Did Much Happen in the Upper Paleolithic, as It Did in Earlier Stone Age Periods?
Did you know that Homo sapiens sapiens were the first to use symbolism to communicate? They moved beyond pointing fingers and hoping for the best. Read on to learn more!
The main character of the Upper Paleolithic was Homo sapiens sapiens (we’ll use the shorter term Homo s² for practical reasons). The period lasted from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, when the Ice Age finally ended. Previously, it was thought that the earliest Homo s² appeared approximately 200,000 years ago, but new research suggests that this date should be pushed back to around 230,000 years ago.
It Did Happen, A Lot!
This period in history witnessed major cultural changes. Homo s² migrated to the Americas and Australia, which, considering the absence of airplanes, is rather impressive. They were the first to use symbolism to communicate, in other words, they communicated through visual and auditory symbols. In short, they moved beyond pointing and hoping for the best. Homo s² made sophisticated tools, developed religion and art, and, not least, improved social relations. It was a true evolutionary leap.
Homo s² still made stone tools, but unlike earlier hominins, they also began using new materials such as animal bones and horns. They made harpoons, needles, hooks, and more. This variety of tools improved Homo s² nutrition, meaning they could eat a more diverse diet. It also enabled them to store food.
The Grand Upgrade
Moreover, Homo s² created the first known art and material possessions. Some of these possessions were buried with the deceased. Evidence of early dwellings has been found, for example, in Dolní Věstonice in Moravia and Kostienki in Ukraine, showing that humans were beginning to experiment with something resembling a permanent address.
In terms of industry, Homo s² produced textiles, nets, baskets, and jewelry. By this point, it is clear that Homo sapiens sapiens was far ahead compared to earlier hominins. This progress also indicates increasingly complex social organization, including division of labor and the formation of larger groups that survived through hunting and fishing. Because these larger groups hunted together, they were able to hunt bigger animals (such as woolly mammoth Manny), which had not previously been possible. As a result of these changes, Homo s² became less nomadic. This also suggests that some form of hierarchy existed. At the top were likely the strongest and most skilled hunters, as well as shamans who communicated with the spirits. No witch hunts, please.
Significant cultures or stone tool industries that succeeded the Mousterian industry include the Châtelperronian, Aurignacian, Gravettian, Epigravettian, Solutrean, and Magdalenian.
By the end of the Upper Paleolithic, the Holocene began, the geological era in which we still live today. It also marked the beginning of the Mesolithic, the next phase of prehistory.
See, prehistory is not as simple as we often imagine.
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Sources:
Collins, S., “Earliest human remains in eastern Africa dated to more than 230,000 years ago. Dawn of humanity pushed back 30,000 years,” University of Cambridge, https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/homosapiens
“orinjasijen”, Struna. Hrvatsko strukovno nazivlje. http://struna.ihjj.hr/naziv/orinjasijen/29758/
gravettien. Hrvatska enciklopedija, mrežno izdanje. Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža, 2013. – 2025. https://www.enciklopedija.hr/clanak/gravettien
Težak – Gregl, T., Hrvatske zemlje od starijega kamenog do bakrenog doba. Prapovijest hrvatskih zemalja 1. svezak, Zagreb: Leykam international, 2017