Paleolithic
From Freepedia
| This time period is part of the Pleistocene epoch. |
Pleistocene
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| Holocene |
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (Greek παλαιός paleos=old and λίθος lithos=stone or the 'Old Stone Age') was the first period in the development of human technology of the Stone Age. It began with the introduction of the first stone tools by hominids such as Homo habilis (around 2,000,000 years ago) and lasted until the introduction of agriculture. It ended with the Mesolithic, or in areas with an early neolithisation, the Epipaleolithic.
The Paleolithic is usually divided into three subdivisions.
The Lower Paleolithic was the time of the hand axe-industries. This period lasted from about 2.5 million to 120,000 years ago. Prevalent hominid species of the Lower Paleolithic were H. habilis and Homo erectus. See also: Oldowan, Clactonian, Abbevillian, Acheulean. For the history of that period in Europe, a recent discovery in Italy has a great importance: at the site of Monte Poggiolo, near Forlì, thousands of handmade stones have been found, dating from 800,000 years ago.
The Middle Paleolithic lasted from about 200,000 to about 40,000 years ago. Flake tools were made by the prepared-core technique. H. erectus, Homo sapiens, and other hominid species prevalent. See also: Mousterian
The Upper Paleolithic lasted from about 40,000 to about 10,000 years ago. The technological changes of the transition from Middle to Upper Paleolithic have led some to speculate that human language first fully developed at this time. See also: Châtelperronian, Aurignacian, Solutrean, Gravettian, Magdalenian
