A Layman's Theories on the Neolithic Age

Imagine a colony in the 16th Century, an ocean away from home. The clothing they wear designed for the chilly nights and bone-cold winters of their homeland. They come equipped with tools, plants and supplies normally used in cool and fertile valleys. They reach a continent after many months at sea in the month of May. The ships search the coastline to find a suitable place to anchor. They eventually choose a location protected by a safe, natural harbor. A small search party goes ashore to locate drinkable water. The location is suitable so the colony disembarks with their supplies. The land they have chosen is thick with trees, and the climate is humid and hot. Strenuous work is necessary to clear the area, but they are confident. They have come well prepared, and there are enough supplies to last until next spring. It takes several months of hard, sweaty labor for the colony to establish itself. The ships then depart and sail back home, leaving them on their own. The colony soon realizes that this new environment will require some adaptation on their part. Their heavy clothing is not suited for the heat, so they wear less. The moist air soon causes mold problems, prime conditions to rot food and cause disease. Agricultural efforts prove difficult with the ever-encroaching native vegetation. Constant maintenance is required to keep the jungle from overtaking their crops. Some equipment they brought must be adapted to better suit the unforgiving land. While animals fare better, many of their plants cannot survive in this climate. This sends them searching deeper into the wilderness to find an alternative food supplement. These would be similar challenges facing an advanced race of colonists relocating to an inhospitable planet. Oxygen, food and water would be the first concerns. A new sustenance source would also need to be developed, and it likely required a technical adaptation of their equipment to suit a new environment. In summarization, this is the theory proposed so far. An advanced race of people colonized earth, created humans, and had a war. At some point, the victorious decide to evacuate earth, and make it a prison for their enemies. The creatures they have created also left to fend for themselves.

So when did the victorious colonists leave? It is doubtful they had an ability to do this in the blink of an eye. It would probably take some time before all the arrangements were in place. For an immortal, time is meaningless. If they created humans in their image, it is probable that they too required the same living environment. Oxygen, water, vegetation, protein, all would be basic requirements for survival. Could there be another planet immediately outside of our galaxy that meets these requirements? As of yet, we do not know for sure. It may be that earth is the only compatible planet around for many light years. If these people were truly a stranded colony, they would likely be far away from any other inhabitable planet. The only ones close enough to reach from earth will not likely fit their needs. For the safety of their people, they had to find a solution. The equipment they originally brought would reflect an assumption that they would be living in ideal conditions. To create an artificial living environment with what they had is another matter. The first problem to overcome would be how to create an environment with air and water on a planet without them. This may have needed a complete rethinking of their technology to achieve this. Research and development would obviously be required. After this, their new home would still require construction on the other planet. They had much to do, and needed time and a place to do it. Even though stripped of critical technology, their enemies may have still possessed 'simple' vehicles, equipment and tools. As kind and compassionate as these people appear to be, they may have left their enemies with simple weapons as well. If their enemies still had the ability of limited flight, the victors may have wanted to prepare for evacuation without their enemies' knowledge of it. It would have to be in a location away from prying eyes. Is it possible that they relocated to the North American continent, and left the east to their enemies? They were still close enough to aide humans left there, were militarily superior, and why should they negotiate over territories when there is another western continent? There would be other benefits as well. The appearance of all this is that their enemy gets the better end of the bargain with more area to roam. Above all, this leaves the victors with a secluded location to work in. To relocate west would seem to be a logical idea for the victors, especially if they intended to leave the planet anyway.

