Elephant hunting by early humans may explain proximity between extensive Paleolithic stone quarries and water sources
Archaeologists from Tel Aviv University have uncovered the mystery surrounding extensive Paleolithic stone quarrying and tool-making sites: Why did Homo erectus repeatedly revisit the very same locations for hundreds of thousands of years? The answer.....»»
Stone Age "megastructure" under Baltic Sea sheds light on strategy used by Paleolithic hunters over 10,000 years ago
Archaeologists have identified what may be Europe's oldest human-made megastructure, submerged 21 meters below the Baltic Sea in the Bay of Mecklenburg, Germany. This structure—which has been named the Blinkerwall—is a continuous low wall made fr.....»»
Study of ancient adornments suggests nine distinct cultures lived in Europe during the Paleolithic
A team of anthropologists at Université Bordeaux has found evidence of nine distinct cultures living in what is now Europe during the Gravettian period. In their study, reported in the journal Nature Human Behavior, the group analyzed personal adorn.....»»
Deciphering the patterns of human settlements on the Ordos Plateau
The Ordos Plateau, a distinctive geomorphic entity in China, has been a cradle of human civilization since the late Paleolithic era. Its unique geographical and climatic conditions have fostered a rich tapestry of human history, reflected in the sett.....»»
First discovery of carbon-based cave art in France"s Dordogne region could pave way for precise radiocarbon dating
The Dordogne region of southern France is home to over 200 caves decorated with colorful Paleolithic art, but little is known about how old it is. Due to its coloration with iron- or manganese-oxide-based material, radiocarbon dating of the art has n.....»»
Paleolithic humans may have understood the properties of rocks for making stone tools
A research group led by the Nagoya University Museum and Graduate School of Environmental Studies in Japan has clarified differences in the physical characteristics of rocks used by early humans during the Paleolithic. They found that humans selected.....»»
Early humans in the Paleolithic Age: More than just game on the menu
In a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) at the University of Tübingen show that early humans of the Middle Paleolithic had a more varied diet th.....»»
The limestone spheroids of "Ubeidiya: Intentional imposition of symmetric geometry by early hominins?
Limestone spheroids, enigmatic lithic artifacts from the ancient past, have perplexed archaeologists for years. While they span from the Oldowan to the Middle Paleolithic, the purpose behind their creation remains a subject of intense debate......»»
Missing topographical elements of Paleolithic rock art revealed by stereoscopic imaging
Research led by Complutense University, Madrid, has discovered an array of ancient cave paintings hidden among previously described cave art. In a paper, "Animals hidden in plain sight: stereoscopic recording of Paleolithic rock art at La Pasiega cav.....»»
Scientists revive Stone Age molecules
Breakthroughs in ancient genome reconstruction and biotechnology are now revealing the rich molecular secrets of Paleolithic microorganisms. In a new study published in Science, a transdisciplinary team of researchers led by the Leibniz Institute for.....»»
Stone tools reflect three waves of migration of the earliest Homo sapiens into Europe
The first modern humans spread across Europe in three waves during the Paleolithic, according to a study published May 3, 2023, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Ludovic Slimak of the CNRS and University of Toulouse III, France......»»
Fossilized soot and charcoal make it possible to reconstruct the history of the Nerja cave
A new study reveals that Nerja is the European cave containing Paleolithic Art with the most confirmed and recurrent visits during Prehistory.....»»
Perforations in ancient bone fragment suggest it was used as a base when poking holes in leather garments
A team of archaeologists and anthropologists from Université de Bordeaux, Institut Polytechnique de Bordeaux and Universitat de Barcelona, has found evidence of a tool used to make leather clothing dating back to the Upper Paleolithic. In their stud.....»»
Mass production of stone bladelets shows cultural shift in Paleolithic Levant
Analysis of stone tools attributed to the Ahmarian, the first Upper Paleolithic culture of the Near East (dated approximately 40,000 to 45,000 years ago) shows that small, elongated, symmetrical objects (bladelets) were mass-produced on-site. Such a.....»»
Coprolites identify oldest bearded vulture nest in the Paleolithic Iberian Peninsula
Coprolites (fossil feces) from around 30,000 years ago have been used to identify the presence of bearded vultures (Gypaetus barbatus) at the Paleolithic site of Lagar Velho (Portugal). A comparison of the coprolites found in the excavations with the.....»»
Humans have been using bear skins for at least 300,000 years, suggests study
Humans have been using bear skins to protect themselves from cold weather for at least 300,000 years. This is suggested by cut marks on the metatarsal and phalanx of a cave bear discovered at the Lower Paleolithic site of Schöningen in Lower Saxony,.....»»
Cooking in caves: Research reveals sophisticated prehistoric culinary habits
Research from the University of Liverpool has revealed that our Paleolithic ancestors enjoyed vegetarian meals and cooked up sophisticated, flavorsome recipes including flatbread-like items......»»
The origins of human society are more complex than we thought
In many popular accounts of human prehistory, civilization emerged in a linear fashion. Our ancestors started as Paleolithic hunter-gatherers living in small, nomadic and egalitarian bands. Later, they discovered farming and domesticated animals for.....»»
This decorated mammoth ivory pendant is 41,500 years old
The pendant is the oldest example of a style that swept Paleolithic Europe. Enlarge (credit: Talamo et al. 2021) While our species was spreading across Eurasia and briefly sharing a continent with the last of the Neanderthals,.....»»
Division of tasks in Paleolithic groups not influenced by energy expenditure differences between boys and girls
Researchers from the Paleophysiology and Ecology of Hominins and Paleoecology of Mammals groups at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) have recently published a paper in the journal Human Nature in which they hig.....»»