Paleolithic(Stone Age) is the historical period of the cultural (technological) formation of man, in "absolute" figures of evolutionary chronology lasting from 2.6 million years ago to 5-10 thousand years ago, and in relation to the relative geochronological scale approximately coinciding with the Pleistocene epoch. In terms of the supporters of the biblical Creation, the Paleolithic is not a period of formation, but rather, the restoration of mankind after a global catastrophe, the terms of which are much shorter than those accepted in the evolutionary version.
Conventionally, the Paleolithic is divided into three periods - lower (early), middle and upper (late). Proponents of evolutionary anthropogenesis sometimes divide the early Paleolithic into two periods, including the so-called Olduvai period as the initial stage. This is due to the fact that the technology for creating the first most primitive tools, according to the evolutionary hypothesis, does not belong to man, but to his hypothetical evolutionary predecessor, the role of which, until recently, was played by a representative of the monkey taxon Au.(H.) habilis. We do not consider this option due to the lack of evidence in its favor and the presence of direct evidence that all tools, including the earliest and most primitive Olduvai, were made by members of the human race. Homo(which means Homo ergaster/erectus , Homo heidelbergensis, Homo neanderthalensis And Homo sapiens). Moreover, today's paleoanthropology is much more cautious about its old thesis about the relationship between the level of instrumental technologies and the stages of evolutionary anthropogenesis.
In this list, any artificially processed stones are considered as evidence of human activity - even if the direct remains Homo are not available nearby. The following list was created based on materials from the site. OriginsNet.org(corrected and added taking into account new finds and dates), and generally uses materials from official scientific sources. In order to show the reader the full complexity of the real historical picture, the so-called anomalous finds in the form of anthropological remains or artifacts have been added to the official "combed" row. In the list, for convenience of classification, officially accepted dates are used, regardless of whether they reflect the real picture.
– Middle East and Caucasus
– Africa
– East Asia (Pakistan, India, China)
– Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Australia)
- Russia Siberia)
– Europe
- South America
Early Paleolithic (Early Paleolithic)
The period officially marked by the appearance Homo ergaster And Homo erectus, as well as the invention of instrumental technology, called Acheulean. In reality, the picture is much more dramatic - in history, traces of a higher level of guns, and, apparently, traces of Homo sapiens
Kanapoi, Kenya, 4.5 million years – KP 271, Homo sapiens (?) Fragment of the humerus, anatomically indistinguishable from that of modern man, formally attributed Au. anamensis[link] .
laetoli, Kenya, 3.6–3.8 Ma - petrified footprints in volcanic ash, anatomically close to footprints Homo sapiens , are formally assigned Au. afarensis or an unknown creature with a humanoid foot anatomy [link] .
Kastenedolo, Italy, 3–4 Ma - fragments of the skeletons of several individuals Homo sapiens , were found in reliably Pliocene layers in the period 1860–1880. (G. Ragazzoni) with an undisturbed structure, which excludes the possibility of a later burial. After numerous years of attempts to discredit the finds by representatives of official science, these finds are not mentioned in the scientific press [link] .
Savona, Italy, 3–4 Ma - fragments of the skeleton Homo sapiens , discovered in the 1850s in Pliocene strata. The blue clay of the enclosing layer filled the bone cavities, and the overlying layer of quartzite sand was not disturbed, which excludes the possibility of a late burial. Official anthropology is also silent about this find [link] .
Yuanmou Basin, China, 3 million years“In the eastern sector of South Asia, the most numerous traces of the most ancient Paleolithic are known in China. [...] In Yuanmou... several stone tools were collected, the layers are dated 3 Ma (Olsen, 1997)” (Lauhin, 2005). Here, in layers 700 thousand years old (or 1.8 million years; see below), teeth were found Homo erectus (Drobyshevsky, 2004) and traces of the use of fire aged 1.2–1.3 million years (Gowlett, 1994).
Olmo, Italy, 2–4 Ma – a skull cover of almost modern morphology, discovered in 1863 near Tuscany in Italy, while digging a trench when laying a railway, at a depth of more than 15 meters, in a layer belonging to the late Pliocene - early Pleistocene. In this case, too, it is unlikely that we can talk about a late burial, since the find was made in deposits formed by an ancient lake, and the skull was filled with blue clay, which makes up the entire deposit. The find is sometimes mentioned in the official scientific literature as an Upper Pleistocene find, which is no more than 50–60 thousand years old. The radiocarbon analysis, which is unsuitable in this case, and the subjective assessment “by morphology”, are taken into account, and the geological evidence is ignored.
Makapansgat, Northern Transvaal, 2.6–3.3 Ma - the famous South African cave, in the deposits of which in 1936 numerous traces of the use of fire were discovered in the form of layers of soot and ash. Due to the fact that the researcher R. Dart tried to attribute the use of fire to Australopithecus (Dart, 1948), the very existence of such traces was sharply criticized and forgotten. To this day, official anthropology still hesitates to attribute such early use of fire to any of the "hominids". And although a pebble culture, which by definition belongs to humans, was found in the same deposits, traces of fire are still interpreted as soil oxidation, either as traces of natural fires, or as bat droppings (Oakley, 1954; Drobyshevsky, 2004).
Yiron Israel, 2.5–2.8 Ma – here, in clays under basalt, whose age according to Ka/Ar is 2.51 Ma, lenses of pebbles occur. In one of the lenses, 30 m below the base of the basalt, artifacts were repeatedly collected - stone tools. For clays above artifacts, a date of 2800 ± 700 thousand years (RTL-717) was obtained, which confirms the exceptional antiquity of the site (Lauhin et al., 2005).
Kada Gona, Ethiopia, 2.4–2.6 Ma - pebble tools made from pre-selected raw materials, as well as tool marks on animal bones. It is clear that finds of this age in the evolutionary community cause serious difficulties in terms of identifying their manufacturer.
Marimar Argentina, South America, 2–3 Ma– Numerous stone tools, flint points, hunting bolo balls, traces of fires, burnt slag (Amegino, 1912, 1921 after Cremo and Thompson, 1999). The anomaly of the find lies in the fact that, according to modern ideas, the first people in America appeared no earlier than several tens of thousands of years ago. Numerous attempts to discredit the finds, additional studies and commissions from competent specialists of that time (Boule, Romero, Bohmann, etc.) could not refute the discovery of Amegino, but for today's official science, the Miramar finds are a default figure [link] .
foxhall, England, 2.5 or more million years - jaw, anatomically close to Homo sapiens , found in 1855 (R. Collyer) in the Upper Pliocene layer; and 2–2.5 Ma – stone tools, traces of fire (R. Collyer, 1867, J.R. Moir, 1927 after Cremo and Thompson, 1999). Leading scientists of that time (Lyell, Huxley, Owen, Busk, etc.), having studied the jaw, did not accept the find as a matter of principle. They did not go to the place where the find(s) were discovered. The jaw itself disappeared after a while [link].
Red Crag, England, 2.0–2.5 Ma - drilled shark teeth (E. Charlesworth, 1872; references here are from Cremo and Thompson, 1999), a carved shell depicting a stylized human face (H. Stopes, c. 1912), numerous bone tools (J.R. Moir, c. 1912) [link] .
Bouri, ethopia, 2.5 million years- traces of tools on the bones of animals.
Omo, Shungura, Ethiopia:
segment D, 2.4–2.5 Ma – Homo sp. indet. (i.e. genus Homo, species not identified. The found remains theoretically may not belong to a true person (since such a formal classification of the remains according to the old tradition can also apply to " Homo» /Au. habilis), but stone tools in any case mark the presence of true Homo).
section E, 2.3–2.4 Ma - stone tools and Homo sp. indet.
Lokalalei 1, 2C, West Turkana, Kenya, 2.34 million years- Stone tools.
Kada Hadar, Ethiopia, 2.2–2.33 Ma - stone tools and Homo sp. indet.
Senge 5, Zaire, 2.0–2.3 Ma - stone tools with double-sided processing.
Renzidong, China, 2.0–2.5 Ma - Numerous stone tools. The presence of stone tools outside Africa (Israel, China, Pakistan, Georgia, etc.) during the period of simultaneous and even earlier existence than Au. habilis, refutes the evolutionary thesis about habilis-toolmaker, as well as about the origin from him Homo erectus (ergaster). It also poses serious problems for the hypothesis of the African origin of mankind [link] .
Pabbi Hills, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 1.9–2.5 Ma – stone tools, more than 350 items.
Riwat, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 1.9 million years or more - stone tools.
Xiaochangliang, Nihewan Basin, north China, 1.9–2.0 Ma or more (old dating - 1.36-1.7 million years) - stone tools, including scrapers, awls, etc.
Longgupo, China, 1.78–1.96 Ma – stone tools, jaw fragment Homo ergaster (?) [link] .
Koobi Fora, East Turkana, Kenya. The total thickness of the Koobi Fora deposits is 650 m. The rich fauna indicates the existence here in antiquity of all possible types of landscape, including both forest and savannah.
plot KBS , 1.88–3.18 Ma – Homo ergaster (ER 1593, 2598, 3228, 3734) etc., as well as stone tools. Two femurs ER 1481 (with fragments a-d) and ER 1472 were also found here, which, in their anatomy, are closest to Homo sapiens . "Old dating of this group of finds: 2.7-3 million, new 1.6-3.18 million.", - writes S. Drobyshevsky. In this case, the KBS tuff is a marker for the human remains found under it, whose age is too old from the point of view. evolutionism is unacceptable. Drobyshevsky himself believes that the most probable age of the finds is 1.89–1.95 million years (Drobyshevsky, 2004), however, it seems that in this case the average figure was taken taking into account the Australopithecus/Habilis skull ER 1470 found here, older than Homo ergaster, according to evolutionism, simply should not be; [link 1 and
plot Okote , 1,6 –2,42 million years - Homo ergaster ER 1593(skull fragment), ER 2598 (occipital bone fragment), ER 1476 (tibia fragment of modern morphology), ER 1823 (femur fragment), ER 3733 (most complete Homo ergaster skull), ER 3883 (skull fragment), ER 1466 (skull fragment), ER 3892 (skull fragment), ER 820 and ER 992 (mandibles from different individuals, in which the shape of the alveolar arch is almost identical to the modern one), ER 730 (mandible with some kind of chin protrusion!), ER 1507 (lower jaw), ER 819 (massive lower jaw), ER 731 (grucile lower jaw with signs of severe periodontal disease), ER 803 a-t (dated 1.53 million years, parts of the skeleton of one individual), ER 1808 (fragments adult female skeleton, all bones deformed due to severe hypervitaminosis), ER 1809 (femur fragment, 1.6–1.77 million years) and ER 737 (femur fragment, 1.5 million years);
plot Chari Karari , order 1.5 million years- a developed industry for the production of stone tools, controlled use of fire; tools bear traces of butchering the soft tissues of animals, plants, peeling tree bark, and sawing trees (Keeley and Toth 1981).
