Caveman
From Free net encyclopedia
Image:Ad bibo caveman.JPG A caveman is a popular stylized characterization of what early humans or hominids may have looked and behaved like. The term is sometimes used colloquially to refer to Neanderthals or to Homo sapiens of the Palaeolithic era, although popular descriptions of cavemen are usually highly inaccurate.
The term has been discouraged recently for its inaccuracy, as it mostly refers to modern misconceptions of early man. In the past, many people shared the view of the 17th century philosopher Thomas Hobbes that the life of early man and the state of nature was "...solitary, poore, nasty, brutish and short". The modern scientific perception of prehistoric lifestyle is now that of the hunter-gatherer.
Cavemen are usually portrayed as being hairy, clothed in animal skins, armed with clubs, unintelligent, and aggressive. They are often shown as living contemporaneously with dinosaurs, a situation totally contradicted by archaeological and paleontological evidence. Caveman are also often shown as living in caves; however, the lack of habitable caves makes this depiction of early man also inaccurate.
The image of the caveman is often seen in various aspects of popular culture. Examples include the comic strips B.C. and Alley Oop, and the 1960s animated cartoon The Flintstones. Caveman also are often seen in advertising, including advertisements for Minute Maid and Geico.