  Although the evidence is not certain, Democritus may be the originator of an ancient theory about the historical development of human communities.  In contrast to the Hesiodic view that the human past included a golden age from which the present day is a decline, an alternative tradition that may derive from Democritus suggests that human life was originally like that of animals; it describes the gradual development of human communities for purposes of mutual aid, the origin of language, crafts and agriculture.  Although the text in question does not mention Democritus by name, he is the most plausible source (Cole 1967; Cartledge 1997).