Olduvai, Tanzania. It is located in the southeastern part of the Serengeti plateau, near the Ngorongoro volcanic crater. The locality is a gorge several tens of kilometers long, cutting through a thickness of lacustrine and continental deposits about a hundred meters thick, crossed by many layers of volcanic tuffs and ash. The geological strata are composed of five main layers, of which the lower two contain the remains of Australopithecus and Homo. First layer, lying on basaltic lava, has a thickness of about 12 m at the site of hominid finds, the fauna of the layer is archaic, more than half of the mammalian species are extinct. Habitats were patchy, ranging from open steppes and swamps to riverine forest-steppes and copses, there was no dense tree cover at Olduvai, habitats were more open than at Koobi Fora, the climate was colder and drier than at present, temperature and humidity decreased towards the end the time of formation of the first layer. Bottom part second layer close to the upper part of the first layer in terms of fauna and archaeological context; the climate was relatively humid. The locality at the time of the formation of the second layer was a grassy forest-steppe (Drobyshevsky, 2002).
Olduvai horizon I, 1.75–2.0 Ma (the level where it was found Au. habilis OH 7, in the "first toolmaker" evolutionary scenario), found: Olduvai tools, bolo hunting throwing stones, a bone tool (presumably polished for leather), stone circular structures to strengthen the perimeter of the dwelling, and a stone with artificial ornamentation and engraving , known as the "head of a baboon" (M. Leakey, 1971). Despite the fact that Louis Leakey tried to connect the remains of habilis with tools found nearby, a number of tools, stone buildings and a work of art from the 1st horizon do not match the possibilities. Au. habilis.
the lower level of the II horizon, 1.6–1.75 Ma - Olduvai tools of the most advanced technology ("advanced Olduvai").
Sterkfontein, South Africa, horizon 5: 1.7–2.0 Ma – Homo ergaster Stw 80, stone tools, traces of the use of fire, processed animal bones (Loy, 1998); tools made from animal horns for digging up termite mounds; Paranthropus skull with traces of damage from a stone tool; in horizon 6 ages more than 2 million years – Homo ergaster Stw 84, which, according to definable features, can even be attributed to Homo sapiens(Drobyshevsky, 2004).
Swartkrans, South Africa, 1.2–2.0 Ma – in layers 1–3: turned animal horns for digging up termite mounds; in layers 1 and 2: Homo ergaster SK 80 (upper jaw), SK 846 (fragment of the skull), SK 847 (fragment of the facial part of the skull), SK 74 (lower jaw), SK 15 (lower jaw), SK 45 (fragment of the lower jaw), etc. In the layer 3 dated 1.5 million years 270 animal bones were found, burned at a temperature of 400–800°C, which corresponds to the flame of the hearth (Bower, 1998; Brian, 2004).
Erqel Ahmar, Israel, 1.78-1.96 million years - pebble tools.
Karahatch, Armenia, > 1.8–1.94 Ma - Early Acheulean tools. The finds made by the Russian-Armenian expedition led by S.A. Aslanyan, are not inferior in age or even precede the appearance of the earliest Acheulean in Africa. For the evolutionary model, they raise new questions - both about the time and place of the origin of the actual acheulean, and about the fact of the existence of a technologically advanced Homo erectus outside of Africa.
Chilhac I France, 1.8 million years and plot Chilhac III – 1.5 million years– on both – stone tools of the Olduvai type.
Diring Yuriah (Deering Yuriah), Siberia, Russia, 2.9–1.8 Ma–260,000 years - a site 480 km from the Arctic Circle with numerous Olduvai-type tools made of quartzite pebbles, opened in 1982. The author of the discovery, Yuri Mochanov, provides convincing arguments in favor of the age of Deering-Yuryakh at least 1.8 million years, which is comparable to the earliest African sites, but this date is not accepted by most scientists because of its extraordinary nature. Based on thermoluminescent analysis of quartzite samples, American researchers (M. Waters et al, 1997) gave a date of 260–370,000 years, which in any case is anomalous from the point of view of existing views on human history. In the same year, the Americans Huntley and Richards (1997) in the journal Ancient TL criticized the dating of the Waters group, concluding that Deering's age is much older. And in 2002, in a specialized laboratory of Moscow State University, O. Kulikov's group conducted a new analysis using the more modern RTL method, obtaining the age of Deering artifacts of the order 2.9 million years, which poses a serious challenge to the so-called. African model of the origin of mankind.
Ulalinka (Ulalinka), Siberia, Russia, 2.3–1.8 Ma or 1.5 million years according to TL-analysis (old dating - 700 thousand years and more) - tools from quartzite pebbles. Choppers predominate, there are side-scrapers, points, cores with a spout (Okladnikov and Ragozin, 1982; Klyagin, 1996).
Xihoudu, Ruicheng county, China, 1.6–1.8 Ma - stones with traces of processing, cut bones and traces of the use of fire.
Dmanisi, Georgia, 1.77 million years – Homo ergaster D2700, D2280, D2282 etc., the industry of production of stone tools. Altruistic relationships within the group - on the example of caring for a helpless old man (D3444).
Ain Hanech and El Kherba, Algeria- OK. 1.8 million years- Olduvai type guns.
Peninj, West Natron, Tanzania, 1.4–1.7 million years - tools of the Olduvai and Acheulean types; traces of working with wood - sharpening the sharp ends of sticks, cutting bushes for the construction of dwellings; while the tools are used at a considerable distance from the home (Dominguez-Rodrigo et al., 2001). The site is one of the earliest examples of the pattern-making strategy of Acheulean bifaces (symmetrical double-sided axes).
Melka Konture, Eritrea:
Gombore I (Gombore I) 1.6-1.7 million years – Homo ergaster (Homo sapiens?) IB-7594, distal fragment of the humerus. Pebble tools of the Olduvai type have been found in sediments containing Pleistocene fauna. Interestingly, the artifacts were concentrated on an elevated earthen platform 2.4 m in diameter (Gowlett, 1993), which was probably the foundation of a dwelling; there are also indications of the use of fire in Melka Kontur (Drobyshevsky, 2004). [link]
local location Garba IV (Garba IV), 1.4-1.5 million years – Homo ergaster IV, the right half of the lower jaw, which belonged to a child aged 3 to 5 years.
Mojokerto, Java, 1.81 million years(by Ar/Ar)/ – 1.1 million years (paleomagnetic analysis) - skull Homo erectus (1–MJ 1 ). The maximum date is 2.3 million years (Gulotta, 1995).
Sangiran, Java, 1.66 million years(by Ar/Ar)/ –1,1 (paleomagnetic analysis) - the remains of more than 40 individuals Homo erectus (the most famous – skull of Sangiran-17).
Nihewan, Nord China, 1.66 million years- Stone tools. A number of researchers note their similarity with 1.77 million years ago. summer guns Homo erectus found in Dmanisi (Georgia), although in reality they are closer to the Acheulean culture. This "misrecognition" is associated with the commonplace stamp of paleoanthropologists, which says: "there was no ashel in China."
Nariokotome III, West Turkana, Kenya, 1.6 million years - Homo ergaster WT 15000. Paleontological materials make it possible to reconstruct forested and edaphic steppes, as well as damp swampy lowlands covered with waterlogged vegetation (Reed 1997). An almost complete skeleton of a teenager was found here H. ergaster, dubbed Turkana Boy. [link]
Ubeidiya, Israel, lower horizons 1.6 million years – Homo ergaster , Olduvai tools of the most advanced technology, in the upper layers of the age 1.4 million years- one of the earliest examples of the Acheulean culture, bifaces (tools with symmetrical bilateral processing). It is worth paying attention to this early Middle Eastern Acheulean, which is actually simultaneous with the African one.
Orce Ravine Spain, Andalusia. Locations are located along the shores of the ancient lake. The rich remains of fauna include both large animals (southern elephant, fossil hippopotamus, Etruscan rhinoceros, bear) and small ones.
Barranco Leon BL5. The locality of Barranco León is dated by fauna and paleomagnetic method to the same time as Fuentinueva 3, 1.07–1.78 Ma, or even 1.6–1.8 Ma (Oms et al., 2000). More than 60 artifacts of the Olduvai type and the developed Olduvai were found here, as well as a fragment of a molar BL5-0 Homo sp. indet.
Venta Micena , 1.07–1.78 Ma. The location is open, lacustrine deposits form here 7 layers, in the 3rd of which the remains of hominids were found Homo sp. indet.(Gibert et Palmqvist, 1995). Found: VM-0 (fragment of the skull, 1.6-1.65 million years), VM 1960 and VM 3961 (fragments of the humerus, 1.2-1.4 million years) (Gibert et Palmqvist, 1995). Although all three finds can be questioned as belonging to humans, stone tools were also found along with them.
