Paleolithic
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| This time period is part of the Pleistocene epoch. |
Pleistocene
|
| Holocene |
The Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) is a prehistoric era distinguished by the development of stone tools. It covers the greatest portion of humanity's time on Earth, extending from 2.5 million years ago, with the introduction of stone tools by hominids such as Homo habilis, to the introduction of agriculture around 10,000 BCE.
The term Paleolithic, literally "Old Age of the Stone", was coined by archaeologist John Lubbock in 1865 and derives from the Greek "παλαιός", paleos ("old") and "λίθος", lithos ("stone"). The Paleolithic era ended with the Mesolithic, or in areas with an early neolithisation, the Epipaleolithic.
The Paleolithic is characterized by the use of knapped stone tools, although at the time, humans also used wood and bone tools. Other organic commodities were adapted for use as tools, including leather and vegetable fibers; however, given their nature, these have not been preserved to any great degree.
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[edit] Chronology
Traditionally, the Paleolithic is divided into three periods: the Lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, and the Upper Paleolithic. The three ages mark technological and cultural advances in different human communities.
- Paleolithic
- Lower Paleolithic
- Olduwan culture
- Acheulean culture
- Clactonian culture
- Middle Paleolithic
- Mousterian culture
- Aterian culture
- Upper Paleolithic
- Châtelperronian culture
- Aurignacian culture
- Gravettian culture
- Solutrean culture
- Magdalenian culture
- Lower Paleolithic
[edit] Human evolution
Human evolution is the part of biological evolution concerning the emergence of humans as a distinct species. It is the subject of a broad scientific inquiry that seeks to understand and describe how this change and development occurred. The study of human evolution encompasses many scientific disciplines, most notably physical anthropology, linguistics, and genetics. The term human, in the context of human evolution, refers to the genus Homo, but studies of human evolution usually include other hominids, such as the australopithecines.
[edit] Human genealogy
[edit] Timeline of human evolution
The timeline of human evolution outlines the major events in the development of human species and the evolution of the ancestors to humans. This timeline does not explain the evolution of, for example, lions, dinosaurs, or birds. It includes a more detailed explanation of other animals, species, or genus, which are possible ancestors of Homo sapiens sapiens.
It begins with the time of the origin of life and presents a possible line of descendants that led to humans. This timeline is based on studies from paleontology, developmental biology, morphology, and from anatomical and genetic data. The study of human evolution is a major component of anthropology.
[edit] Simplified human genealogy
The timeline below shows a simplified genealogy of Paleolithic humanity, although other ideas of human genealogy exist for the same period:[1] <timeline> DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:18 PlotArea = left:20 right:20 bottom:20 top:10 Colors =
id:white value:rgb(1,1,1) id:black value:black id:canvas value:gray(0.98) id:holocene value:rgb(1,0.984,0.941) id:pleisto value:rgb(1,0.968,0.690) id:pliocene value:rgb(1,1,0.6) id:miocene value:rgb(1,1,0) id:paleo value:rgb(0.651,0.875,0.616) id:gray value:gray(0.80) id:darkblue value:rgb(0.3,0.3,0.7) id:blue value:rgb(0.45,0.45,0.80) id:lightblue value:rgb(0.65,0.65,0.90) id:red value:rgb(0.8,0.30,0.30) id:rougemoy value:rgb(0.88,0.45,0.45) id:lightred value:rgb(0.92,0.64,0.64) id:lightred2 value:rgb(0.95,0.84,0.84) id:orange value:rgb(1,0.7,0.3) id:orangesom value:rgb(0.9,0.45,0.25) id:or value:rgb(1,0.9,0) id:grilleMajor value:gray(0.7) id:grilleMinor value:gray(0.9)
Period = from:-3000 till:1 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy AlignBars = justify ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:100 start:-3000 gridcolor:grilleMinor ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:500 start:-3000 gridcolor:grilleMajor BackgroundColors = canvas:canvas bars:canvas BarData=
bar:evenement1 bar:espace1 bar:evenement2 bar:espace2 bar:evenement3 bar:espace3 bar:evenement4 bar:espace4 bar:evenement5 bar:espace5 bar:evenement6 bar:espace6
- barset:evenement
bar:ages0 bar:ages
Define $center = anchor:from align:center Define $left = anchor:from align:left shift:( 4,-4) Define $right = anchor:till align:right shift:(-4,-4) Define $left2 = anchor:from align:left shift:( 4, 3) Define $right2 = anchor:till align:right shift:(-4, 3)
PlotData=
bar:evenement1 color:black width:20 $left
from:-3000 till:-1950 color:gray
at:-2650 textcolor:black text:" Australopithecus"
bar:espace1 width:12 at:-2556 mark:(line, blue)
bar:evenement2 color:black width:20 $left
from:-2556 till:-1700 color:or
at:-2300 textcolor:black text:" Homo habilis"
bar:espace2 width:12 at:-2043 mark:(line, blue)
bar:evenement3 color:black width:20 $left
from:-2043 till:-1000 color:darkblue
at:-1650 textcolor:black text:" Homo ergaster"
from:-700 till:-300 color:blue textcolor:black text:"Homo rhodesiensis"
from:-200 till:0 color:lightblue
at:-300 textcolor:black text:" Homo sapiens"
at:-880 textcolor:black text:"?"
