PrehistoricHuman Culture

Major Periods

¤ PALEOLITHIC: old stone age¤ Lower paleolithic 2.5 million-75,000 bp¤ Middle paleolithic 75,000-35,000 bp¤ Upper paleolithic 35,000-12,000 bp

¤ MESOLITHIC: middle stone age 12,000-10,000 bp

¤ NEOLITHIC: new stone age began 10,000 bp¤ BRONZE AND IRON AGES: civilization began 5000 bp

The Paleolithic Period

Paleolithic PeriodBegan 2,5oo,ooo Years Ago

Also called Old Stone Age culture Characterized by the use of rudimentary chipped stone

tools Hominids, homo habilis, homo erectus, homo sapiens --

neanderthal and cro-magnon Hunter-gatherer culture

Lower Paleolithic2.5 Million-70,000 bp

Hominids and earliest human ancestors Gatherer/scavengers Simple pebble tools, pebble chopper tools, and hand

axes associated with homo habilis and homo erectus Remains found in Europe, Africa and Asia

Hominids:Australopithicenes

Immediate ancestors of humans: intermediate between apes and humans

Classified hominidiae because of biological similarity to humans Large brains Bi-pedal: walked upright

Began evolving 5 million years ago and were widespread 3 million years ago

The First Tool Makers ?

Evidence of habitation in one place for an extended period of time

Plant gatherers/meat scavengersMeat eaters -- used tools to smash bones and skin

animalsChipped stone turned into crude hand-held

choppers

Homo Habilis2.4-1.6 Million Years Ago

Early transitional human fossils first discovered in Olduvai gorge in 1960s

Homo habilis -- “handy or skilled humans” -- strong evidence of stone tool usage

Larger brains, smaller mouths and teeth than australopithicenes

HOMO ERECTUSCa. 1.9 Million bp-

Ca. 100,000 bp

First fully human species

Moved out of Africa to populate tropical, subtropical and temperate zones throughout the old world

Skilled tool makers Highly successful

species

Paralleling the biological evolution of early humans was the development of cultural technologies that allowed them to become

increasingly successful at acquiring food and surviving predators. The evidence for this

evolution in culture can be seen especially in:

the creation and use of stone tools

new subsistence patterns

the occupation of new environmental zones

Subsistence and Living Much fuller exploitation of animal food resources through

hunting and carcass scavenging: sheep, pigs, buffalo, deer, turtles, birds, etc..

Movement out of Africa to populate colder temperate zones made possible through new inventions and increased meat consumption

Began to occupy caves and build shelter Family units Use of fire

reconstruction of a possible dwelling at Terra Amata, France

The Coming of FireWhat are the implications of

fire use?

Light

Warmth

Animal management

Cooked food

Communal gatherings

Special status for fire-bearers

Early Archaic Homo Sapiens

Blurry dividing line between homo erectus and homo sapiens

Evolutionary changes extended over several hundred thousand years: ca. 600,000 bp-100,000 bp

Fossils of archaic homo sapiens have been found throughout the old world.

Extent of the interaction between these diverse and widely distributed populations is not clear.

No agreement as to which of these populations were the ancestors of modern humans.

Human Evolution

Hominids appeared ca. 4 million years ago (bp) Homo erectus: ca. 700,000-400,000 bpHomo heidelbergensis: ca. 600,000-300,000 bpArchaic homo sapiens: ca. 300,000-200,000 bpNeandertals: ca. 130,000-29,000 bpModern homo sapiens: ca. 100,000 bp

Important Early Archaic Homo sapiens Sites

Site Location Years Ago (approximate)

Africa: Lake Ndutu (near Olduvai Gorge) 400,000?

Broken Hill (Kabwe), Zambia 130,000+

China: Dali, Shaanxi Province 230-180,000

Jinniushan, Liaoning Province 200,000

Europe: Arago Cave, France 400-300,000?

Bilzingsleben, Germany 425-200,000

Terra Amata, France 400,000 -----

Petralona Cave, Greece 300-200,000?

Steinheim, Germany 300-250,000?

Swanscombe, England 300-250,000?