Fuente Nueva fn3, 1.07–1.78 million years, most likely 1.4 million years (Drobyshevsky, 2004) - the third locality of hominids in Orsa, unlike the two previous ones, is located in a karst cave. Here were found: a fragment of the humerus CV-1 and a phalanx CV-2, identified as belonging to Homo sp. indet.(Palmqvist et al., 1996; Gibert et al., 1999). However, about 100 artifacts were found here, classified as products of the developed Aldovan (Navarro et al., 1997).
Konso-Gardula, south africa, 1.4-1.9 million years – Homo ergaster (KGA10-1, lower jaw), early Acheulean stone tools.
Gadeb, Ethiopia, 1.4 million years- controlled use of fire.
Azikh (Azykh), foothills of Karabakh, Azerbaijan, 1.5 million years– the cave has 10 layers belonging to different stages of the Lower and Middle Paleolithic. In the lowest layers (1.5–1.8(?) Ma) a pebble culture reminiscent of the Olduvai culture was found - more than 300 stone artifacts, incl. choppers, choppings, side-scrapers, gigantolites - rough tools weighing 3-5 kg, etc. Below the 6th layer, the remains of large fires, at least 700 thousand years old, were found. Fragment of a jaw found in the Middle Acheulean Homo heidelbergensis (the so-called "azykhanthropus", 350-400 thousand years), and in the Mousterian - a cache of Neanderthals with skulls of cave bears, which, as expected, had a cult significance.
Kozarnika, bulgaria, 1.2–1.4 Ma - symbols carved on a stone tool.
Lantien, China, 1.15 million years - Homo erectus (RA 1051-6).
Hazorea, Esdraelon, Israel, 1.3–1.5 million years– found 5 fragments of skulls from 5 individuals, formally assigned to Homo erectus(Hazorea 1-5). The upper cultural layer contains tools from the early Acheulean to the present; the layer in which the human remains were found is synchronous with the II layer of Olduvai. The problem is that the skull fragments of Hazorea 1 and 3 are morphologically archaic Homo sapiens (comparable to, but much older than, Swanscombe and Fonteshevad), so they are sometimes referred to as "progressive paleoanthropes" in the literature.
Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania:
Upper and middle part of layer II 1.3–1.5 million years - Homo erectus OH 9 (cranial box, dating varies from 360 thousand years to 1.48 million years, with the most probable limit of 0.9-1 million years (Pilbeam, 1975) or 1.3-1.5 million years .—paleomagnetic and 40Ar/39Ar methods (Tamrat et al., 1995), the layer contains steppe fauna - giant herbivores and horses, in the same layer tools of the most developed Oldowan - cleavers and hand axes (early Acheulean?) were found.
Bed III, 0.8–1.2 Ma , Homo erectus OH 34(fragments of the femur and tibia), OH 51 (lower jaw), tools of the developed Oldowan (or early Acheulean) - cleavers and hand axes.
Bed IV, 0.8–1.2 Ma , Homo erectus OH 28(pelvic and femur bones) , OH 22 (lower jaw), OH 12 (skull fragment), Middle Acheulean tools. It is believed that some levels of layer IV were deposited in the Lower Pleistocene, and their dating – from 370 to 780 thousand years (McBrearty et Brooks, 2000). Stone tools are diagnosed as Acheulean and "Middle Stone Age". Finds come from these layers Homo erectus OH 2, OH 11, OH 20 and OH 23. These are fragments of the upper and lower jaws, as well as a femur (Day, 1971; Leakey, 1971).
Olorgesailie, Kenya, sections 1-5, 950.000–1.0 Ma and plots 9-14, 500.000–750.000 years – ashel tools.
Le Vallonet France, 0.99–1.07 Ma - Stone tools.
Soleihac France, Jaramillo 900–970.000 years- Stone tools.
bose, China, 803.000±3000 years- tools for which there is an evolutionary formulation "similar to Acheulean bifaces", because it is believed that there was no Acheulean in East Asia.
Joub Jannine II Israel , 800–900.000 years, ashelian tools.
Evron Quarry Israel, 600,000 years–1 million years , ashelian tools.
Gesher Benot Ya "aqov Israel, 780.000 years - Homo erectus (2 fragments of two femurs), Acheulean implements.
Latamne, Syria, 500.000 to 700.000 years . ashel tools.
Sierra de Atapuerca Spain. Many artifacts and anthropological remains have been found here in huge caves. The most ancient of the caves is Gran Dolina. In it, out of 11 levels, 7 are rich in fossils, and of the last, layer TD 6 contains stone tools of the Olduvai appearance (about 200) and the remains of more than 80 people, some of which have almost modern anatomy (fragments of the skull ATD6-15 and ATD6-69) [link ] . The find received a new taxonomic name Homo antecessor. Some evolutionary scientists consider this form ancestral to two lineages - sapient and Neanderthal, others - only to Neanderthal. A problem for evolutionary anthropology is the fact that Atapuerca people are more sapiens than even later African forms.
Gran Dolina (TD 6), 780.000–990.000 years - Homo antecessor , stone tools.
Gran Dolina (TD 4), 750.000–1.6 million years - Stone tools.
Isernia la Pineta, Italy:
780.000–990.000 years - Stone tools.
500.000–800.000 years - Stone tools.
Dorn-Durkheim, Germany, DD31, more 800.000 years- Stone tools.
Ceprano, Italy, 800–900.000 years - Homo erectus (Ceprano-1). Along with the finds from Atapuerca, he is one of the first known Europeans.
Flores, Indonesia , 840.000 years - stone tools of the Acheulean type. The presence on the Indonesian island of traces of human presence in the early Pleistocene means that at that time a person (presumably Homo erectus) was an experienced navigator.
Yuanmou Basin, China, 700,000 years (1.8 million years?), two incisors Homo erectus [link] . “... The Danawu locality ... is a small hill, many layers of which are inverted so that the older fauna is in the upper layers, and the young one is in the lower ones (Liu et Ding, 1984). [...] The dating of the layer containing the remains of hominids has not been reliably determined. On the basis of paleomagnetic studies and analysis of the fauna, dates of 500-600 thousand years ago were assumed. (Liu et Ding, 1984), 700 thousand years old or 1.8 million liters. (Pan et al., 1991), 1.7 mln. (Qian, 1985) and others. It is currently shown that hominids lived here no later than 780 thousand and no earlier than 1.1 million years ago. (Hyodo et al., 2002)" (Drobyshevsky, 2004). However, it is worth recalling that stone tools were found in layers dating back to 3 million years (see above, Laukhin, 2005). Also, according to J. Gaulett (Gowlett, 1994), traces of the use of fire 1.2-1.3 million years ago were found here.
Karama (Karama), Anui river valley, Altai, Russia, 550–800.000 years – large pebbles with an unevenly chipped sharp edge were found in the red-colored sediments of the Lower Pleistocene, which served as primitive stone tools - side-scrapers, choppers and choppers, which constituted the pebble-type industry characteristic of the Early Paleolithic.
Misovaya (Cape)(Urta-Tube), South Ural, Russia, 700.000. years - a multi-layered settlement of the Acheulean and Mousterian cultures. The Early Paleolithic includes traces of a dwelling in a rocky crevice. Pebble choppers and Acheulean bifaces were found at the bottom of the dwelling (G. Matyushin, 1959, 1961). Numerous microliths and composite (wood plus stone) tools belong to the latest period (10-12 thousand years).
Nanjing, Tangshan Cave, China, 580.000 or 620.000 years – Homo erectus .
Bodo, Ethiopia, 550–640.000 years– Late Acheulean tools; Homo heidelbergensis ; The dating of the Bodo layers was carried out repeatedly and gave figures from 70–125 thousand years ago. (Conroy et al., 1978) up to 500–740 thous. (McBrearty and Brooks, 2000). The accepted date today is 640 thousand liters. (Clark et al., 1994). A variety of tools have been found at Bodo, classified as Acheulean or Oldowan and Levallois. Found: 2 fragments of skulls (Bodo 1 and Bodo 2) and a fragment of the humerus.
Ndutu, Tanzania, from 200 before 900.000 years (600.000?) – Homo heidelbergensis (Ndutu 1 ); ashel tools.
Mauer, Germany, 500–700.000 years , Homo heidelbergensis; tools from the Oldowan to the developed Acheulean.
Kent's Cavern, Devonshire, England, 500–660.000 years - Acheulean tools, Abbeville bifaces (“Abbeville culture” is an archaeological culture of the early (lower) Paleolithic in Europe, named after the city of Abbeville, France; the old name is Shellic culture).
Abbeville, Somme River, France, level III, 600.000 years- Acheulean, Abbeville bifaces.
Fordwich, Kent, England, Cromerian, 600.000 years- Acheul tools, Abbeville bifaces.
boxgrove, Cromerian, England, 474–528.000 years old, Homo heidelbergensis ; ashel tools.
Fontana Ranuccio, Italy, layer 10, K-Ar analysis 458.000±5700 years - Acheulean bifaces.
Zhoukoudian, China, plots 2-4: 400–500.000 years - Homo erectus (the so-called Sinanthropus), plots 5-10: 500–800.000 years - Homo erectus [link] .
Daraki Chattan Cave, India, 400–500.000 years– engraving; more than 500 cup-shaped depressions on the rock surface made of quartzite (Kumar, 2003).
Auditorium Cave, India, 400–500.000 years – petroglyphs (cup-shaped depression and winding line) on the surface of a quartzite boulder (Bednarik, 2002).
Sima de los Huesos, Atapuerca, Spain, 350–500.000 years - Homo heidelbergensis ; the first known intentional burial, the remains of more than 30 people (the most famous specimen is Atapuerca 5 ), a stone tool is embedded in the burial, which has not a practical, but an aesthetic value.
Chichibu, north of Tokyo, Japan, 500.000 years- the remains of two huts and 30 stone tools of the Acheulean culture.
Swanscombe, Kent, England, 500,000 years - Homo heidelbergensis ; Middle Gravels section, 360–400.000 - Acheulean tools; the Upper Loam site is a stone hand ax of a high artistic level.
