Paleolithic technology included the use of crude stone tools such as hand axes, flake tools, and spearheads made from stone or animal bone. The ability to control fire was a crucial achievement, serving as a means of warmth, cooking, lighting, and protection from wild animals. Furthermore, early humans began developing artistic expressions such as cave paintings and the creation of simple jewelry.
Stone tool technology:
The earliest tools were made of stone, such as hand axes used for felling trees or peeling food.
Flakes:
Made by breaking apart rocks, producing sharp flakes that served as knives for cutting meat or plants.
Bone and antler:
Over time, early humans began using animal bones to make more complex tools, such as needles, hooks, and finer spearheads.
Ability to control fire:
The importance of fire:
Fire became a crucial technology because it enabled humans to cook food, survive in cold climates, and ward off wild animals.
How to make fire:
Fire is thought to have been discovered by striking stones or rubbing pieces of wood together.
Technology during the Paleolithic period is divided into two periods: the Lower Paleolithic and the Upper Paleolithic. During the Lower Paleolithic, technological development occurred very slowly.
Several factors are known to have contributed to this slow technological development, including human needs, which were still very limited to hunting, expanding territory, and defending territory from other human groups.
The spread of technological innovation during the Lower Paleolithic was very rare, as humans at that time only made tools that could be used by their own group.
During the Lower Paleolithic, the technology in a region was similar to that in surrounding areas, even those far away. This was due to the very slow pace of technological change at that time, which allowed for relatively even distribution before the emergence of new technologies.
Entering the Upper Paleolithic, approximately 70,000 years ago, technological development reached its peak, and it can be said to be the origin of the invention of the tools we know today.
The Upper Paleolithic began to use flaking and breaking techniques for stone tools.
The Upper Paleolithic can be described as a time of creation, and its three main inventions were dog breeding, archery, and fine art.
Paleolithic peoples utilized dogs to assist them in their daily activities, such as hunting and guarding their settlements. Cave paintings during this period represent the earliest known fine art.
Cave painters in France and Spain created images for religious or magical purposes, part of the beliefs of the Upper Paleolithic people.