Before We Ruled The Earth 1. Hunt Or Be Hunted (1 of 15)

Before We Ruled The Earth 1. Hunt Or Be Hunted

1,700,000 years ago, the world was filled with extreme danger.
Just to stay alive was the ultimate survival challenge.
Hunt or be hunted.
Kill or be killed.
This is the story of how we became who we are today.
Humankind first appeared in East Africa over 2.5 million years ago.
It was the beginning of the epic journey of human evolution.
It was a world of predators and scavengers.
Early humans, or hominids, lived among large, terrifying beasts...
...but these hominids were just scavengers.
Unlike this saber-tooth cat, Megantereon cultridens. This is Homo ergaster...

...the most successful of hominids, with the largest brain yet.
They're the springboard for the evolution of our species.
Like other African hominids, these people walk on two legs.
But two legs are no match...
...for more ferocious and much faster four-legged predators.
This saber tooth has enormous canines for slashing flesh...
...but even these teeth can't efficiently scrape a carcass clean.
It 's left plenty of meat behind for those that wait.
It 's 200 pounds of formidable predator.
If humans are to outsmart the beasts, they must find an edge.
Homo ergastermay be the cleverest hominid yet to walk the Earth...
...and among the first human carnivores.
But to get meat, these Homo ergaster must take on the saber tooth...
...venture into the open, and put their lives on the line.
Scavenged meat was one key to our advance up the food chain.
For a million years basic stone flakes have been used as tools...
...but to be successful scavengers, these hominids need...
...a cutting tool as razor-sharp as the saber tooth's canines.
Game meat contains fatty acids and is very nutritious.
Eating meat helps the human brain grow.