Caune de l'Arago, Tautavel, France, 320–470.000 years old, Homo heidelbergensis , the remains of at least 60 people (the most famous of which – so-called Tautavel man, Arago XXI), as well as microliths and large pebble tools.
Terra Amata Nice, France, 400.000 years- hut, hearth, ashel tools, 73 pieces of hematite (mineral) paint.
Bilzingsleben, Germany, 320–412.000 years old, Homo erectus , the remains of three huts, a paved area 9 m 2 , traces of the use of fire, geometric patterns on bone plates, microliths, a wooden spear, large pebble tools.
Tan Tan, Morocco, 300–500.000 years– tools of the middle Acheulean, a female stone figurine made of quartzite, the so-called. "Venus from Morocco".
Ambrona Upper Level and Torralba, Spain, 300–400.000 years - Ashel tools.
Tabun Cave, Israel, lowest layer E, dater. ESR (electron spin resonance method) and U-series (uranium series) – 387.000 thousand years or TL (thermoluminescent) 340.000 thousand years - Acheulean-Dzhabrud tools ("Dzhabrud" layers - Mousterian layers, distinguished mainly by the abundance of the so-called angular side-scrapers). Human remains were found in the upper layer C (see below).
Hoxne, England, lower AAR level: 300–350.000 years- a sharpened stone hand axe.
Furze Platt, Stoke Newington, Cuxton, Baker's Farm sites, England, 300–350.000 years- large sharpened hand cleavers (cleavers) made of stone.
Wolvercote Channel, England, Hoxnian, 300–350.000 years - sharpened stone axes with a convex profile in plan.
Gaily Hill, England, not less than 330 thousand years- fragment of a skeleton Homo sapiens , found in 1888 in the suburbs of London, at a depth of 2.5 m, in undisturbed deposits of the Holstein Formation. The instance is included in the so-called group. anomalous European finds, including also specimens of Moulin Quignon, Clichy, La Denise and Ipswich (see below). It is curious that these finds, if they are classified as archaic sapiens, according to modern paleoanthropological criteria, may well be considered as corresponding to the official scheme, however, once withdrawn from scientific consideration, they continue to “traditionally” remain default figures [link]
Moulin Quignon, Abbeville, France – at least 330 thousand years , Homo sapiens - anatomically modern jaw, found in 1863 near the city of Abbeville in France, in sandstone of the same Holstein formation. [link]
Clichy, France, not less than 330 thousand years- fragment of a skeleton Homo sapiens , found in 1868 in the Clichy quarry in Paris, equal in age to the two previous mentioned finds. [link]
La Denise, France - skull fragments Homo sapiens , found in the 1840s between two volcanic deposits, Upper Pleistocene and Pliocene, i.e. the find has an age ranging from several thousand/tens of thousand years to 2 million years. [link]
Ipswich, East England, 330–600 thousand years - fragment of a skeleton Homo sapiens , found in 1911 in Ice Age deposits. [link]
Repolusthohle, Austria, 300.000 years- an ornament made of a wolf's tooth with a drilled hole.
Isimila, Tanzania, 260.000 years, Late Acheulean tools in Africa.
Berekhat Ram Israel, 230.000–470.000 years – late Acheulean tools, female figurine.
hungsi valley, India, 200–300.000 or >350.000 years - ashel, red ocher.
Yabrud I, Oumm Qatafa, Levant, 200.000 years- the end of the ashel = so-called. "Acheulean-Jabrud" style of tools.
Qesem Cave Israel, Users 200.000–382.000 years - "Acheulean-Jabrud" style of tools.
Holon Israel, 200.000 years- tools of the late Acheulean.
Hamburg–Wittenbergen, Germany, 190–250.000 years the art of the Paleolithic.
Kalambo Falls, Zambia, OK. 180.000 years(U-series) - late Acheulean.
Cys-la-Comune, Aisne, France, 70.000–126.000 years
- late ashelian.
Middle Paleolithic (Middle Paleolithic)
The period of the Middle Paleolithic ("Middle Paleolithic" or MR ) in evolutionary anthropology is associated with the appearance Homo sapiens archaic (Homo heidelbergensis) and a new type of instrumental range of higher technology (in Europe, the tool culture of the Middle Paleolithic (Mousterian) is also associated with Homo neanderthalensis). The Middle Paleolithic of Africa stands out in a separate category and is called the "Middle Stone Age" ("Middle Stone Age" or MSA ), and representatives of the African archaic sapiens ( or Homo heidelbergensis) that are associated with that culture are sometimes called H. rhodesiensis or H. helmei
Ethiopia, Central Kenya, 400.000–120.000 years – MSA-tools.
Elandsfontein, Saldhania, South Africa, OK. 350,000 years - Homo heidelbergensis (Hopefield 1).
Eyasi, Tanzania, more 130.000 years – Homo heidelbergensis , tools of the Sangoen type (the so-called. "Sangoen bifaces" - extremely elongated, in the form of a dagger or a long tip, the peaks of the tool; the base is practically absent, the section is rhomboid, triangular, in the form of a parallelogram or biconvex; name by the name of Sango Bay, Uganda), blades, pikes.
Capthurin Formation, Kenya, OK. 280.000 years- tools of the African Middle Paleolithic (hereinafter MSA), blades; 75 pieces of red ocher.
Guomde, Kenya, Chari Form., 270–300.000 years - Homo heidelbergensis .
Malewa Gorge, Kenya, 240.000 years– MSA-tools.
Valsequillo Mexico, South America, 250.000 years- guns of the Aurignacian type. The find is considered anomalous, since the appearance of people in America dates back to a period no earlier than 50 thousand years ago [link]
La Cotte de St. Brelade France, 238.000 years- Tools of the Middle Paleolithic of non-African regions, hereinafter referred to as MR technology.
Maastricht–Belvedere, Netherlands, 238.000 years- MP guns.
Gademotta, Ethiopia, c . 235.000 ±5000 years- MSA, blades.
Bir Tarfawi and Bir Sahara East, Egypt, OK. 230.000 years– MSA-tools.
Weimar–Ehringsdorf, Germany , 200–230.000 years- "early" Homo neanderthalensis , MP guns.
Various MPs sites in Levant, 210 –24 0.000 years- MP guns.
Kabwe Broken Hill, Zambia. 200.000 years - Sangoen tools; 30.000–300.000 years (?) – skull and skeletal fragments of an archaic Homo sapiens (3 individuals), the stratigraphic position of which is unclear, as well as the connection of the found tools with them. Based on the “archaic” morphology, as well as on the basis of the interests of solving the problem of missing African forms in the Middle Pleistocene, the age of the BH-1 skull is today attributed to 150-300 thousand years.
twin rivers, Zambia, over 200.000 years- "Lupemban" MSA - tools, 300 variants of various mineral dyes (hematite (red iron ore), specularite, etc.).
Omo Kibish I, Ethiopia, around or 200.000 years – Homo sapiens (Omo I). After the original dating of 130 thousand years (1967) was refined by new methods (2005), Omo I is considered one of the first anatomically modern humans. It is interesting that another skull found nearby (and also dated in 2005 to 200 thousand years) has pronounced features Homo erectus (Omo II), which may indicate a joint temporary and territorial residence H. sapiens And H. erectus. On the other hand, the aging of human age poses new problems for evolutionary anthropogenesis. – why did anatomically modern man not show his intellectual abilities for so long? And this despite the fact that Homo erectus, according to a recognized point of view, was a navigator more than 800 thousand years ago.
Kalambo Falls, Zambia, U-series: 180.000 years- "Lupemban" MSA - guns, red ocher.
Border Cave, South Africa, > 195.000 years, upper limit on Ox7 238.000 years– MSA-tools.
Vertesszollos, Hungary, 185 –350.000 years- so-called. "Buda"-industry, - Homo heidelbergensis with features Homo erectus.
Bau de l'Aubesier France, 170.000–190.000 years - Homo heidelbergensis , an example of caring for the helpless individuals of his community.
Florisbad, South Africa, 160.000 years (?) – Homo sapiens (Florisbad), MSA - guns.
Herto, Ethiopia, Ar/Ar 154–160.000 years - Homo sapiens idaltu ; final Acheulean culture and MSA; the skulls bear traces of posthumous scalping (perhaps for ritual purposes).
Singa, Sudan, 130–190.000 years - Homo heidelbergensis ; MSA (?).
Dali, China, 150.000 – early Homo sapiens , MP guns.
La Chaise France, 151.000 years - " early » Homo neanderthalensis ; MP guns.
Krapina Croatia, 130.000 years– burial Homo neanderthalensis . It is believed that since that time people began to bury their dead, based on the formed ideas about the afterlife. Evolutionary anthropologists (A. Marshak, 1975 and others) believe that the population Neanderthal And Cro magnon since that time was between 1 and 10 million people, that is, in 100 thousand years, our predecessors had to bury about 4 billion bodies with related artifacts. A significant part of the burials of these 4 billion should have been preserved. However, only a few thousand have been found.
Ngaloba, Laetoli, Tanzania, 90 –150,000 years – Homo sapiens (LH 18, LH 29). MSA guns
Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, 90–125.000 or 105–190.000 years – Homo heidelbergensis ; guns MSA (type "Levallois-Mousterian").
Haua Fteah, Libya, > 90 or >130,000 years - Homo heidelbergensis ; MSA (Levallois-Mousterian).
Abdur, Eritrea, 125.000±7000 years– MSA tools, bifacial hand axes, flakes and blades of the so-called. "intermediate" industry, active development of the coastal zone.
La Chaise France, 126.000 years– classic Homo neanderthalensis ; MP guns.
Tabun, Israel, layer C – Homo neanderthalensis (Tabun 1 and 2), 50–122.000 years old.
Bukit Jawa, Langgong, Perak, Malaysia, over 100,000 years old - MP guns.
Dakleh Oasis, Egypt, 90–160.000 years old- MP ("Aterian") guns.
