Encyclopedia of Evolution.pdf - Online Reading Center

technology
Technological and Cultural Periods
Beginning
(Thousand years ago, Length of cutting edge (cm)
Culture approximate) Species per kg of stone Characteristics
Lower Paleolithic:
Oldowan1 2,500 H. habilis 2 11 Simple, one worked surface
H. erectus
Early H. ergaster
Uniform throughout species range
Acheulean 1,500 Late H. ergaster 45 Simple, two worked surfaces
H. heidelbergensis 3 Early Neandertal
Uniform throughout species range
Middle Paleolithic:
Mousterian 75 Neandertal 220 Prepared cores
Early H. sapiens Uniform throughout species range
Upper Paleolithic:
Aurignacian 33 Early H. sapiens 650 Advanced stone tools
Diverse toolkit
Geographical diversity
Châtelperronian 33 Late Neandertal 650 Similar to Aurignacian
Limited geographic range
Gravettian 27 H. sapiens 1,300 More advanced stone tools
More diverse toolkit
Geographic diversity
Solutrean 21 H. sapiens 2,000
Magdalenian 17 H. sapiens 2,500
Mesolithic: 10 H. sapiens Tribal village life
Neolithic: 8 H. sapiens Agricultural village life
Bronze Age 5 H. sapiens Civilization
Iron Age 2 H. sapiens
1Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods in Europe correspond closely to the Early, Middle, and Late Stone Ages of Africa but are not defined for Africa or Asia,
therefore the terms do not strictly apply to H. habilis, H. erectus, and H. ergaster.
2Includes H. rudolfensis
3Includes H. antecessor
stone tools in the Neolithic (“new stone”) Age, with which
they began to clear forests and grow crops (see agriculture,
origin of). The earliest civilizations frequently made implements
and weapons from bronze, while later civilizations
used iron. Human technology accelerated when the Industrial
Revolution began. The Bronze and Iron Ages arose at different
times in different parts of the world. Few truly Stone Age
cultures remain in the 21st century, as most tribal societies
have selectively adopted modern technologies.
Further Reading
Shreeve, James. “Mystery on Mount Carmel.” Chap. 7 in The Neandertal
Enigma: Solving the Mystery of Modern Human Origins.
New York: William Morrow, 1995.