What does Urgesellschaft mean?
Urgesellschaft is a German term meaning "primal society." It refers to the original coexistence of humans in prehistoric times, before recorded history, as defined by Friedrich Engels.
Questions about Urgesellschaft
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How long did Urgesellschaft or primitive society last?
Primitive society spanned more than three million years, making it by far the longest period in human history. All other forms of society combined account for less than one percent of that timespan.
What did Friedrich Engels say about Urgesellschaft and the family?
Engels argued that "animal family dynamics and human primitive society are incompatible things." He claimed that the earliest humans either knew no family at all or one that does not occur among animals.
Who was Lewis Henry Morgan and what was his connection to Urgesellschaft?
Lewis Henry Morgan was a U.S. anthropologist whose books also used terminology related to Urgesellschaft. Engels drew on Morgan's work when developing his own theories about primitive society.
What is the archaeological basis for studying Urgesellschaft?
Archaeology relies primarily on stone tools, the oldest datable finds, because objects made from wood, bones, and skins decayed and did not survive. The Stone Age begins around 3.3 million years ago with the Lower Paleolithic period.
What role did climate change play in shaping primitive societies?
Ice ages and warm periods forced migrating human groups to develop new forms of social adaptation as they encountered radically different environments. In stable equatorial regions, by contrast, early groups likely perceived little change across generations.