Paleolithic

Etymology

The term “ Paléolithique ” comes from the Greek παλαιός/ palaios (old) and Λίθος/ lithographies (stone). It can thus result literally in “age of the old stone”.

This term was created in 1865 by the prehistorian John Lubbock to indicate the paleolithic age, in opposition to the neolithic age or Neolithic, “age of the new stone”.

Definition

The Paleolithic one is characterized above all by a saving in predation: the human ones are hunters-gatherers tie left the available resources in nature. In addition to the Hunting and the fishing, the Charognage was considered like means of acquisition of flesh-colored resources to the Paleolithic inferior and means. The Cueillette also had to play a big role, even if it is difficult to highlight it starting from the nonperishable archaeological vestiges.

The tools of this time arrived to us are in very great cut majority of the stone tools, but of the tools in bone are also known, especially with the Paleolithic superior. Wood is exceptionally preserved but was to be frequently used, for example to produce spears or to make handles. The lithic Industrie cut is not specific to Paleolithic since it perdure with the Mesolithic , the Neolithic and even later. On the other hand, the use of the polished stone and the work of metals are unknown with the Paleolithic one. If ceramics is employed to carry out rare statuettes with the Paleolithic superior, its employment in particular for the pottery will spread only with the Neolithic era.

Subdivisions

The principal subdivisions of Paleolithic are presented here summarily (see the specific articles).

Paleolithic inferior

Paleolithic means

Paleolithic superior

“Men” of the Paleolithic one

At the end of the tertiary era, with the Pliocène, appears the Australopithèque S or préhominiens , characterized by a sometimes imperfect Bipédie, but more marked much than the occasional bipédie of the current Chimpanzé S. But as any lithic Industrie could not be formally allotted to these Australopithèque S, this period does not form part of the paleolithic one.

The manufacture of tools was regarded a long time as a criterion making it possible to discriminate human thehuman ones. The description of use and adaptation of tools at the anthropomorphic monkeys, in particular the Chimpanzee S and recently the Gorilla S, showed that this limit was not also distinct. Today, faculty to produce tools is recognized with the Australopithèque S but it remains difficult to show.

The Homo erectus was a long time regarded as the first representative of the kind Homo to populate Eurasia. Recent discovered Homo georgicus in Georgia comes to relativize this idea, even if Homo erectus is known on old dates as far as China and in Indonesia.

With the average Pleistocene, appear the Homo antecessor , Homo heidelbergensis and the Néandertaliens ( Moustérien ). One also sees appearing the Homo rhodesiensis , ancestor probable of the Homo sapiens .

At the time of the last Glacial period, Homo Sapiens (Man of Cro-Magnon, Man of Grimaldi) arrives to Europe, still occupied by Néanderthaliens. In Asia, Homo erectus probably evolves to Homo floresiensis .

See too

Line of time
Paléoanthropologie

External bonds

religious Aspects of the prehistory Of the paleolithic means until the discovery of agriculture.

----

Be-X-old: Палеаліт

Random links:

Glutamate monosodic | Ten coupled (locomotive) | Honore Nicolas | Stevns | District of Sanshui