Mugharet el Aiya, Morocco, 65–90.000 years old - Homo heidelbergensis , MSA presumably aterian.
El Guetta, Libya, 65–90,000 years or 130–140,000 years – MSA (atarian).
Dederiyeh Cave, Syria, level 8, OK. 50–70.000 years - Homo neanderthalensis , MP tools similar to the “Tabun B” type, burial of an infant with a sandstone slab and triangular flint placed on the chest.
Kebara Cave Israel, TL 60.000±4000, ESR 62.000±8000 – Homo neanderthalensis graves, MP tools, animal bones with engraved symbols, lines and patterns.
Ngandong, Indonesia, Solo-River, 53.000–27.000 years - Homo erectus (at least 14 individuals, the finds are represented by skull caps and femurs). Mousterian and azil tools are represented by small rough flakes of chalcedony, plates, a stone ball, as well as bone tools: a knife with a polished edge, a harpoon and a pointed tool made of deer antler.
Shanidar, Iraq, 50.600 years - classical Homo neanderthalensis , Mousterian guns.
La Chapelle France, 56–47.000 years old - classical Homo neanderthalensis .
Le Moustier, 55.800 - Mousterian tools, 40.300 years - classical Homo neanderthalensis .
Skhul Israel, 9 0–120.000 years - Homo sapiens .
Qafzeh, Israel, levels XVII-XXIV, 90–120.000 , the accepted average age 97.000 years±3000 – Homo sapiens , MP tools, ritual burials, joint burial of an adult woman and a child; engraving of lines with a triangular ornament, use of red ocher.
Staroselye (Staroselye), Crimea, Ukraine, 40–80.000 years old- culture "Micoquian" MP, tools equipped with a handle, devices for throwing a stone projectile and a wooden spear. It is worth noting that the remains of a child 1.5-2 years old belong to an undoubted Homo sapiens
. Paleontologist V.P. Alekseev writes: “The only convincing exception (from the rule that European sapiens are not older than 40 thousand years.
–
A.M.) is made in 1953 by A.A. Formozov found in Staroselye near Bakhchisaray (Crimea). In general, the modern appearance of a baby discovered in the Mousterian layer at the age of about one and a half years does not raise the slightest doubt, although Ya.Ya. Roginsky rightly noted several primitive signs on the skull: moderate development of the chin protrusion, developed frontal tubercles, and large teeth. The dating of this find in absolute terms is unclear, but the inventory found with it shows that it is much older than the Upper Paleolithic sites with bone remains of modern humans. This fact firmly establishes the synchronism of the most ancient forms of modern man and the later groups of paleoanthropes, their coexistence over a fairly significant period of time ”(V.P. Alekseev, "The Formation of Humanity")
Upper Paleolithic (Upper Paleolithic)
The era of the Upper Paleolithic is officially considered the time of the appearance in the history of anatomically modern man, Homo sapiens (modern), which had its own culture, distinguished from others by the production of fine works of art and high instrumental technology. For Africa, this period is classified as the "Later Stone Age", or, further, LSA).
Hoedjies Punt, South Africa, 71–300.000 years - Homo sapiens ; M.S.A.
Tongtianyan Cave, Guangxi, south China, 111–139.000 or 153.000 years– Liujiang-hominid, anatomically modern , bone awls and other bone tools, organized fishing, bone engraving and coloring of engraved parts; the most famous find is beads made of drilled shells with traces of ocher.LM 1.3 50,000 years- human footprints.
Boker Tachtit Israel, from 33.105±4100 to 45.000 years – IUP.
Kostenki (Kostenki), Voronezh region, Russia, 45–52.000 years old – H. sapiens. The village of Kostenki is the richest place in Russia where Upper Paleolithic sites are concentrated (more than 60 sites are located on the territory of about 10 km 2). Here dwellings made of mammoth bones were discovered and explored, numerous works of art were found, including world-famous female figurines - the so-called "Paleolithic Venuses". In 1984, the oldest, IV cultural layer was discovered here, which is probably the most ancient monument of the Upper Paleolithic era in Europe today.
Ucagizh, Turkey, c. 41.000 years– IUP.
Border Cave, South Africa, 39.000±3000 years- early LSA guns.
Bohunician, Moravia, from 36.000 to 43.000 years – IUP.
El Castillo Cave, Spain, 40.000±2000 years- Aurignac tools.
Mladec, CZ, 40,000 years - H. sapiens and Aurignac tools.
Mamontova Kurya (Mamontova Kurya), R. Usa, Siberia, Russia, 40.000 years- stone tools, stone arrowheads, mammoth tusk, covered with a primitive pattern. The presence of the Upper Paleolithic site at 66 degrees north latitude, beyond the Arctic Circle, contradicts today's ideas, according to which 20-15 thousand years ago the north of Eurasia up to the Carpathians and the Dnieper region was completely covered with continental ice and no life here was basically impossible . The same applies to the other three sites listed below.
Makarovo-4 (Makarovo-4), R. Lena, Siberia, Russia, more 39.000 years – IUP.
Bereleh (Bereleh), R. Indigirka, Siberia, Russia, 30.000 years- discovered in 1970, is considered one of the most anomalous Siberian sites of the late Paleolithic (located just south of 71 ° N).
Yana (Yana), mouth of the Yana River, Siberia, OK. 30 thousand years- opened in 2004 by V.V. Pitulko, the northernmost Late Paleolithic site in the world. It is located 120 km from the mouth of the Yana River, north of 71° N, beyond the Arctic Circle. The archaeological material is homogeneous: it is a well-marked pebble industry; a variety of side-scrapers, flake cores, rough choppers and choppings processed on both sides, and a rich bone industry are presented. “It is not clear whether the Yan culture is the result of local development or whether its appearance was caused by the penetration of populations from Transbaikalia and southern Siberia into the northeast of Asia. All these objects are associated with the spread of a genetically unified wave of the Caucasoid (Caucasoid) population, which moved 40–50 thousand years ago in the latitudinal and then in the meridional direction” (Lauhin, 2007).
See also reconstruction), in the other - a boy 12–14 years old (Sungir-2, see reconstruction) and girls 9–10 years old (Sungir-3), lying with their heads to each other. On the boy's head, as well as the man's, beads and pendants with fox fangs were found, with which, apparently, the hat was decorated. The girl's head may have been covered with a loose hood-type headdress adorned with beads. A ring made of mammoth tusk was found on the boy's crown, a pendant in the form of a horse was found on his chest, and a mammoth figurine was found under his left shoulder. In the burial of a girl and a boy, unusual items were preserved - three discs (plates) made of mammoth tusk several centimeters in diameter, which have four or eight slots. Wands, darts and spears made of mammoth tusks, flint tips were also found. The largest spear from a single piece of tusk reaches 2.4 m. To make such a weapon, it was necessary to have the technique of straightening the tusks. Beads also required special production methods. Decorations on the upper and lower clothing, bracelets (under the knees and above the feet), as well as solid rings on the fingers are no less impressive than the sheer number of mammoth tusk beads - about 10 thousand. ( "In the world of science", 03.2006).
Rose Cottage Cave, South Africa, 26.000 years– microlytic MSA.
Pech Merle Cave France, 24.700 years- wall painting "Spotted horses".
Cougnac Cave France, 23.000 or 25.000 years - Wall painting "Deers".
Lascaux Cave, 17.000 years- wall cave painting, early Madeleine. 14C dating showed her age at 2,200 years. Since this was not consistent with the theory of the deep antiquity of the drawings, radiocarbon dates were rejected with the note that they only reflect the fact that the cave was relatively recently inhabited. However, the drawings, after 15,000 years of fumigation with smoke from campfires, could hardly have looked so bright.
Altamira Cave, Spain, 13.000–15.000 years (by 14 C) - the most significant Paleolithic wall painting in terms of artistic wealth (Middle Madeleine). It was opened in 1869, but only in 1879 was a huge multicolored painting on the ceiling of the side hall noticed. This fresco depicts a herd of bison and other animals (the length of the figures is up to 2.25 m) of the Upper Paleolithic fauna. The subsequent drama was determined by the dogmatic ideas of evolutionism about the "meaninglessness" of glacial prehistory. At the World Archaeological Congress of 1880 in Lisbon under the leadership of E. Cartagliaca with the support of G. De Mortillet, the painting of Altamira was without any discussion considered a remake and even a deliberate falsification, allegedly performed to discredit evolutionary science. “Rehabilitation” and, moreover, “the cult of Altamira” date back to the beginning of the 20th century.
Niaux Cave France, 13.000–13.800 years – wall cave painting, medium madeleine.
Le Portel Cave France, 12.000 years– wall cave painting, late Madeleine.
Flores, Indonesia, Liang Bua, 12.000–18.000 years
– in the Ling Bua cave in 2004–2005. found the remains of 9 people of an unusually miniature shape, as well as perfect stone tools musterian type (M. Morwood et al, 2004). The best preserved individual Lb1, Homo floresiensis
("last" Homo erectus
); woman 30 years old, height 90 cm [link] .
Materials used
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Paleolithic hunters preferred to settle on flat or slightly rugged terrain close to water. Therefore, Late Paleolithic settlements should be sought near streams or lakes, at the confluence of rivers, on the plain or gentle slopes of the hills. Since the Late Paleolithic, the terrain has not changed much. Things were different in the Early and Middle Paleolithic. Most of the monuments of this period were found on river terraces and in caves. Finds in open space are much more rare, although we know for sure that already at that time people preferred to settle in open dwellings, leaving for caves only during periods of sharp cooling. The climate, of course, to a large extent determined the way of life and the type of dwelling of the Paleolithic man. From the life of modern backward peoples inhabiting the tropics, it is known that during dry periods they are completely satisfied with light huts of a short-term nature, protecting them from the scorching rays of the sun or from the hot wind. It is only during the rainy season that they seek shelter from tropical downpours, "inhabiting rock sheds and caves, or raising their dwellings above the ground to avoid being flooded by rainwater.