This may have taken place before 12,000 BCE, what we know as the Neolithic Age. Villages of huts begin appearing as humans moved from nomadic packs to small societies. "Hey! Get out of those damp caves and come out here in the sun. Take these branches lying around, put them together, and you have a more comfortable home, see? It sure beats a hole in the ground. Go ahead. Build a few for your family. Very good, now look over there. Do you see those other humans wandering by? Invite them over and show them how good you live. Well, you made a good impression because more humans are showing up out of curiosity. You may as well show them all how to build one. Just make a clearing over there to build the new huts. Do this, and we will be back." "Well look at that. You have yourselves a community. So how are you going about feeding yourselves? Silly humans, why scurry about and hunt animals when you can round them up into a pen and raise them, like this. It sure beats running all over the place for meat to eat. Let us put that energy to better use. Why not go out and look for those fruits and vegetables you find when you wander around. They taste good too, yes? Now take those little seeds you spit out and plant them like this. Yes, put them in a row. Now keep adding rows of things you like to eat, they all have seeds. Do that until we return." "Good! Do you see how the animals are having sex? Babies will come from this mating ritual. Just like with you. Right, the animals have sex once a season and baby animals come from that later on. Yes, they only have sex several times. Yes, I know. It seems you humans cannot seem to get enough of that. Anyway, the seeds must have water now. Pick up those shovels and axes you made and let us go over to the river. Cut some wood and build a small wall in the riverside. Put them deep in the mud, good. Leave space in the middle for several shorter logs. You will build a small door there like on your huts, but going up and down. Yes, these logs would make good homes, but we will help you with that later on. My, my, you humans are becoming clever. Now get everyone to help dig a trench in a line from the wood wall to the fields. We will be back." "Very nice, now let us open the wood door and water the ground. Do you see? You can control how much water gets through. Fill the rows of seeds with water then stop the flow. Good, keep tending the animals and water the fields every seventh moon until we return." "Very good. Do you see that? Just like magic, new plants grew, and you have more of those fruits and vegetables to eat. Look over there. The animals have reproduced. Now you have more nourishment from them too. Now, is this not better than living in caves?"

This analogy is simplistic, but it gets the idea across. If we can accept that an advanced race taught humans, then an educational program does not seem too far-fetched after all. So sometime after their war, the victors decided on relocating to South America to prepare for evacuation. What makes me think South America? This theory bases upon the fact that South American cultures emerged in later centuries, but more on that later. In the meantime, let us suppose that they did relocate to South America. Both opposing sides would assumedly have to start all over again in the war's aftermath, so the victorious colonists had some time. First the victors' attention would be concentrated on building residences and ensuring self-sufficiency. Their focus would then turn to research and development of their new home. They would have probably imported a good supply of humans to help them from the beginning. With concentration focused on evacuating the planet, the majority of victors would be too busy to teach humans in the eastern continent. They had enough on their hands with the imported ones. In fact, it even appears they postponed educating western humans until later. South American cultures would not rise until 7,000 years later, which may give us a clue as to when the victors finally left. Meanwhile, their eastern neighbors have already begun to reorganize. They too are teaching humans for their own needs. With so much area to claim, several of their enemies have divided the humans and set off to create their own empires. Still worshipped as gods, they are an influence these educators must also contend with as they teach humans civility.

If the prisoners had any 'simple' technology, their selfish leader would probably hoard most of it. In this way, anyone aspiring to build their own empire would be technically limited, making his power over them ultimate. Their leader may have granted tools to build stone cities, but the people who followed him into this predicament were most likely not given weapons for fear of any revengeful challenge to his authority. In this possible scenario, the victorious begin educating humans. How many instructors were there, just one? Faced with large continents and humans scattered everywhere, probably not. Maybe they assigned teams of instructors in various skills to the project. However many there were, with so much territory to cover it still would not be an easy task. The instructors made contact with as many humans as possible in the time they had. Judging from the similarities of global religious doctrine, we can almost be certain that their curriculum was the same for all humans. It is a plausible assumption that they began with basic survival skills, like cohabitation, animal domestication and taming the environment. Advanced techniques and intellectual concepts, like rudimentary construction and social interaction may have followed. The victors' will continue their instructional program throughout the Neolithic Age. Humans live and die, each generation learning more techniques and concepts. Slowly the Sumerian, Greek, Egyptian and Asian civilizations begin their rise. These cultures worshiped multiple gods. Each god has a specific power or purpose, and newer gods rise when these fall out of favor. The selection grows fewer as time goes on, many gods possessing multiple roles. Is this an indication of their instructors', and their activities? We must also not forget that their enemies were likely doing the same thing. If different factors had separated from their enemies' main group, it would be safe to assume that several rival societies emerged. Whether they were the victorious, or the defeated, they would all have an influence on humans in many ways. Their enemies may have shown humans the same rudimentary skills and concepts, but with a different purpose in mind. Eventually these ideals would come into conflict. There will be many centuries of clandestine operations ahead for instructors of the victorious. In some cases, these educators may have to get involved. Minor conflicts may even arise while the humans are being educated. Many stories and legends will take place in the following centuries, until it is time for the victorious ones to leave.