- characteristics
- Industry type
- The man from Neardental
- Weather
- Homo sapiens
- Tools
- Mousterian culture
- Examples of tools
- New Materials
- Art
- Before the
- Blombos Cave
- Lifestyle
- The effect of the weather
- Nomadism
- Society
- Burials
- References
The Middle Paleolithic is the second stage of the three into which the Paleolithic has been divided. This, whose name means "ancient stone", was the first period of the Stone Age, at the beginning of Prehistory. This chronological classification is based on the different techniques with which the human being worked the stone to make tools.
After the Lower Paleolithic, the most extensive period in all of Prehistory, the so-called Middle Palaeolithic began. Although its development was different depending on the geographical area, experts consider that it spanned between 150,000 and 40,000 years before the present.
Neardental de La Moustier, 1920 - Author: Charles R. Knight - Source: http://donglutsdinosaurs.com/knight-neanderthals/ licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, Among the main characteristics is the implantation of a new type of lithic industry: the Mousterian, with techniques that allowed to improve the manufacture of tools.
The most characteristic type of hominid of this stage was the Neanderthal man (Homo neardenthalensis). At present, this species is no longer considered as an ancestor of modern human beings, since the tests show that both species coexisted without having any type of genetic relationship.
Similarly, during the Middle Paleolithic, Homo sapiens sapiens appeared in Africa, although it would still take some time to establish itself as the dominant species on the planet.
characteristics
The first stage of the Stone Age, the Paleolithic, has been divided by historians into three different periods. The first and most extensive was the Lower Paleolithic and the last, which gave way to the Mesolithic, was the Upper Paleolithic. Between the two is the Middle Paleolithic, which lasted about 100,000 years.
This classification is based on the evolution of the lithic industry, that is, on the different techniques with which human beings worked the stone. In the case of the Middle Paleolithic, the distinctive lithic industry was the Mousterian, in which this material was carved with a technique called Levallois.
Industry type
The Mousterian industry appeared 150,000 years ago and has been almost exclusively related to the man of Neardental.
The name comes from the site where the first tools made with this technique were found. In this case, the remains were found at La Moustier in France and were characterized by the extraction of flakes from the core.
In addition to this way of working stone, in the Middle Paleolithic there was another important advance in the construction of tools: the human being began to use other materials apart from stone, especially bone.
The man from Neardental
As noted above, the dominant hominin during the Middle Paleolithic was Homo neardenthalensis. One of its evolutionary advantages was its ability to make better tools, something that allowed it to obtain better pieces in its hunting drives.
For some time, experts considered Neanderthal man as a direct ancestor of modern man. However, today it is widely accepted that this was not the case. In reality, the Neanderthal was a distant relative of Homo sapiens, with whom it came to share the planet for about 150,000 years.
The remains found seem to confirm that the Neanderthals were organized in small groups and that they resided in caves. Furthermore, they were capable of controlling fire and lighting it at will.
Weather
As it happened in the Lower Paleolithic, glaciations were a constant during this period. Geologically it coincided with the Upper Pleistocene and lasted until the middle of the Würm-Wisconsin glaciation.
This caused that the living conditions of the existing hominids were very harsh. The cold largely conditioned the way of life that the first humans adopted in that period.
Homo sapiens
In addition to Neanderthal Man, Homo sapiens sapiens appeared during the Middle Pleistocene. The oldest remains have been found in Africa, from where they spread to Europe and Asia.
Tools
The Middle Palaeolithic represented a great improvement in tool making. Until that moment, the utensils that the first humans had made were quite basic, something that changed thanks to the ability that his greater cranial capacity gave to the Man of Neanderthal.
Mousterian culture
The characteristic lithic industry of the Middle Paleolithic was the Mousterian, also called technical mode 3.
Although remains of tools made with this technical mode have been found at the end of the previous period, it was during the Middle Palaeolithic when it became general and reached its peak.
The utensils made in this period continued to be, for the most part, made of stone. The novelty was that the flakes obtained were also used as tools, which made it possible to obtain sharper edges.
The new carving technique provided the hominids of the time with more efficient tools, especially for hunting. Among the weapons that were most used for this purpose, spearheads and biface knives stood out.
Examples of tools
In addition to the aforementioned hunting weapons, other types of tools were made during the Middle Palaeolithic. The most typical were scrapers, scrapers, burins or triangular points.
