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  • The Paleolithic Period > Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          3. THE PALEOLITHIC PERIOD  

          image
          The expansion of the genus Homo
          Talking book
          Did you know?
          Minerals like flint and obsidian are very hard. However, it is easy to break small, thin pieces off in layers called chips. This is done by hitting the minerals. This is why they were popular with human beings for making tools in the Paleolithic Age.

                 

          The Paleolithic Period is the longest period in Prehistory. It covers 99.5 % of the history of the human race. It began with the appearance of tools made of stone, bone and wood.

           

          It is divided into three periods of different lengths:

          • The Lower Paleolithic (from two and a half million years ago). In this period, stones were knapped, that is, they were shaped by hitting them with a stone. The first tools appeared in the Rift Valley (Africa) and were used to cut up animals and firewood. They are associated with Australopithecus and the earliest genus Homo species: Homo habilis and Homo erectus. Homo erectus learned to make bifaces.
          • The Middle Paleolithic (from 125 000 years ago). Homo neanderthalensis is from this period. The members of this species lived in Europe and Western Asia. Technological advances were made and knives and scrapers began to be produced.
          • The Upper Paleolithic (from 40 000 to 10 000 years ago). Homo sapiens came from this period. Carving techniques developed and new types of tools made of stone, ivory, bone and wood appeared. These included perforators, arrow heads, harpoons, javelins, spear throwers and needles.

          The Epipaleolithic (from 8000 B.C.) was a period of transition between the Paleolithic and Neolithic Age in Europe and on the Iberian Peninsula. As temperatures rose and the ice receded, some Neolithic advances were adopted in these regions. The tools they made were similar to those of the previous period, but smaller.

          Talking book
          image

          5 hide: skin of an animal

          image

          3.1. Economy and society in the Paleolithic Age

          Weblink: Puzzle maker
          Webvideo: Ancestors of man on Earth

           

          Talking book

          In the Paleolithic Age, hominids lived in very difficult conditions. They had to deal with very cold periods, called glacial periods, followed by intermediate periods with milder temperatures, called interglacial periods.


          They were scavengers, which meant they had to compete with hyenas and vultures for the meat of dead animals. Later they lived by gathering wild fruit, hunting wild animals (deer, caribou, bison, horses and mammoths) and fishing.

          The early hominids were predators. They took the resources they needed directly from nature. They lived at subsistence level as they had just enough to survive.

           

          There was a very high rate of mortality, especially in children, and in general they did not live very long.


          When they learned to control fire, the situation improved greatly. They could challenge other predators, provide heat, light and cook food.

          Did you know?

          Fire was made by using friction, by rubbing two sticks or stones together. One and a half million years ago Homo erectus made use of naturally occurring fire. Later, hominids discovered the technique to make fire themselves.


          Fire greatly improved the diet of human beings. Cooked food was easier to digest and required less effort to chew. The facial features of Homo sapiens possibly became more delicate due to this discovery.

           
          In the Paleolithic Period, hominids organised themselves into small groups called clans (around ten people). Their members shared family ties. Various clans with common ancestors formed a tribe. There were no important social differences among their members.

           

          To catch large mammals, hunting was done in groups. Stampedes were caused so the herds would go towards natural traps (swamps and ravines) or man-made ones. Successful hunting required coordination, which probably led to the development of language.

          The inhabitants of the Paleolithic Period lived a nomadic life, moving around in search of animals to hunt. They lived outside in huts made of branches and animal hides or sheltered in caves. They wore the hides of the animals they had caught. They made use of the whole animal, including the teeth and horns, which they used to make tools or adornments.

          3.2. Culture and art in the Paleolithic Age

          Religion appeared when humans tried to find explanations for natural phenomena they couldn't explain. The Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) were the first to bury their dead, 100 000 years ago. They may have believed in a soul or spirit which lived on after death. This is the oldest known religious manifestation. Sometimes they put objects like jewellery or tools next to the corpse. These are called grave goods.

          They probably practised magic rituals so their hunts would be successful. It is believed they held these in caves and probably regarded them as sacred places.

          The first known artistic manifestations are around 35 000 years old. They come from the Upper Paleolithic. The most famous ones are cave paintings and portable art.

           

          Cave paintings were done on cave walls in many places. The two regions which contain the most famous examples, of different styles and from different periods, are:

          • The Franco-Cantabrian region: the paintings here date from the Upper Paleolithic. The paintings in Altamira (Cantabria) and Lascaux (France) are the most famous. They were done inside caves and were polychrome, meaning that several colours were used. These were obtained by mixing mineral dust with egg or fat to give it the right consistency. Paleolithic artists painted solitary animals in a naturalistic style, showing nature realistically. They made use of the irregularities in the rock to create relief in their drawings.
          • The Levantine area on the Iberian Peninsula: the paintings date from the Epipaleolithic. The paintings in Valltorta (Castellón) and Cogull (Lleida) are the most famous. These were painted in shallow caves. Few colours were used and they were eventually done in monochrome (one colour). They painted human figures and animals in hunting scenes. The style was schematic, meaning they drew simplified outlines. They did not try to represent nature realistically, but to capture a scene and suggest movement.
          Bison in Altamira cave, Cantabria (left) and a hunting scene in the Cova dels Cavalls, Barranco de la Valltorta, Castellón
           

          Portable art (which could be carried from one place to another) consists of:

             
          Figurine of the Venus of Willendorf (left) and engraving of the Venus of Laussel

             

          • Engravings on pieces of stone or bone. The engravings were drawings done on a hard surface by making incisions with an even harder tool.
          • Figurines (small statues) of human figures or animals. They were made of stone, wood, bone and ivory. Some of them are associated with fertility worship, such as the female statues called Venus.
          • Other objects, like adornments, batons of command (which gave authority or power to their owner), amulets (objects which protected people from evil and brought good luck) and talismans (objects which were believed to have magical powers).
          1

          Activity 13
          Look at the pictures which show how Paleolithic tools evolved. Do you think their evolution shows a parallel evolution in human intelligence? Explain your answer here.

