Get To Know The Lifestyle Of Paleolithic People

The term paleolithic comes from ‘paleo’ meaning ancient, and ’lithic’ meaning stone.Therefore, the term paleolithic translates as the ancient stone age. This term is used to refer to the period from 2.5 million years ago until the Middle Stone Age.The Stone Age occurred in three stages: Early Paleolithic, Old Stone Age, or Pleistocene (2,800,000- 10,000 BC), Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age (10,000–8,000 BC), and Neolithic or New Stone Age (8,000 - 2,000 BC).The most recent stage is loosely defined as Neolithic. The beginning of this stage is not necessarily identical with the end of the preceding stage, because some cultures never develop very far beyond it.The Earth’s climate was warmer during the Paleolithic era, and there was more rainfall than today. This allowed for many species, which are now extinct, to grow and thrive; this early period saw the greatest diversity of large mammals on Earth. The fossil record shows that human life occupied three continents; Africa, Asia, and Europe.Here we will try to understand the history, culture, and lifestyle of when humans began, learning some amazing facts about Paleolithic humans and the Paleolithic period.The History Of The Paleolithic EraThe Lower Paleolithic era was a period of time that spanned approximately 2.8 million years. It was the period in which humans began to make tools to hunt, gather, and survive. The Stone Age is divided into three periods: the Paleolithic age, somewhere between 2.8 million and 10,000 years ago, the Mesolithic Period, which was around 10,000-8,000 BC, and the Neolithic Period, around 8,000 - 2,000 BC.During the Neolithic period, many great civilizations were formed all over the world, including ancient Egypt and Greece, as well as New World civilizations such as pre-Columbian Mexico.Artwork during this time period was very important to our ancestors because it showed their daily lives and their beliefs. The type of art they produced was mostly cave paintings or carvings on pieces of bone or ivory. These artworks were usually in black and white, from charcoal and bones, or painted in mud tones. They were used to show the hunting and gathering of our ancient ancestors.A major invention of this time is the use of stone tools. Early humans whittled carved edges on stones, such as flint. This invention made it easier to cut down trees or use rocks as weapons. The first tools used by our ancestors are made from bones and other animal parts like antlers, claws, hooves, and teeth.Lifestyle Of The Paleolithic PeopleAcheulean stone tools were used by the earliest humans in Africa. They are named after Saint-Acheul, France, where the artifacts were discovered in 1867, by Louis Laurent Gabriel de Mortillet. The Acheulean was the first stone tool-making industry in Europe and is found from about 1.6 million to 300,000 years ago.There was a dependence on animal protein for the Paleolithic people although there is no mention in the fossil record of fish or shellfish being eaten by these ancient humans. However, there is evidence of the consumption of eggs and insects, which would have been part of the diet.Paleolithic people are thought to have lived in communities of about 25 people. Everyone had a role to play, and it was thought that even the young, old and disabled could help frighten wild animals, like woolly mammoths, and drive them over cliffs. Early people used tools to kill and butcher animals, and every part of the animal would have been used, either to eat, to make clothes, or as a decoration.A hunter gatherer would often paint a picture of some of the animals the tribe had hunted, and these included animals that are now extinct, like mammoths and aurochs, as well as more familiar animals that are around today, such as lions, deer, bears and much more.Paleolithic people would hunt and gather their food but, towards the end of the era, they also domesticated animals, such as cattle and goats, which they relied on as a steady source of meat, milk, cheese, and wool to clothe their bodies. They also used fire to cook their food and they used it to keep food fresh. There is even evidence that dogs were domesticated during the Paleolithic.Paleolithic CulturePaleolithic people would have kept warm by wearing hides, wool or fur of wild animals as it was very cold at night. There have been examples where remnants of clothing have been found, such as a woven basket hat, made from plant materials found in caves.The bones from cavemen who lived around 10,000 to 6,000 years ago were found to have diseases such as arthritis and rickets, caused by strenuous lifting and a lack of vitamin D.The culture of the Paleolithic people existed from approximately 2.8 million BC until 2,000 BC. The groups sharing this culture have given archaeologists and anthropologists a better understanding of the way in which people lived as well as how the world was populated during this period.This culture has some similarities with modern-day cultures around the world. For instance, family structures are similar, including child care. Paleolithic people practised body art, behavioral rituals related to death and life (e.g. burial rites), as well as gender division of labor between women and men (e.g. the use of the willow tree for hafting stone tools), and sexual inequality, although the pagan gods these people worshipped included female figures.This culture is divided into a number of different time periods, which have been subdivided through various studies and experiments. Each ‘period’ is defined by the artifacts that were created in each area at a particular time, which is based on both cultural and physical changes in the artifacts themselves. It is important to note that these time periods are archaeological time periods and do not have any scientific basis.The earliest evidence of the presence of anatomically modern humans outside Africa is to be found in the Levant. It appears that a rapid dispersal took place from Asia into Europe, and also from Africa into Europe at a time coinciding with major climatic changes. The most obvious route out of Africa would have been across the Bab el Mandeb connecting Ethiopia to Yemen. There is little archaeological evidence from that area, however.Amazing Facts About Palaeolithic PeopleThe Paleolithic era was a period in the history of human development and it’s considered by many experts to be one of the most culturally and technologically significant periods in history. There are many amazing facts about Paleolithic people, and they have been listed below:They hunted large game such as mammoths for their meat, hides, bones, and tusks for hundreds of kilometers over land.The first axeheads were made from deer antlers in Nigeria between 1.5 - 2 million years ago.The first boats were made from an animal hide stretched over a wooden frame, which saw the advent of sailing.The first musical instruments, such as bone flutes, were also developed during this period.The Paleolithic people had a complex method of communication as they developed language and culture.Stone Age people created religious symbols by making markings on cave walls and some of the earliest known human art in the form of pictures. Did you know that a Paleolithic cave painting ‘The Shaft of the Dead Man’ was found in Spain? This is one of few examples of Paleolithic culture that can be seen today, after being discovered by modern archaeologists.Also, palaeontologists have discovered a painting of a penguin by these people!The first attempts at developing agriculture and the domestication of animals, including dogs, were attempted during this period.The mortar and pestle was invented by these people, which paved the way for food processing and made it possible to crush various ingredients into a paste or fluid form.They developed an increasingly sophisticated system of manufacturing tools including flint chiseling, spear-making, wood carving, and other techniquesPaleolithic humans were the ancestors of modern humans, or Homo sapiens, and so in that sense, they were us.Paleolithic human beings differed greatly from most modern humans in various ways. For instance, they were hunter-gatherers who lived in groups of up to 25 people, while we live much differently now, either alone or in small family groups, and are dependent on technology for survival, and for entertainment.When considering how physically active Paleolithic humans likely were on a daily basis for survival purposes alone (i.e. hunting, tracking, gathering), it is truly amazing to realize that these human beings not only survived as complex hunter-gatherers but thrived as such for a considerable length of time. Our Paleolithic ancestors were extremely successful as hunter-gatherers, working with nature and the environment. It is poignant to think our modern society seems to be in the process of reversing all of those strengths of the Paleolithic period in terms of physical activity, climate change, and destruction of the environment.They were very different from us so it is difficult to imagine what they might have done, felt, or thought. So Paleolithic peoples are interesting to study because they are so different from us, and yet would have had the same basic emotions, desires and needs.

The term paleolithic comes from ‘paleo’ meaning ancient, and ’lithic’ meaning stone.