In open areas without natural rock shelters, Paleolithic hunters built semi-dugouts or dugouts, that is, dwellings with a rigid, often domed frame, deepened into the ground. The difference between the semi-dugout method and the dugout method lies in the degree of deepening into the mainland. In the warm season, especially in the European periglacial region, the most common dwelling was a hut. It was easily portable, had a simple design and fully satisfied the simple requirements of the nomadic lifestyle of hunters. Thus, the dwellings of Paleolithic hunters, and possibly hunting cultures in general, can be divided into three main types: the simplest shelters of various types, hut-like structures, and dwellings of a long-term nature with a rigid skeleton. The simplest shelters served as short-term dwellings in those places where the climate did not require more solid protection from the cold. The use of light yurts in summer and permanent dwellings in winter is known from the recent past of some Siberian peoples or Eskimos. The type of dwelling and its design depended to a large extent on the material available. In Europe, at the edge of a glacier, where wood was a rarity, the frame of a dwelling was made up of mammoth tusks, deer antlers, and long animal bones. Analogies in historical times are also known in Eastern Siberia, where the jaws and ribs of whales were used for the frame. Even in the last century, there were dugouts, in which the entire structure above the pit was simply covered with earth that protected well from the cold. Even today, the inhabitants of the steppe regions often cover the simplest frame with turf. Perhaps the dwellings of primitive man looked the same way. Paleolithic people also built light shelters and hut-like structures in caves. People usually did not use the entire cave, but with the help of partitions they created personal dwellings for themselves - something like “separate apartments.” Finds of Paleolithic dwellings are rare, but even rarer are finds of entire settlements A small settlement of the Gravettian (Pavlovian) time was discovered near the village of Dolni Vestonice in Moravia (its radiocarbon age is about 25,000 years). discovered by S. N. Zamyatnin in 1927 1. on the territory With. Gagarin in Ukraine. The study of the plans and remains of Paleolithic residential sites is hampered by two circumstances: firstly, the nature of the deposits in which the finds lie, and secondly, the old excavation technique adopted in the past. The fact is that previously separate exploratory excavations of a larger or smaller area were carried out, which did not allow revealing the relationship between individual finds. The documentation of old studies was also imperfect, it lacked detailed sketches (drawings) of open areas, which were often replaced by only a sparse verbal description. Only as soon as archaeologists began to lay excavations of a large area, it became possible to better recognize and classify the finds according to their relationships and analogies. The success of research has always largely depended on the stratigraphic conditions, on the nature of the deposits. It is much easier to open a parking lot in the loess, where every detail is. well distinguishable than excavations in scree, so most of the finds of Paleolithic sites come from the loess territories of Central Europe, Ukraine and Siberia.
The oldest find, which can be considered as the remains of a dwelling, was made in East Africa. This is a circular pile of stones discovered by L. S. B. Leakey in the Olduvai Gorge in a layer attributed to the beginning of the Pleistocene. The find, therefore, is about 2 million years old, and if this is really an artificial structure, then only a human predecessor could be its creator Noto Nabilis, the remains of which are found in the same layer. It is quite possible that this is really a building material, which, as a sinker, pressed the lower ends of the branches and skins that form the roof to the ground, and not just a random accumulation of stones - a toy of nature. In the central regions of Ethiopia, about 50 km south of the country's capital, Addis Ababa, French archaeologists have discovered several rich sites on the banks of the Awash River. The most important of them is Garba. In this site with the Oldowan culture, a free compacted space was discovered, suggestive of the adobe field of the simplest dwelling. Along the perimeter of this space, heaps of stones lay, by means of which poles or other elements of a simple structure could be wedged in the pits. Unlike the surrounding space, the rammed "heel" was completely empty: no tools, no bones or stones were found here; most likely it was a place to sleep.
FINDINGS OF HOUSINGS IN WESTERN EUROPE The oldest remains of a dwelling in Europe were discovered by de Lumley on the French Riviera near Nice. The site is called Terra Amata and belongs to the Acheulean culture. Not far from here, in the cave of the Grote du Lazaret, another type of Acheulean dwelling was discovered. In 1957, in layer No. 5, the remains of a hut measuring 11x3.5 m were discovered here. The hut stood inside the cave, not far from the entrance, leaning against the wall, and was recognized by a pile of stone tools and bones that were located exclusively within the residential area . There were very few finds outside the hut. The perimeter of the hut was framed by stones, no doubt brought here by man in order to strengthen its walls. It was the presence of walls that limited the spread of finds outside the dwelling. The skeleton of the hut, apparently, rested on the side wall of the cave, but did not adjoin it. A narrow strip of land stretched along the wall of the cave. containing almost no objects, and this indicates that the stone wall did not simultaneously form the inner wall of the dwelling, but was separated from it by a narrow passage, which protected the hut from seeping water. No postholes or other traces of construction were found, except for seven piles of stones spaced at intervals of 80-120 cm, and there was always free space in the center of the piles. This gives us reason to assume that the stones served to secure wooden stakes or pillars. But if the pillars from these points simply rested against the side wall of the cave, the interior would be too low. In addition, if the support pillars were at an angle to the floor, heaps of stones would also look different. Judging by the orientation of their "craters", the pillars were fixed in them vertically, and ceiling beams were laid horizontally on them, the opposite ends of which rested on a narrow ledge of the stone wall of the cave. This ensured the stability of the entire structure. It is possible that the supporting pillars of the skeleton had a fork-shaped fork at the upper end, which included beams from the ceiling.
In one place, the interval between piles of stones was more than usual: apparently, there was an entrance here. The same is evidenced by the scatter of finds of stone tools and bones, which only in this direction went beyond the boundaries of the dwelling. The entrance was oriented inside the cave, so the back wall of the hut was facing the exit from the cave. The entrance was not wide, up to 80 cm. To the east of this place there is another gap in the chain of stones; perhaps there was an emergency exit or a manhole. At the rear wall of the hut, directed towards the exit from the cave, the largest boulders were concentrated: presumably, there was a barrier wall here that protected from wind and bad weather.
The roof of the dwelling was, apparently, made of animal skins, with which the skeleton was covered. It was a practical material that held heat well and protected people from the wind and water dripping from the cave ceiling. The ends of the skins were pressed to the ground with the same stones. According to the location of the found objects, ashes and bones, it can be seen that the interior was divided (perhaps by a partition of hanging skins) into two parts. Immediately behind the entrance there was a vestibule or vestibule, where there was no hearth and where finds of objects are quite rare. The second, larger part was the actual living quarters for the people of that time. It was possible to get into this "room" only through the passage. Inside there were two hearths, but small and, judging by the thin layer of burnt clay, they did not have much economic significance. The main hearth was most likely located at the entrance to the cave. In the penultimate glaciation (Rise) the slopes of the hill around the cave were 80% covered with pine, but the share of pine in the charcoal from the fires did not exceed 40%.Thus, the inhabitants of the cave deliberately selected wood for firewood, being familiar with the differences between different types of wood.
The area around the two inner hearths contained the largest number of finds. On the contrary, in filling the passage room of the hut, i.e. e. canopy, there were fewer finds. In the cultural layer, small shells of marine mollusks were discovered, which were unlikely to be eaten, because they were too small for this. But in a natural way, sea shells could not get into the cave. The only explanation remains: they were accidentally brought here along with bunches of large seaweed. And since the shells were found mainly in places where there were few other finds (in the space between the hearths and to the right of the main entrance to the hut, behind the wind screen), it seems most likely that it was here that the “sleeping places” were located, beds lined with dried by the fire with seaweed. Perhaps animal skins were thrown on the seaweed - this is evidenced by the numerous finds of bones of the metacarpus and fingers, which usually remain on the skin taken from the animal. There were no larger bones here. Much more objects were found around these beds.
The lack of light and the comparatively small number of finds make us think that the hut was used mainly as a place of rest and lodging for the night; apparently, the main life, when the weather allowed, took place on the site at the entrance to the cave. There, the carcasses of dead animals were dismembered and the necessary tools were allocated. The hut gave the hunters a roof over their heads and the illusion of comfort on long winter evenings. Here they could be engaged in the manufacture of tools, as evidenced by the large number of small fragments. Based on the remains of animals found, it is also possible to determine the time of the year in which the primitive hunter used the dwelling most intensively. The bones of mountain goats (caught and eaten at about 5 months of age, kids are born in mid-June) indicate the first months of winter, and the remains of marmots indicate the beginning of spring; it is quite clear that the dwelling was the “winter quarters” of the hunters. The inhabitants left the cave when the weather was warm. Over the past decades, the study of French sites has provided a lot of new interesting data. published only preliminary reports of his findings.Another residential object was discovered in the Cave of the Devil (Fouriot du Diable) in France.It has the shape of an irregular quadrangle with main sides 12x7 m. , lined up in a continuous row. A similar row of stones stretched from the east side, and a barrier wall made of stones rose from the south. The western wall forms a rocky canopy. In the southeastern corner of the dwelling there was an entrance; the width of the opening is approximately 4.20 m The entire dwelling was placed under an inclined rock wall, it was enough to rest the tree trunks against the rock and cover them with skins, and the dwelling was ready. The cultural layer, lying directly on the rock, was limited by the contours of the dwelling and a low earthen rampart in front of its entrance; there were no finds outside these limits. In 1945, a site of the Hamburg culture was discovered in Borneck (western Germany). The German scientist Rust found here in the cultural layer a double dwelling of a hut-like type. The stones pressing the skeleton of the dwelling to the ground were arranged in two concentric circles, with the outer circle having a horseshoe shape and located on the windward side. Apparently, the outer tent had a defensive purpose. Separate boulders were scattered around it, which, according to Rust, served to strengthen the belts that stretched the roof of the tent. In the area in front of the dwelling, about 2000 small flakes were found - a typical “workshop” complex. The dimensions of the inner tent were 350 x 250 cm, the outer tent-screen had about 5 m at the base. The age of the find is about 15 thousand years BC. In Bornek traces of three other dwellings of the Ahrensburg culture were found.Unfortunately, two of them almost did not survive.The third, with a diameter of only 2 m, was limited to a circle of medium-sized stones with a gap at the entrance.Several hundred small stone flakes were found in the filling of the primitive hearth Rust estimates the antiquity of the find at 8500 BC and considers it a summer hut. At the Peggenwisch site in the north of western Germany, a contour (5 m in diameter) of a horseshoe-shaped dwelling of the time of the Hamburg culture was discovered in front of the entrance. There were boulders on the sides that pressed the belts, and the walls along the edges of the living space were filled with sand.
