How is it that many innovations occurred similarly across the globe among hunter-gatherer groups and the earliest agricultural groups; Innovations like weaponry, brick making, metallurgy and weaving (and the list goes on). I thought of this question when reading about the Bushmen of 15,000+ years ago using bows and arrows. And of course many other cultures across the world were already using them.
Is the reason simply that these innovations were passed along over time through migrations? (If so, Why did some cultures retain the technologies while others did not?) Or was it often the case that they were developed independently across world cultures and spread through random contact?
Thanks!!!
As for the actual process, it'll depend on the specific tech and region. Dispersion happens, as does independent development. The thing to remember, though, is that we can't assign excessive significance to similarities in things like weapons. While there's a plethora of ways to depict a sun god or the number 3, there's only so many effective ways to make a stick to hit someone on the head. Human bodies are essentially all the same, so the tools we make for them will converge towards certain designs.