Is there a difference between the cradle of civilization and the cradle of humanity?

Question

With the discovery of the Lucy skeleton in Africa is Africa now the cradle of civilization? Correct me if I am wrong Lucy is the oldist skeletion found. Would the Middle East still be consised the cradle of civilzation? Traces of the first crops and cities were found. Is it possable that life first happened in Africa but the frist civilzation was in the Middle East?

Answer 1

Civilization is not the same thing as humanity.  The middle east is still considered to be the first civilization. Nobody knows for sure the entire range of where humans evolved.  Civilization wasn't some dramatic change that transformed us from savages into civilized people.  It was just the adoption of new technology that allowed people to settle in one place.

Paleontologists have a sad history of assuming too much based on fossils.  They assumed that the Afar triangle in Africa was where we evolved because that is where the fossils were.  There are few fossil bearing regions that are of the proper age and hominids are very rare.  It was even suggested that the creation of the rift valley forced the evolution of early man.  They have since found fossils elsewhere, like Chad, that discredit that idea.  It is political now and the paleontologists of the Afar triangle region still wish to think of themselves as the cradle.  It makes them and their fossils sound more important.