occupied by his ancestors. Thus in many countries remains are found of a
race of cliff-dwellers. In ancient Greece, for example, have been found
evidences of people living thus, and Indians in Mexico and Arizona three
thousand years later were discovered in similar dwellings.
With a settled life, and cultivation of the soil, man frequently was
forced to provide a home for himself. The material from which he made it
depended upon the resources of the locality. In Egypt and Babylonia,
sun-baked mud huts afforded the simplest, least expensive structures,
both in point of time and labor. Among pastoral tribes, tents formed of
animal skins sewed together were easiest to provide. This was the usual
shelter also of the American Indians and other hunting tribes. The
Laplander found cakes of ice suited for his home, while man in the
tropics quickly constructed a shelter from the huge palm leaves,
available on every hand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account