Paleolithic

(noun)

Early stage of the Stone Age, when primitive stone tools were used. 

Related Terms

Examples of Paleolithic in the following topics:

  • Paleolithic Art

  • Paleolithic Artifacts

    • The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age originated around 30,000 BCE, lasting until 10,000 BCE, and is separated into three periods: the Lower Paleolithic (the earliest subdivision), Middle Paleolithic, and Upper Paleolithic.
    • Surviving artifacts of the Paleolithic era are known as paleoliths.
    • The earliest undisputed art originated in the Upper Paleolithic.
    • Generally speaking, artifacts dating from the Lower and Middle Paleolithic remain disputed as objects of artistic expression, while the Upper Paleolithic provides the first conclusive examples of art making.
    • Bilzingsleben is a site of early Paleolithic human remains discovered in Thuringia, Germany.

  • Paleolithic Architecture

    • The Paleolithic lasted until the retreat of the ice, when farming and use of metals were adopted.
    • A typical Paleolithic society followed a hunter-gatherer economy.
    • Our understanding of Paleolithic dwellings is therefore limited.
    • Caves are the most famous example of Paleolithic shelters, though the number of caves used by Paleolithic people is drastically small relative to the number of hominids thought to have lived on Earth at the time.
    • In the Upper Paleolithic (the latest part of the Paleolithic), caves ceased to act as houses.

  • Paleolithic Cave Paintings

    • Paleolithic cave paintings demonstrate early humans' capacity to give meaning to their surroundings and communicate with others.
    • The Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age, ranges from 30,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE and produced the first accomplishments in human creativity, preceding the invention of writing.
    • Lascaux (circa 15,000 BCE), in southwestern France, is an interconnected series of caves with one of the most impressive examples of artistic creations by Paleolithic humans.
    • Altamira's famous Upper Paleolithic cave paintings feature drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands.
    • Identify the types of images found in cave paintings in Europe dating from the Paleolithic era

  • Paleolithic Sculpture

    • Paleolithic sculptures found in caves are some of the earliest examples of representational art.
    • The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age existed from approximately 30,000 BCE until 10,000 BCE, and produced the first accomplishments in human creativity.
    • Sculptural work from the Paleolithic consists mainly of figurines, beads, and some decorative utilitarian objects constructed with stone, bone, ivory, clay, and wood.
    • "Venus figurines" is an umbrella term for a number of prehistoric statuettes of women that have been found mostly in Europe, but also in Asia and Siberia, dating from the Upper Paleolithic.
    • While some archaeologists question whether this artifact does indeed represent a rendered face, it is typically regarded as an example of Paleolithic figurative artistic expression.

  • Art in Western Europe

    • Western Europe was particularly bountiful for archaeological discoveries, such as the Venus figurines, from the Paleolithic.
    • The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age existed from approximately 30,000 BC until 10,000 BC and produced some of the first accomplishments in human creativity.
    • The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave (circa 30,000 BC) in the Ardèche department of southern France contains some of the earliest known paintings form the Upper Paleolithic.
    • As elsewhere, many Venus figurines have been discovered throughout western Europe that date from the Paleolithic period.
    • Numerous engravings in bone and ivory from the Upper Paleolithic have been discovered in western Europe.

  • Mesolithic Art

    • The Mesolithic Period, or Middle Stone Age, is an archaeological term used to describe specific groups of cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic Periods.
    • The Paleolithic was an age of purely hunting and gathering, but toward the Mesolithic period the development of agriculture contributed to the rise of permanent settlements.
    • The Paleolithic had utilized more primitive stone treatments, and the Neolithic mainly abandoned the modes in favor of polished, rather than chipped, stone tools.
    • It is difficult to find a unique type of artistic production during the Mesolithic Period, and it is believed that people most likely continued the art forms developed during the Upper Paleolithic (the latest period of the Paleolithic).
    • Compare and contrast the Mesolithic period with the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods.

  • The Stone Age

    • The Paleolithic era is characterized by the emergence of basic stone tools and stone art in the archaeological record.
    • There are also various examples of carved bone and ivory flutes in the Paleolithic era, indicating another art form utilized by prehistoric humans.
    • Paleolithic small sculptures are made of clay, bone, ivory, or stone and consist of simple figurines depicting animals and humans.
    • The second main form of Paleolithic art consists of monumental cave paintings and engravings.
    • Create a timeline of the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic Periods of the Stone Age, giving a brief description of the art from each period

  • African Art

    • The oldest African art dates to the Mesolithic and late Upper Paleolithic boundary and includes mostly rock-art.
    • The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age originated around 30,000 BC until 10,000 BC and produced the first accomplishments in human creativity.
    • Due to a lack of written records from this time period, nearly all of our knowledge of Paleolithic human culture and life comes from archaeology and ethnographic comparisons to modern hunter-gatherer cultures.
    • The oldest African art is dated to the Mesolithic and late Upper Paleolithic boundary, about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

  • Bronze Age Rock Carvings

    • Rock carvings are found worldwide, with the highest concentrations in Africa, Scandinavia, Siberia, southwestern North America and Australia which date between the Neolithic and the late Upper Paleolithic periods, approximately 10,000 to 20,000 years ago .
    • Rock carvings are found worldwide, with the highest concentrations in Africa, Scandinavia, Siberia, southwestern North America and Australia which date between the Neolithic and the late Upper Paleolithic periods, approximately 10,000 to 20,000 years ago.