Cultural Advances Anthropology

Culture Human Culture: Any learned behaviour, including technology

Paleolithic Era The cultures of pre-historic humans are known mostly through stone tools and other imperishable artifacts Early tools (simplest technologies) were thought to be from Paleolithic (“Old Stone Age”)

Paleolithic Era Lower: 2.5mya-100,000ya Middle: 250,000ya – 30,000ya Upper: 50,000ya – 10,000ya These are approximations and obviously overlap

Lower Paleolithic Acheulian tool tradition used and made until roughly 100,00ya when Neanderthals and others achieved a major leap forward in tool making with the development of the Mousterian tool tradition

Mid-Paleolithic technologies Changes in tool making (100,00ya) Sophistication with dealing with environment (especially with obtaining food) Local groups had differences and therefore variations of tools began Most variation was through the “Mousterian” tool tradition

Mid - Paleo This technology was part of their successful adaptation to hunting and gathering, especially in cooler climates like Europe during the last ice age (75,000ya)

Mousterian (mid-Paleo) Reduction of large core tools (hand axes) Specialized Flake Tools became more common Levallois Flake

Levallois Flake

Uses Think of possible uses for the Levallois Flake over the Acheulian tradition… Animal Skin prep** (why most important?) Butchering animals Cutting small pieces of wood

This was the first time that stone tips were affixed to spears This provided more effective killing Neanderthals were pioneers which is another argument against the idea that they were brutish, apelike, dull-witted creatures

Neanderthal Culture Cooler climates require protection Evidence of clothing manufacturing? Stone Awls were found in sites belonging to Neanderthals Wear on incisor teeth similar to Inuit women