Earth-changing inventions: low-tech

[Satyrane]

I was reading about fish-hooks the other day, as you do; specifically about the enormous change they must have made to hunter-gatherer societies by providing a steady source of low-effort nutrition.

I went on to wonder what other amazingly small and obvious artefacts/processes have had such an effect on human development.

So I want your votes for the primitive tech inventions that have had the biggest effects on civilisation. (Poll coming up with a few options, assuming I can negotiate the technology, but feel free of course to pillory me with anything I've left out.)

[Umbral]

Fire. Clothes (skins). The edge. Agriculture.

[Satyrane]

Fire. Clothes (skins). The edge. Agriculture.The edge is good - thanks!

Fire and agriculture - what enables us first to use/manupulate these? (Should perhaps have put fire-bow in there, or "rubbing 2 sticks together".) :)

[Umbral]

Agriculture in its most basic form is throwing seeds into the earth, and coming back later to pick the results. Fairly fundamental. Things like the plow, monoculture (weeding), ferilizer, etc were all refinements.

Fire probably started out being used before we learned how to make it. Fire-starting?

[Martinus Paduei]

Block and tackle is rather sophisticated. How about going basic: the lever.

[Derek Jackson]

Controling fire clearly defined us as human

[Thande]

Fermentation was important for the West, but China etc demonstrate that it isn't the only way of making potable "water" on a mass scale.

[Kabraloth]

Not mentioned yet:
The zero.

[Martinus Paduei]

The yoke also presupposes a much more basic "invention", the domestication of animals.

As a bonus invention, how abut weaving?

[Keenir]

The edge is good - thanks! :)

wouldn't that be a refinement of knapping?

[Umbral]

The poll alternatives weren't up yet when I posted.