Another dwelling, open on that same parking lot, is large and complex in design and belongs to the Madeleine culture. The large, pear-shaped part measured 7x4m in plan; it was, apparently, the main living quarters. The entrance to it passed through a vestibule or vestibule lined with stones. The diameter of this utility room is 120 cm. The floor of this vestibule was paved in two layers with stones weighing up to 60 kg, presumably to protect against dampness. Large boulders along the edges of the living space propped up circular sand shaft. A partly paved connecting corridor led to another dwelling, round in plan, 4 m in diameter, the floor of which was not lined with stone. The inventory found dates back to the Madeleine. Rust believes that here we are dealing with a winter dwelling. In the main room, more spacious and equipped with a hearth, about a thousand flakes were found. At another site in western Germany, near Pinneberg, during excavations in the period 1937-1938. Rust discovered the contours of six early and middle Mesolithic huts. Five of them are relatively well preserved. The contours were traced due to the darker color of the soil, which contains a lot of wood ash. Cross section shown. that along the edges of the living area of the huts a ditch 25-40 cm deep was dug, in the filling of which voids from deeply driven structural pillars about 10 cm thick were preserved. In total, six pits from the pillars were found. The pillars that formed the frame of the dwelling were probably intertwined with branches and covered with sod. The internal dimensions of the huts are amazingly small: 250x150 cm. The exit is oriented to the south. Since the pillar holes are vertical, it can be assumed that the walls were also vertical, at least in their lower part. It is unlikely that the branches connected at the top formed a spherical vault; rather, the horizontal structure of the roof rested on vertical supporting pillars. The distance between the individual pillars was approximately 50 cm. The exit passed through a short and narrow vestibule or corridor. No remains of a hearth were found either inside or outside the hut. Hut 1, based on numerous stone tools, is dated to the Second Dryas period. The density of finds increases to the southeast of the dwelling - apparently, here its inhabitants spent most of their time. The second building, of somewhat later origin, has a similar design. Along the outer edge of the circular ditch, four pits from support pillars 30 cm apart were found. The fifth pit was discovered at a low entrance. The thickness of the pillars, judging by the pits, ranged from 5-8 cm, the pillar at the entrance was somewhat thicker than the others. The building is pear-shaped in plan, its dimensions are only 150x200 cm. An arc-shaped trench 150 cm long extends from the widest point of the structure, which is then lost in the sand. Yamok
from the pillars on it was not found. Perhaps this is the foundation of a barrier wall that protected the hut and the platform in front of the entrance from gusts of wind. However, this is contradicted by the fact that neither in the first nor in the second hut was found anything that would indicate the frequent presence of people here. There was also no hearth either inside or outside hut II. Hut III, measuring 150 x 250 cm, stood somewhat aside. It has the same pear-shaped layout as hut II; along its outer edge, there are also pits from pillars in an arc. The side entrance opens to the southeast.
The fifth and sixth huts partially overlap each other. These two dwellings are younger and more spacious than huts 1, II and III; their dimensions are 240x300 cm. No traces of structural foundations have been preserved here, but in form they are similar to the structures described above. The trench along the perimeter of the dwellings is not as deep as that of huts 1, II, and III, and has different depths in equal places. On the whole, it can be said that the Early and Middle Melithic dwellings from Pinneberg were small in size, without hearths, in terms of an irregular oval-pear shape. In 1921-1922. in the vicinity of Mainz in the loess, at a depth of 270 cm, heaps of stones were found, grouped around one or two hearths. The distance between the heaps varied from 50 to 100 cm. One hearth was placed in a bowl-shaped depression 20-30 cm wide, filled with limestone the size of a fist, burnt bone fragments and ash. Another hearth 70 cm in diameter is also made in a circle with stones, but does not have a recess. E. Neeb (1924) also found here a platform with densely compacted soil, approximately 180x60 cm in size. At the edges, this platform was framed by an earth embankment approximately 5 cm high. No traces of poles or other structural elements were found. Many broken bones and stone tools were found around the heaps of stones. Neeb attributed this site to the late Aurignacian. Today it is already obvious that he discovered a residential object, which, unfortunately, with the help of the then methods could not be recognized and fixed as it deserved. In 1964, studies began on the recently discovered Magdalen hunters' camp at Pensevan near Montreau, on the banks of the River Seine, in France. Leroy-Gourhan, in collaboration with Bresilon, discovered the remains of a residential facility here. An analysis of animal bones, carried out using the latest achievements of science, showed that the dwelling was used by people in summer and autumn. The dwelling was built without a pit, but its contours are well fixed by the different density of finds. The division of the entire site into three sections was clearly visible, each of which had a hearth, an empty strip with no finds or with a minimum of them, an arcuate strip of finds (bone and stone tools and fragments), a workplace, and, finally, an entrance. In front of two of the three hearths were large boulders, presumably for sitting. A strict accounting and description of all the finds and a study of the relationships between them made it possible to say with certainty that there are three hut-like dwellings located in a chain, connected by passages and covered with bark or, more likely, with animal skins. Judging by the area of the beds, from 10 to 15 people lived here. The skeleton of the dwelling, obviously, was composed of poles converging into a cone. The discovery in Pensevan allowed us to get an idea of what the short-term huts looked like, which were built in Madeleine by deer hunters in Western Europe. This residential complex is much older than the finds of Late Paleolithic dwellings on the territory of the former Czechoslovakia and the USSR.
olduvai gorge
Scientists have been arguing for decades about where the first man appeared on Earth. Supporters of the monopolar theory called the birthplace of a skilled man, who later became a reasonable man, then Africa, then South Asia.
In the Olduvai Gorge in East Africa, archaeologists have found the skeleton of the most ancient person on Earth. He is 1.5 million years old. It was thanks to this find that the theory arose that the first man appeared in Africa, and then settled throughout the earth. However, in the 1980s, scientists made a sensational discovery in Siberia, which turned the idea of human development upside down.
The first man could have appeared not in Africa, as was previously believed, but in Siberia. This sensational version appeared in 1982. Soviet geologists were excavating off the banks of the Lena River in Yakutia. The area is called Deering-Yuryakh, translated from Yakut - Deep River. Quite by accident, geologists discovered a late Neolithic burial - the 2nd millennium BC. And then, digging even deeper, they came across layers more than 2.5 million years old and found there the remains of the tools of the most ancient man.
Deering-Yuryakh
These are hewn cobblestones with a pointed end - they are called "choppers". In addition to such ancient axes, anvils and chippers were also found. This led researchers to believe that, in fact, the first man appeared in Siberia. After all, the age of the local finds is more than 2.5 million years. So, they are older than African.
Axes of the ancients, "choppers"
"There was a whole archipelago, where now the ice is solid, the Arctic Ocean. And due to some catastrophes, this civilization was destroyed, and the remnants of this people were forced to move to the mainland, to develop the lands that now belong to the Arkhangelsk region, Murmansk , the Polar Urals, and further - to Siberia. There is such an assumption, "- says the historian, ethnographer Vadim Burlak.
Burial in Deering-Yuryakh
More recently, it turned out that on the territory of Russia there are traces of not only primitive people, that is, creatures that only outwardly resembled a person, but did not have a developed intellect, but also a reasonable person, that is, similar to you and me.
Ancient weapons found in Deering-Yuryakh
For a long time it was believed that the first people who were no different from us today - first appeared in Europe 39 thousand years ago. However, in 2007 it turned out that the earliest site of an ancient person is located on the territory of modern Russia. Thus, it turns out that the first Homo sapiens was born twenty thousand years earlier, and not somewhere in the vicinity of Paris, but in the Voronezh region, where a simple village called Kostenki is now located. This opinion was expressed by the famous American scientist John Hoffecker.
"In 2007, a remarkable researcher from the United States of America, John Hoffecker, published in the journalScience article, which sounded like this: "The first European comes from Kostenki." She, this article, was based on his five years of work here in Kostenki, and on the dates that he and Vance Holiday, his friend and his colleague, made from the results of research, and these results were stunning. That is, the age of the existence of Homo sapiens here, on the territory of Kostenki, is very sharply getting older, "- explains Irina Kotlyarova, chief researcher at the Kostenki Museum-Reserve.
The remains found in Kostenki, which are about 60 thousand years old
The American Hoffecker found out: the first Europeans settled this area 50-60 thousand years ago. And the most amazing thing is that they really were reasonable tribes. Of course, practically nothing remains of such ancient sites. Only depressions, stone tools and pits filled with ash from burnt bones. And newer sites, those in which our ancestors lived about 20 thousand years ago, are well preserved in Kostenki.
Wall made of mammoth bones
Even the houses, the walls of which are lined with mammoth bones, have been preserved. The researchers found that the inhabitants of these houses knew how to make tools, hunted, gathered, built dwellings, had a well-established life and lived in a community. Mammoths were the main source of human life. There were a lot of them living in this area. People hunted them. From the skins they sewed clothes, they ate the extracted meat. The bones of these animals were also used.
Irina Kotlyarova in one of the houses of Kostenkovskaya culture
Kostenkovskaya archaeological culture is amazing in scale. About six dozen large human settlements were found here. According to some experts, at least a thousand people lived here. Others estimate the population of the ancient Voronezh region more modestly - about 600 people. In any case, this number seems to be very impressive. After all, even the population of medieval European cities rarely exceeded several hundred people. Of course, the oldest sites in Kostenki cannot be called a city. But for such a long time, just a huge population lived here.
