Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic - these are three large cultural and historical periods of the Stone Age. It got its name due to the fact that in those days weapons were made only of stone, and only towards the end of the century bones and wood began to be used . The Stone Age lasted more than one hundred thousand years. But even now, thanks to numerous historical and archaeological finds, we can find out at least the main moments of life of primitive people at the dawn of human civilization.
What is paleolithic?
The oldest history of mankind is the Paleolithic era, the longest period of the Stone Age, which began more than 2.5 million years ago. Its main feature is the evolution of people: from an animal to a primitive communal system. The appearance and development of speech is very important and significant. The Paleolithic is divided into three stages: early, middle and late.
Early Paleolithic
This is the first and longest stage. The beginning of the Paleolithic is associated with the appearance of the first ape-like person - the archanthropus. They did not have high growth (1.5 - 1.8 m), had characteristic distinct superciliary arches and a sloping chin. They used animal skins as clothing, lived in caves, and, according to many scientists, they actively practiced cannibalism. The main feature of the early Paleolithic is the beginning of the use of stone makeshift tools. They were made by cutting off from one stone with another all that was superfluous in order to form a chip or a cutting edge. Gradually, the manufacturing technique improved, and hand choppers and so-called drills appeared - tools with which they dug roots or chopped trees. Another significant evolutionary step of the early Paleolithic was the use of fire. Traces of ancient bonfires 1.5 million years old were discovered in Africa and Asia. But at this stage, an ancient man could only maintain fire; he himself had not yet been mined.
Middle Paleolithic
At this time, the upright species is still upright, and its evolution continues. In Africa, about 200-300 thousand years ago, a new species appeared, which in terms of the volume of the brain was close to modern humans - it is a Neanderthal man. They were distinguished by higher growth and a very strong muscular physique, which gave them considerable physical strength. The Middle Paleolithic is an era of survival, since Neanderthals lived, perhaps, in the most difficult climatic conditions - in the ice age.
It helped to survive that people learned how to make fire on their own, by carving. It was most likely discovered by chance during the manufacture of another sharp stone tool. At the same time, the first spears and knives, arrowheads and scrapers for processing animal skins appear. A social structure is developing, people live in large groups, taking care of the elderly. Art is emerging in the form of cave paintings depicting hunting or very often women, which can be regarded as prerequisites for matriarchy.
Late Paleolithic
This is the period when a man appeared, reminiscent of the modern - Cro-Magnon, he was named after the Cro-Magnon cave, in which his remains were found. The Cro-Magnon man resembles modern people with the phenotype: a high forehead, a pronounced chin, less musculature, and developed motor skills of hands, which made it possible to produce advanced tools for hunting and everyday life. The main material is still stone. In the late Paleolithic-Mesolithic (early) period, the first resemblance of boats appeared. This was preceded by the manufacture of the first rafts from logs or dry rods. Needles were made of bones, the ancestors of modern times, used them to make clothes, weaved baskets of willow twigs. Primitive art actively developed : figures from tusks and bones of a mammoth, rock art. The Paleolithic era at a later stage laid the foundation for the domestication of wild animals, the dogs, as you know, became the first. The time of the Cro-Magnons was determined by the solar and lunar calendars. Primitive society is gradually being replaced by a matriarchal tribal community. The manufacture of the first clay figures characterizes the Paleolithic. Neolithic is marked by the appearance of the first pottery.
Mesolithic
This era begins after the end of the last ice age. This segment is controversial among historians. It is most pronounced in the north of modern Europe. During this period, weapons continued to improve, bow and arrows appeared. People domesticated wild animals: buffaloes, horses, cows. Society is developing, and the first norms of behavior, rules appear. Mesolithic is characterized by the further development of speech.
Neolithic
If the Paleolithic is a period of active hunting, fishing and gathering, then one of the main events of the Neolithic is the transition to a productive economy: agriculture and cattle breeding. People became more attached to one place, the first houses, huts and even cities began to appear. Clay began to be used for making dishes and in art.
Neolithic, as well as the Paleolithic, is divided into early, middle and late periods. And each of them proceeded unevenly, not at the same time, different cultures entered each stage at different times. Even then, for example, the territory of modern China could boast of high development.
Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic - these are milestones in the evolution of man as a biological species. For millennia, he won his place from nature in the sun. One species replaced another, the tools were improved, the system changed from the herd, characteristic of animals, to the primitive communal, art was born.