From the Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic
The Paleolithic is the first and longest period of prehistory. It begins with the appearance of Man, about 2.6 million years ago in Africa and ends around 10,000 years before Christ.
The Paleolithic is the first and longest period of prehistory. It begins with the appearance of Man, about 2.6 million years ago in Africa and ends around 10,000 years before Christ. Humans were nomadic hunter-gatherers, taking advantage of the resources available in nature.
In Europe, the Paleolithic is divided into three sub-periods, corresponding to a biological, technical and cultural evolution.
In Europe, the Paleolithic is divided into three sub-periods, corresponding to a biological, technical and cultural evolution:
- the Lower Paleolithic (from -800,000 to -300,000 years), with Homo erectus. The first stone tools are the carved pebble and the biface. Domestication of fire around - 400 000 years.
- The Middle Paleolithic (from 300,000 to 40,000 years ago), with Neanderthal man.
The main stone tools are flakes, scrapers and points. First burials.
- The Upper Paleolithic (from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago) with Homo sapiens, also called "Cro-Magnon Man". The main stone tools are blades, scrapers and chisels. Appearance of bone and reindeer antler tools and weapons: assegais, harpoons, thrusters... First artistic manifestations.
We speak of cave art for the walls of the caves and furniture art for the objects.
The Paleolithic collections of the National Archaeology Museum are among the richest in the world, especially in the field of furniture art.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Les objets
Grotte du Pape, (Brassempouy, Landes) Around 21,000 BC.
The “Lady with the Hood” or “Dame de Brassempouy” is the most famous and most moving of prehistoric works of art, as she brings us the most real and lifelike image of Palaeolithic woman.
The techniques used to make this statuette are very complex and achieve great visual qualities: incisions for the chequerboard pattern and the facial features, perforation for the pupil of the eyes, scraping and polishing to model the face.
This “first human face”, sculpted from the ivory core of a mammoth tusk, is very striking. It is sub-triangular in shape and well balanced. The forehead, eyebrows, nose and chin are in relief. The only visible part of the eyes is the pupil, particularly the one on the right.
Dame de Brassempouy à la capuche by Musée d'Archéologie Nationale on Sketchfab
Abri du Facteur, Tursac (Dordogne)
Paléolithique supérieur, Gravettien, vers – 30 000 ans
The Espélugues Caves was much frequented. This small horse was discovered in 1886 in a fissure in the rock. Many other tools and decorated objects have also been discovered in this cave-shelter.
This small statuette has been carved longitudinally from a mammoth’s tusk. Mammoths measured between 2.80 and 3.50 metres. Their upper incisors, developed into tusks, could reach 3 metres in length. To compensate for a lack of wood, prehistoric man in Eastern Europe used these bones as frames for their tents. Mammoths disappeared from Europe around 8,500 BC.
Tursac (Dordogne), abri de La Madeleine
Magdalénien récent (entre – 16 000 et – 14 000 ans environ)
Sers (Charente), abri du Roc-de-Sers
Solutréen (entre – 26 000 et – 23 000 ans environ)
Volgu, (Rigny, Saône-et-Loire)
Vers 17 000 av. J.-C.
Alliat (Ariège), grotte de La Vache
Magdalénien final (vers – 13 000 ans)
Le Mas d’Azil (Ariège), grotte du Mas d’Azil
Magdalénien moyen (entre – 18 000 et – 16 000 ans environ)
Alliat (Ariège), grotte de La Vache
Magdalénien récent ou final (entre – 16 000 et – 13 000 ans environ)
Upper Palaeolithic Period Grotte de Chaffaud, (Savigné, Vienne)
This piece is important in the context of Prehistory. In fact, it is the most ancient example of Palaeolithic mobiliary art to have been discovered (before 1845) and acknowledged as such, having earlier been attributed to the Gauls. Prosper Mérimée made the first tracing of it.
Incised into a reindeer foot-bone, this engraving represents two hinds (the female of the stag, without antlers), one behind the other. The details of the heads of the two animals are very precise. The two ears, the almond-shaped left eye emphasised with fine hatching, the muzzle and the mouth give us an image of two very real hinds. In front of the hooves of each animal, a sign in the form of a wing is engraved, whose meaning is unknown.
Grotte des Espélugues, Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées)
Magdalénien, entre – 18 000 ans et – 11 000 ans environ
Irlande, tourbières, pas de site précis
Fin du Paléolithique (vers – 11 500 ans)
Abbeville (Somme), Quartier Saint-Gilles
Acheuléen (entre – 600 000 et – 300 000 ans environ)
Grotte du Placard à Vilhonneur (Charente) Magdalénien, vers – 15 000 ans
Grotte d’Isturitz, Isturitz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques)
Fouilles Passemard
Aurignacien (vers – 35 000 ans)
Grotte du Mas d’Azil (Ariège)
Azilien, vers – 10 000 ans
Vilhonneur (Charente), grotte du Placard
Magdalénien moyen (entre – 18 000 et – 16 000 ans environ)
Angles-sur-l’Anglin (Vienne), abris du Roc-aux-Sorciers
Magdalénien moyen (entre – 18 000 et – 16 000 ans environ)