Vértesszöllös, Hungary 210-160,000?

Middle Paleolithic75,000-35,000 bp

Major leap forward in tool making traditions: The Mousterian tool tradition

Employed by Neandertals, other late archaic homo sapiens and by such early modern homo sapiens as Cro-magnons

Part of successful adaptation to hunting and gathering, especially in sub-arctic and temperate environment during the last ice age which began about 75,000 years ago

NEANDERTALSca. 130,000-29,000 bp

Best known of late archaic homo sapiens

Bones first discovered in late 1820s

First humans to live successfully in sub-arctic regions of northern hemisphere during ice ages

Neandertal modern human

Continuing controversy over relationship to Homo sapiens: Homo sapiens neandertalis or Homo

neandertalis?

Genetic evidence indicates that Neandertals were a separate variety of Homo sapiens, but successfully

interbred with Homo sapiens sapiens

Indications of Neandertal Burial Rituals

Burials contain food and tool offerings Some sites have hearths built around skeletons In many sites skeletons are carefully arranged in sleep-

like positions A burial at Teshik-Tash is surrounded with animal

horns A body a Le Moustier, France, was covered in red ochre

powder Stone slabs are found over some burial sites

Shanidar Cave, IraqCorpse placed in fetal position on bed of herbs Variety of flowers carefully arranged around

body: yarrow, cornflowers, St. Barnaby's thistle, groundsel, grape hyacinths, woody horsetail, and a kind of mallow.

Many of these have medicinal qualities.

La Chapelle-aux-saints Cave

Individual was buried on his back, with his head to the west, the left arm extended and his legs flexed to the right.

Next to the head were burnt animal remains, which could represent some feast that took place before this individual was buried.

Community Paradox Social concern: social organization allowed disabled

members of community to be cared for: La Chapelle-aux-Saints man had crippling arthritis and Shanidar man had degenerative joint disease caused by early bone injuries

Cannibalism: evidence from the cave at Moula-guercy, Ardeche, France indicates that humans were butchered and brain and bone marrow removed to be eaten

Cave Bear CultRitual burial of the heads of cave bears in at least 2

caves in western Europe. Regourdou cave in southern FranceDrachenloch cave in Switzerland

12 feet tall standing up, these animals were larger than any bear species today.

Cave bears hunted the same animals that the Neandertals did, and they probably would have considered people to be food as well.

Cave bears would have engendered considerable fear and respect as powerful, dangerous creatures.

Drachenloch Cave in Switzerland

Stone chest built by the Neandertals, who also inhabited the entrance of the cave.

Top of the structure covered by a massive stone slab. Inside were the skulls of seven bears arranged with muzzles facing the cave

entrance, and deeper in the cave six more bear skulls in niches along the wallSupposed symbol of the "cult of the cave bear" consisted of the skull of a

three-year-old bear pierced in the cheek by the leg-bone of younger bear.

Neandertal Art

Few artifacts in archeological record Bones and rocks with scratched

patterns Highly polished, colored mammoth’s

molar Pendant from Arcy-sur-Cure, .Ffrance

Bone with clear markings Amulet May indicate interaction between

Neandertals and Cro-magnons

Neandertal Music

In 1996, a flute made from a juvenile bear femur with two intact pierced holes was found at the former Neandertal hunting camp of Divje Babe I, in Slovenia

The notes on the Neanderthal flute, if possible for it to reach the total air-column length of about 42cm, are consistent with 4 notes of the minor diatonic scale (flatted 3rd and flatted 6th included).

Neandertal Flute Website

Upper Paleolithic35,000-12,000 bp

Movement of homo sapiens sapiens throughout the world Extinction of at least 50 types of large animals Height of old stone age technical sophistication Most advanced tool tradition was the Magdalenian

tradition of Western Europe ca. 17,000-10,000 bp

First major art works:Cave paintings Small sculptured figurines

Modern Humans:HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS

First fossil remains of homo sapiens sapiens -- named Cro-magnon--found in 1868 in a 28,000 year old rock shelter in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, France

Homo sapiens sapiens very likely evolved from archaic homo sapiens in Africa and/or the Near East

Earliest remains dated to 120,000-100,000 years ago in Near East and South Africa

Began to appear in Europe and East Asia. 50,000-40,000 years ago

In the cliffs above town, caves provided shelters for the practice of magic. For thousands of years,

humans inhabited these caves and left bones, tools, utensils

Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, known as the "Capital of Prehistory" because

remains of Cro-Magnon man were first

discovered here.

