Paleolithic

Lore & Background

The Paleolithic Age in Europe preceded the Mesolithic Age, although the date of the transition varies geographically by several thousand years. The age is characterized by the use of knapped stone tools, although humans also used wood and bone tools. Other organic commodities such as leather and vegetable fibers were adapted for use, but due to rapid decomposition, these have not survived to any great degree. About 50,000 years ago, a marked increase in the diversity of artifacts occurred, including bone artifacts and the first art in Africa, as well as the first evidence of human fishing from sites such as Blombos Cave in South Africa.

Reader's Guide

The Paleolithic is significant as the foundational period of human technological and cultural development. It saw the gradual evolution from early members of the genus Homo, such as Homo habilis using simple stone tools, into anatomically and behaviorally modern humans by the Upper Paleolithic. During the Middle or Upper Paleolithic, humans began producing the earliest works of art and engaging in religious or spiritual behavior such as burial and ritual. The period also witnessed major human migrations: by c. By the end of the Upper Paleolithic, humans had crossed Beringia and expanded throughout the Americas. The climate of the Paleolithic went through glacial and interglacial periods, and the end of the ice age may have contributed to the extinction of Pleistocene megafauna such as the woolly mammoth, possibly combined with human hunting.

Did You Know?

• The term 'Paleolithic' was coined by archaeologist John Lubbock in 1865, from Greek words meaning 'old stone'.
• During the Paleolithic, population density was very low, around only 0.4 inhabitants per square kilometer.
• The first evidence of human fishing comes from artifacts in places such as Blombos Cave in South Africa, dating to about 50,000 years ago.