          2

          Activity 14
          Show the expansion of the homo species by dragging the names onto the map.

          3

          Activity 15
          Think about how long the Paleolithic Period lasted. Do you think technology is advancing faster or more slowly as time passes?

          4

          Activity 16
          Look at the objects in the picture as you listen to the audio. Write what each object is and which period it is from.

          5

          Activity 17
          Find out more about one of the sites areas on the map in detail or choose a site near to where you live. If tools were found there which period were they from? Have any hominid remains been found there? Which species?

          6

          Activity 18
          Fill in the blank spaces about the benefits of fire to Paleolithic man and woman.

          7

          Activity 19
          ​Look at the illustration.

          8

          Activity 20
          The groups of Paleolithic humans who didn't learn to make fire were smaller in number than those who did. Why do you think that was?

          9

          Activity 21
          Write some reasons for the high mortality rate for Paleolithic humans.

          10

          Activity 22
          What did the clans or tribes do when there was no fruit left to collect or animals to hunt?

          11

          Activity 23
          How did the coordination needed to hunt contribute to the development of language?

          12

          Activity 24
          Look at the Paleolithic Venuses on this page and answer the questions.

          13

          Activity 25
          Look at the picture. Write how you think cave paintings were made.

          14

          Activity 26
          Look at the Altamira and Valltorta paintings.

          15

          Activity 27
          Write the answers.

          16

          Activity 28
          Which object(s) would a man or a woman at that time use to:

           
          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 13

          P
          Look at the pictures which show how Paleolithic tools evolved. Do you think their evolution shows a parallel evolution in human intelligence? Explain your answer here.
          t1-multimedia

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          The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 14

          0/6
          Show the expansion of the homo species by dragging the names onto the map.

           
          • Homo sapiens

          • Homo sapiens

          • Homo erectus

          • Homo neanderthalensis

          • Homo sapiens

          • Australopithecus and Homo habilis

          t2-multimedia

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          The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 15

          P
          Think about how long the Paleolithic Period lasted. Do you think technology is advancing faster or more slowly as time passes? 

            1 attempt
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          The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 16

          0/8
          Look at the objects in the picture as you listen to the audio. Write what each object is and which period it is from.

           

           

          1. It's a from the Period.

          2. It's a from the Period.

          3. It's a from the Period.

          4. It's a from the Period.

            lower Paleolithic scraper upper Paleolithic chopper perforator javelin
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          Tools

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          The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 17

          P
          Find out more about one of the sites areas on the map in detail or choose a site near to where you live. If tools were found there which period were they from? Have any hominid remains been found there? Which species? Write what you find out.
             
          t5-multimedia

            1 attempt
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          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 18

          0/6
          Fill in the blank spaces about the benefits of fire to Paleolithic man and woman. 

          Fire was  to Paleolithic humans. It helped them in many . They could challenge other , cook, see in the with the that fire provides and build fires to keep .

            predators ways important dark warm light

            3 attempts
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          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 19

          0/4

          ​Look at the illustration.

          Listen and identify the activities described and the tools used.

          a) A woman is using a needle to sew and sewing a hide.

          b) There is a boy making fire by rubbing two sticks together.

          c)  In order to fish, a man is using a harpoon.

          d) A woman is cleaning a hide with a scraper.

          • a

          • b

          • c

          • d

          Activities of a clan
          Activities of a clan

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          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 20

          P
          The groups of Paleolithic humans who didn't learn to make fire were smaller in number than those who did. Why do you think that was?

            1 attempt
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          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 21

          0/1

          Write some reasons for the high mortality rate for Paleolithic humans. 

           

           

            10l

            3 attempts
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          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 22

          P
          What did the clans or tribes do when there was no fruit left to collect or animals to hunt?

            1 attempt
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          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 23

          P
          How did the coordination needed to hunt contribute to the development of language? 

            1 attempt
          Done
          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
          Without background sound
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          Activity 24

          P
          Look at the Paleolithic Venuses on this page and answer the questions. What are they made of?
          How is a figurine different to the carving? Which requires more time to make? The figurine 
          The engraving
          Why are these artefacts related to fertility?
          Venus de Willendorf (left) and the engraving Venus of Laussel
          Venus de Willendorf (left) and the engraving Venus of Laussel

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          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 25

          P
          Look at the picture. Write how you think cave paintings were made.  
          t13-multimedia

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          The Paleolithic Period
          Prehistory: The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 26

          P
          Look at the Altamira and Valltorta paintings.   a) Where are they?
          b) What does each painting show?
          c) Which style is each painted in?
          d) Why doyou think they painted animals and hunting scenes?
          Bison from the Altamira and deer from the Cova dels Cavalls caves
          Bison from the Altamira and deer from the Cova dels Cavalls caves

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          The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 27

          P
          Write the answers.
          a) Why do we think the neanderthals held religious beliefs?
          b) Why did Prehistoric human beings practise magic rituals?

            1 attempt
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          The Paleolithic Period
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          Activity 28

          0/5
          Which object(s) would a man or a woman at that time use to:

          a) show authority

          b) bring back the herds which had migrated

          c) have more children

          d) feel more attractive

          e) make the spirits of their ancestors protect them

            batons of command amulets adornments figurines and engravings a talisman

            3 attempts
          Done