The location plan of the sites of ancient people in Kostenki
The real amazement of archaeologists was caused by a collection of miniatures. These are carved from dense rock - marl - figures of mammoths. Most likely, already 22 thousand years ago the inhabitants of Kostenki knew how to keep score. This seems to most anthropologists quite incredible.
Spearheads found during excavations in Kostenki
From this conclusion it follows that the Voronezh civilization is twenty thousand years older than the Sumerian kingdom, with their clay tablets, and the ancient Egyptians. Scientists claim that long before the Sumerian Anunaki, Kostenki already knew how to count mammoths and write them down, not relying on memory. So the mammoths from Lizyukov Street - inscribed by the hand of prehistoric Picasso - are a completely scientific argument in favor of the fact that Voronezh is the cradle of human civilization.
It is generally accepted that Russians are a rather young nation. In fact, the Egyptian pyramids were already built four thousand years ago. By the time of the birth of Christ, the ancient Romans had already managed to sink to the bottom of luxury and even depravity, while our ancestors had not really begun anything yet - neither the state, nor culture, nor writing.
Historians decided to check if this is really so? And it turned out that 6 millennia ago, when the Sumerian civilization, as is commonly believed, the first on Earth, was just emerging, in our country, on the territory of the modern Urals, our ancestors were so developed that they even knew metallurgy.
"We are talking about a very large developed civilization on a very large territory, which had a strong influence on the entire Eurasian region - this is already unambiguous and beyond doubt. Therefore, here, I think that the future belongs to science," - says Alexey Palkin, researcher at the Laboratory of Natural and Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
This is Vera Island. It is located in the Chelyabinsk region on Lake Tugoyak. In the 80s of the last century, archaeologists discovered a find here that became a real sensation: amazing ancient structures that turned out to be much older than the famous English Stonehenge. It was this discovery that made scientists seriously talk about the fact that the first civilized society in the history of not only Russia, but the whole of Europe, and maybe the whole world, was born right here - in the Chelyabinsk region, next to the Ural Mountains.
"II understand that this may cause a shock, what I will say now, but I say this with complete responsibility, these megaliths on the island of Vera, they are much brighter and more interesting than Stonehenge. Why? Because Stonehenge is a healthy thing, but it's the only one there. Here. Here in this particular place, and here on a plot of 6 hectares there are several objects of various types, "-
Megalith No. 1
The ancient structure discovered on the island of Vera is called Megalith No. 1. That's what the archaeologists called it. Once this ancient building was 3.5 meters high and served as an observatory. The ancient builders specially arranged the window so that on the days of the summer and winter solstices the sunbeam penetrated, falling exactly on the altar.
Megalith window
The main mystery of the ancient observatory is not even in how people at that stage of their development thought of following the movement of heavenly bodies, but in the fact that the building was made of huge boulders. Each - several tens of tons. It turns out that the ancient inhabitants of these territories near modern Chelyabinsk were able not only to move heavy blocks, but they could put it all together correctly. So reliable that after thousands of years, the megalith did not collapse.
Central hall
There is a central hall, which is connected to the side chambers by corridors. The hall is composed of a number of megaliths, which are located on the sides and in the ceiling. There are about twenty-five to thirty of them in total. The largest of them weighs 17 tons. The size of megaliths is from one and a half to two and a half meters in length and half a meter in width. The building dates back to the 4th - 3rd millennium BC.
Huge plates were made by nature itself - this is the remnant of the mountain. But in order for the blocks to lie flat, the progenitors had to process them.
Nearby, archaeologists discovered a real melting furnace. Its design suggests that metal smelting technologies in ancient times were practically no different from those that were invented just a couple of centuries ago. It turns out that the semi-wild tribes that lived on this island were engaged in non-ferrous metallurgy.
"It was here that the oldest copper smelting furnace was located. Scientists discovered a chimney, which stands out very clearly from the general background. Traces of smoke, which were reflected on the stones, clearly remained and are visible on the stones," says Alexey Palkin, researcher at the Laboratory of Natural and Historical and Cultural Heritage of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Zyuratkul geoglyph
The fact that an incredibly developed population lived on the territory of the Chelyabinsk region thousands of years ago is also evidenced by another amazing find - the Zyuratkul geoglyph. It was discovered by accident. In 2011, one of the employees of the Zyuratkul National Park noticed that the grass at the foot of the ridge was growing unevenly. This is despite the fact that no mechanical impact was clearly exerted on it. The scientist decided to find out the reasons for such a strange phenomenon. He managed to establish that the grass does not grow in some places because it is hindered by boulders laid out by a path resembling a drawing or even a diagram. To see it in its entirety, national park officials took off in a helicopter and discovered a giant drawing laid out on the ground. Most of all, it resembles the image of an elk.
The dimensions of this elk are impressive: the length of the drawing is 275 meters. The age of the geoglyph is 5-6 millennia. How its creators controlled the accuracy of laying, how they managed to observe the direction and correctness of the lines, if the entire pattern is visible only from a great height, is not clear. But most importantly - why did they need this image of an elk?
The geoglyph resembles an image of an elk
"INIn the Neolithic, in the Urals, we mainly had a farm - hunters, fishermen, and so on. That is, the population that built this here, it had to exploit a significant territory. That is, we are talking about some connections between these groups, about some slightly different social structures than we imagine today. This is not just a group, a separate group of hunters-fishers, it is a more complex social organization," considers Stanislav Grigoriev, archaeologist, senior researcher at the Institute of History and Archeology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
If archaeologists were not mistaken in determining the age of this miracle, then it turns out that our ideas about the abilities and capabilities of the most ancient population of Russia do not correspond to reality, which means that official science was mistaken, claiming for many years that intelligent life came to these parts only shortly before baptism Rus'.
Scientists treat this hypothesis with great caution. However, new archaeological finds raise more and more questions, the answers to which are not yet available.
Another proof that ancient people on the territory of modern Russia were very developed is in the Ignatievskaya cave. It is located on the southern tip of the Ural Mountains in the Chelyabinsk region. In 1980, speleologists accidentally discovered a drawing on its vaults, which made a real revolution in archeology. Studies have shown that the drawings were made on the walls more than 14 thousand years ago. In no place on the planet has it ever been possible to find a drawing of such antiquity that would contain a clear plot. This cave depicts the very process of creating life. Exactly as our ancient ancestors saw it.
But why does the whole world know about the oldest rock paintings in Australia, and why do all textbooks on archeology list people and gobies from Algeria as the first drawings? After all, they appeared on the walls of caves in the 11th century BC. That is later than the Urals by 13 thousand years. Why are scientific journals silent about the discovery of the Ural archaeologists?
Many experts are sure that such data will force us to revise not only scientific theories, but also rewrite school textbooks.
Category: Uncategorized Tags:So, the oldest find of this kind was made by the British anthropologist Mary Leakey in 1962. At one of the sites of the Olduvai Gorge (which gave the world Homo habilis - a skilled man), about 1.8 million years old, many stone tools and animal remains were found - ancient giraffes, elephants, zebras, rhinos, turtles, crocodiles ... So, on one from the sites of this site, Leakey's team found a row of stones arranged (laid out?) in the form of a circle. As Mary Leakey wrote, this ring layout is “the oldest structure made by man. It consists of individual lava blocks and is from three and a half to four meters in diameter. A striking resemblance to the rough stone circles built for temporary shelter by modern nomadic peoples. So, Mary Leakey thought she had found the oldest home on earth. The stones, in her opinion, served to strengthen poles or branches stuck into the ground and forming something like a wind barrier or a simple hut.
In another Olduvai locality, famous for the discovery of the skull of the paranthropus Boyes, an oval accumulation of crushed bones and small stone fragments was revealed. It is surrounded by a relatively free space from finds, outside of which there are also fragments of bones and tools. Mary Leakey suggested that this place once was a wind screen that surrounded the central part of the parking lot.
Later, similar finds were made outside of Olduvai.
Is this evidence enough to assert that already one and a half million years ago our ancestors could build the simplest dwellings for themselves? Alas, not all experts agreed with this interpretation. And the older the site, the fewer sets of facts archaeologists have to work with.
No longer early people
Category: Uncategorized Tags:
The next "problematic" and often mentioned monument belongs to a much later time. On the slope of Mount Boron (Nice, France) is the site of Terra-Amata, which was excavated in the 60s of the last century by the French archaeologist and geologist Henri de Lumle. 350-450 thousand years ago, the Heidelberg people lived here - the probable ancestors of the Neanderthals. Thousands of stone artifacts, bones of large and small animals have been extracted from the earth. Archaeologists have cleared ancient work sites containing depressions, small hearths, stone blocks and oval clusters of finds, which Lumle interpreted as the remains of ancient huts: the depressions were left from the supports, and the stones propped up the walls. According to Lumle, the site was inhabited by ancient hunters periodically over a number of spring seasons.
Of course, Lumle's conclusions have also been challenged. However, criticism, of course, does not negate the presence of depressions, hearths and limestone blocks located in a certain way - possibly used as wind barriers.
Another monument of similar antiquity and, alas, just as controversial. Bilzingsleben in eastern Germany - the remains of three oval "huts" about 350 thousand years old. The same set: "wind barriers" - stone blocks and animal bones; a circular structure of stones pressed into the sediments, 9 meters in diameter; there are hearths associated with each structure. And, nevertheless, there are doubts about the man-made "circular structure". Hominids lived here - a fact. But did they build it?
So what do we know? About two million years ago, our distant ancestors left Africa for the first time. For a very long time, hominids lived in camps, which can be conditionally called temporary "camps". It was possible to return to such a camp after a hunt; here they made tools and (in later times) cooked food on fire; the simplest wind screens could also be used in parking lots. In a broad sense, it was a home, that is, a place where cooking, work and leisure were combined ...