Cro-magnon Hunters

Developed coordinated group hunting techniques Increased importance of small game and plant food New specialized hunting weapons:

Spears Toggle-head harpoons Bow and arrow Fishing spears, hooks and nets

Cro-magnon Tools

Development of tools for making tools Burins: narrow gouging chisels --

used to carve bone, tusks and antlers Punches and pressure flakers

Compound tools: detachable points connected to spears -- allowed for replacement and repair

Sewing needles

Cro-magnon Artists

Paleographics: any activity that results in the production of visual signs in any medium -- what is generally referred to as "art” as well as images typically designated as signs and symbols.

Beginnings of graphic activity-prior to 33,000 b.p.

"If the total span of human existence on earth equals one year, then art originated within the

last two weeks."

Paleographics There are two very general classes of graphic activity:

Mobiliary statuary and graphics in stone, bone, ivory, horn, antler, clay. Painted or carved graphics in rock shelters and caves.

The graphics consist largely of Megafauna (large animals: mainly horses, bison, aurochs (wild cattle),

mammoths, various species of deer, and goats) A few birds and smaller mammals, Enigmatic signs (rectilinear shapes, wedges ("claviforms"), tectiforms (like a

roof), dots, lines, strands ("spaghetti") Human figures are rare (except for the so-called "venus" figurines) and in

contrast to some of the animal images, almost always abstractly rendered. Hand prints

La Grotte Chauvet30,000 bp -- World’s Oldest Painted Cave

Discovered in 1994 near Vallon-Pont-d’Arc in southern France

The cave was not used for human habitation A hearth measuring 2 1/2 feet in diameter was

possibly used to provide light for Paleolithic artists

Scores of cave bears appear to have hibernated in the grotto, and the ground is littered with their bones

Lascaux, 1700 bpThe Cave of Lascaux Website“the

Sistine Chapel of Caves”

The western edges of the Massif Central and the northern slopes of the Pyrenees are noted for an exceptional concentration of Paleolithic caves. No fewer than 130 sanctuaries, the most renowned of which is Lascaux Discovered in 1940 by 4 teenagers, closed to public in 1963, Lascaux II opened in 1980Contains over 1500 paintings

Altamira, Spain19,000-11,000 bp

Paintings located in the deep recesses of caves in the mountains of northern Spain

Altamira is the only site of cave paintings in which the signs of domestic life extend into the first cavern which contain the actual paintings

The paintings at Altamira primarily focus on bison, important because of the hunt.

The groups of animals portrayed, particularly those on the walls, are of bison, deer, wild boar, and other combinations which do not normally aggregate in nature

“VENUS” or GODDESSFEMALE FIGURINES

The distinctive features consist of breasts, buttocks, bellies and vulvas, emphasized and greatly exaggerated,

The extremities: head, arms, hands, legs and feet, are very much diminished or missing.

The fact that many of these figures are often faceless, and sometimes headless, further suggests that these images are signs of woman rather than images of women.

Woman of Willendorf24,000-22,000 bce

The Caves of Balzi Rossi

explored in late 1890s by Louis Jullien

Woman, Doll or Goddess?Earth mother or mother

goddess? Fertility symbol or

charm? Some figurines daubed

with red ochre in vulva area -- connection with menstrual cycle?

Tradition of making figurines lasted 17,000 years

Venus of KostienskiRussia

Venus of RespugueFrance

Left hand rests on pregnant belly

Venus of Laussel

20,000-18,000 bce

Right hand holds a horn marked with 13 lines: 13 lunar months in a year.

Bowmen and Deer, Cliff PaintingLos Caballos, Spain,10,000-9000 BC

MESOLITHICPERIOD

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