bar:espace3 width:12 at:-1121 mark:(line, blue) bar:espace3 width:36 at:-1750 mark:(line, blue)
bar:evenement4 color:black width:20 $left
from:-1121 till:-800 color:lightred
at:-1125 textcolor:black text:"Homo antecessor"
from:-700 till:-201 color:rougemoy
at:-675 textcolor:black text:"Homo heidelbergensis"
from:-199 till:-35 color:red
at:-225 textcolor:black text:"Neanderthal"
at:-1750 mark:(line, darkblue)
at:-770 textcolor:black text:"?"
bar:espace4 width:12 at:-1750 mark:(line, darkblue)
bar:evenement5 color:black width:20
bar:evenement5 color:black width:20 $left
from:-1750 till:-100 color:orange
at:-1000 textcolor:black text:" Homo erectus"
bar:espace5 width:12 at:-100 mark:(line, blue)
bar:evenement6 color:black width:20 $left
from:-100 till:-27 color:orangesom
at:-315 textcolor:black text:" Homo soloensis"
bar:ages0
from:-2600 till:-10 width:10 color:paleo textcolor:white
at:-1600 text:"Paleolithic"
bar:ages fontsize:9
from:-3000 till:-1806 color:pliocene
at:-2400 text:"Pliocene"
from:-1806 till:-11 color:pleisto
at:-1000 text:"Pleistocene"
from:-11 till:0 color:holocene
at:-100 text:"H->"
at:-3000 mark:(line, black)
at:-1806 mark:(line, black)
at:-11 mark:(line, black)
at:0 mark:(line, black)
</timeline> Timeline scale is in thousands of years.
[edit] Climate
- Currently agreed upon classifications as Paleolithic geoclimatic episodes
| Age (before) | America | Atlantic Europe | Maghreb | Mediterranean Europe | Central Europe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 years | Flandrian interglacial | Flandriense | Mellahiense | Versiliense | Flandrian interglacial |
| 80,000 years | Wisconsin | Devensiense | Regresión | Regresión | Wisconsin glaciation |
| 140,000 years | Sangamoniense | Ipswichiense | Ouljiense | Tirreniense II y III | Eemian interglacial |
| 200,000 years | Illinois | Wolstoniense | Regresión | Regresión | Wolstonian glaciation |
| 450,000 years | Yarmouthiense | Hoxniense | Anfatiense | Tirreniense I | Hoxnian interglacial |
| 580,000 years | Kansas | Angliense | Regresión | Regresión | Kansan glaciation |
| 750,000 years | Aftoniense | Cromeriense | Maarifiense | Siciliense | Cromerian interglacial |
| 1,100,000 years | Nebraska | Beestoniense | Regresión | Regresión | Beestonian stage |
| 1,400,000 years | interglaciar | Ludhamiense | Messaudiense | Calabriense | Donau-Günz |
[edit] Way of life
The Old Stone Age, or Paleolithic, comprises more than a million years, and during this period major climatic and other changes occurred which affected the evolution of humans. Humans themselves evolved into their current morphological form during the later period of the Stone Age.
Paleolithic humans appear to have ranged widely and were distributed sparsely, but uniformly. The Paleolithic remains which have been found are astonishingly uniform, everywhere in the range of humans. Implements of the same type have been found in what is now Britain, France, and along the banks of the Nile.[2]
The economy of a typical Paleolithic society was primitive, with humans living a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. They hunted for and gathered food, firewood, and materials for their tools, clothes, or cabins.
[edit] Tools
During the interglacial period, about 100,000 years ago, some small family groups of Homo neanderthalensis wandered over Europe, leaving behind nothing but their flint implements.[2]
In general, the methods of fabrication for tools did not change a great deal during the Paleolithic, despite the number of cultures that existed throughout the era.
[edit] Technology
During this time people made tools of stone, bone, and wood. People also wore rough animal skins as articles of clothing.
[edit] Society
Neanderthals seemed acquainted with the use of fire, and as the last glacial era approached in Europe they began to seek shelter under rock ledges and in caves, leaving their remains for later discovery.
More primitive humans or societies vanished, and the crudest type of Paleolithic implements vanished. It is not certain whether they were absorbed into the new groups or displaced by them.
Among their prey were the large mammals. They brought the large bones of these animals into caves to crack for the marrow. Animal skins were being used. These people were right-handed, demonstrated by the fact that the left side of their brains were larger than the right.[2]
Paleolithic humans were grouped in clans that ranged from 25 to 50 members; these clans were formed by several families. By the end of the paleolithic era—which ended about 6,000 years ago—people began to settle down into permanent locations and agriculture began to be relied upon for sustenance in many locations.
There is very little or no archaeological evidence of social inequalities or violent battles between groups (i.e. war) during the paleolithic.[3]
[edit] Diet and nutrition
The diet of the Paleolithic hunting and gathering peoples consisted primarily of animal flesh, fruits, and vegetables and there are no signs of malnutrition.
[edit] Notes and references
| Please help improve this Article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (June 2007) |
- ^ Human evolution. Archaelogy.info. Retrieved on 2007-04-09.
- ^ a b c Wells, H. G. (1920). The Outline of History. Garden City, New York: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., 57-58, 107.
- ^ Guthrie, pg 422.
[edit] See also
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