Another important advance was the incorporation of wood or bone magicians to some cutting tools, which allowed a much more comfortable and effective use.
New Materials
Although the name of this prehistoric era comes from the most used raw material, stone, during the Middle Paleolithic, other materials began to be used to make utensils.
The most used was bone, whose characteristics allowed the manufacture of more specialized instruments, such as scrapers or needles.
Art
Most anthropologists maintain that art did not appear until the Upper Palaeolithic, the stage that followed the Middle Palaeolithic. However, some findings have led other experts to consider that both Homo erectus (Lower Palaeolithic) and Homo sapiens had a certain aesthetic concept.
These experts base their claim on the fact that some tools have been found with an elaboration that seems to go beyond mere functionality, seeking a certain aesthetic impact.
Before the
As has been pointed out, there is no scientific consensus about the appearance of art in the history of humanity.
Those who claim that Homo erectus made some objects with artistic intentions are based on the objects found in Thuringia. The same is true of some of the Acheulean hand axes.
On the other hand, the Neanderthals were also able to develop a certain artistic sense. The discovery of a mask at La Roche-Cotard has been presented as proof that they produced figurative pieces.
Blombos Cave
Another Middle Paleolithic site that has caused controversy among experts was Blombos Cave in South Africa. There, in 2002, some stones were found that showed signs of having been carved into web-shaped drawings.
These remains, dating back 70,000 years, would demonstrate that early Homo sapiens was capable of representing symbolic motifs. Beads made with shells were also found in the same cave, as well as objects that seem to have been used to contain paintings.
However, many archaeologists disagree with that interpretation of the finds and continue to claim that the art did not appear until the Upper Paleolithic.
Lifestyle
Homo neardenthalensis is considered to be the most human-like extinct hominid. This species appeared during the Middle Paleolithic, in Europe. From there, they spread to some areas of Asia.
The Neanderthals represented an evolutionary leap compared to previous hominid species. Thus, they were able to improve their hunting techniques and began to practice fishing assiduously.
On the other hand, it is known that they managed to control fire, build shelters and improve the efficiency of the tools they made.
The effect of the weather
The glaciations that took place during this stage of Prehistory were decisive for the type of life of the Neanderthals.
The constant cold was the cause that the analyzed remains of some individuals present rickets. This disease is caused by a vitamin D deficiency caused by a lack of sunlight or a good diet.
It was precisely the difficulty of finding food that forced these hominids to improve their hunting techniques. Remains of all kinds of animals, both large and small, have been found in the sites. In addition, the management of the fire allowed them to cook the meat, which facilitated the absorption of nutrients and allowed them to better preserve the provisions.
Nomadism
The hominids of this period, both Neanderthal and Homo sapiens, were eminently nomadic. The cold forced them to seek refuge in caves located in areas rich in food resources. When these were depleted, or when animals migrated, hominids did too.
In addition to hunting terrestrial animals, human groups began to practice fishing, especially in rivers. In the maritime areas, on the other hand, the usual thing is that they only collected the mollusks that were found on the coast.
Society
The social organization of human groups, made up of between 20 and 30 members, was very simple. They were small family clans in which specialized work did not exist. Cooperation was essential to be able to survive and the jobs were carried out by each of the individuals.
Each member of the group had to participate in hunting or gathering fruits and roots. Likewise, they had to prepare the skins to be able to protect themselves from the cold. Finally, tool making was another of the main activities of these clans.
Burials
According to anthropologists and archaeologists, one of the novelties that the Neanderthals introduced were funeral rituals, which shows a certain religious thought. In general, the rites consisted in making offerings to their dead and, later, in decorating the tombs.
References
- Cart, Adrian. What is the Middle Paleolithic ?. Obtained from patrimoniointeligente.com
- Arthistory. Middle Palaeolithic. Obtained from artehistoria.com
- Escuelapedia. Paleolithic - Middle Paleolithic period. Obtained from schoolpedia.com
- Hirst, K. Kris. Introduction to the Middle Paleolithic. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mousterian industry. Retrieved from britannica.com
- Balak, Libor. The lower and the middle Paleolithic. Retrieved from anthropark.wz.cz
- Smithsonian Institution. Middle Stone Age Tools. Retrieved from humanorigins.si.edu