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Upper Palaeolithic is refer to the last phase of the stone age and also the Upper Palaeolithic period is refer to a period in European history. The experts believe that the Upper Palaeolithis period would have been occurred during the final stages of the last ice age. It would be at about from 35,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago. This phase of prehistoric period was characterized by the colonization of the continent by Homo sapiens, The main attraction of the upper paleolithic period is the development of more complex hunter-gatherer patterns, including the creation of spectacular rock art in limestone caves. Stay connected with the blog for more information.
The Upper Palaeolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Old Stone Age. Very broadly the experts believe that the Upper Palaeolithic period would have been lasted to between 50,000 and 12,000 years ago. Upto the date of the beginning of the Holocene.
Some of the experts theories said that the discovered tools and artifacts of Upper Palaeolithic period match with the appearance of behavioral modernity in early modern humans. And this period would have been lasted until the advent of the Neolithic Revolution and agriculture.
Some of the Anatomical experts believe that the appearance of Homo Sapiences or the modern humans into anatomically have emerged in Africa around 300,000 years ago. Some of the experts has been argued that the ways of life of the humans of upper palaeolithic has a little changed from the life style of archaic humans of the Middle Paleolithic period. Means the experts found a very little change in the life style of the humans of the Upper Palaelithic period and Middle Palaeolithic period.
The experts marked this period until about 50,000 years ago. Because the experts found a slight increase in the diversity of artefacts found associated with the remains of modern human. The experts believe that the assume period is also match with the most common date assigned to expansion of modern humans from Africa throughout Asia and Eurasia. This date have also contributed to the extinction of the Neanderthals.
The experts found the earliest evidence of organized settlements of he Upper Paleolithic period. The experts also found some in the form of settlements/colonies . The experts also found some of the campsites with food storage area called storage pits. the experts believe that the artistic work was on blossomed in this period. It shows as an evidences of cave painting, petroglyphs, carvings and engravings on bone or ivory.
The experts found the first evidence of human fishing is also found from a 125,000 years old artefacts in Buya, Eritrea and in other places such as Blombos cave in South Africa. The experts also believe that during this period the social groupings emerged. The experts come on the conclusion that The groupings system would have been as per the varied and reliable food sources and type of some specialized tool. They also believe that it probably contributed to increasing group identification or ethnicity.
Notational signs found during Upper Palaeolithic period
The experts also found some of the notational signs used next to the images of animals. The experts believe that these notational signs may have been used as early as the Upper Palaeolithic in Europe circa 35,000 BCE, and also believe these notational signs may be the most earliest proto-writing.
The experts found that several symbols were used in the combinations. The experts believe that this would be the way to convey seasonal behavioral information about hunted animals.
During the study the experts found some of the symbols like lines (|), dot (.) and (Y). And the experts believe that the symbol of Lines (|) and dots (.) were apparently used for the interchangeably of moon or denote to the lunar months, while the (Y) sign apparently signified “To give birth”.
The experts believe that these signs or symbols were used to convey the breeding period of hunted animals.
Technology development during Upper Palaeolithic period
The experts believe that the Neanderthals and Homo erectus both used the same crude stone tools.
Richard G. Klein an archaeologist, who has worked extensively on ancient stone tools, tell in his study that it is impossible to categorize the stone tool of archaic hominids. His theory is apply almost everywhere, whether Asia, Africa or Europe. He believe that all the stone tools which was used before 50000 years ago are much alike and unsophisticated.
The archeologists come on the conclusion after verifying the discovered tools and artefacts of Africa that the artefacts belongs to less than 50000 years could be differentiate and classify into many different categories easily. The type of discovered tools are like projectile points, engraving tools, knife blades, and drilling and piercing tools.
The experts believe that these new types of stone-tool have been described as being distinctly differentiated from each other. Every tools had made for a specific purpose.
As per the study the experts believe that the early modern humans who expanded into Europe, (Which are commonly known as the Cro-Magnons,) have left many sophisticated stone tools, cave painting, Venus figurines and carved pieces of bone, ivory and antler.
The experts believe that the developments in flint tool manufacturing is the main and important technological advancement of this period.
Lifestyle during Upper Palaeolithic period
The experts found in their study that the hunting was the main source of food of the humans during this period. Because of this reason the colonies/ settlements were often found in narrow valley bottoms. It possibly associated with hunting of passing herds of animals.
The experts also believe that it appear some of them they would have been used seasonally, but some of them may have been occupied year round. By the sources the experts believe that the humans may have moved between the sites in search of different food sources at the different times of the year.
As per collected evidences the experts believe that they may used instrument based on fine blades rather than simpler and shorter flakes. They found that the burins and racloirs were used to work on bone, antler and hides. Advanced darts and harpoons also appear in this period, along with the fish hook, the oil lamp, rope, and the eyed needle. The experts discovered the evidences from Timor and Buka (Solomon Islands) that they had a navigation system for fishing in open ocean.
the experts believe that hunting was became specialized during this period. And the human were capable to make sophisticated planning for selective choice of seasonal food and selective type of butchery with selective and seasonal hunted animals. The experts found that the first hunter-gatherer economy during this period. The experts also believe that the occasional mass killings of animals suggested that in some places the process of food storage had also been in practiced.
Changes in weather and geographical conditions during Upper Palaeolithic period
The experts believe that during the period of Upper Palaeolithic the climate would had been changed dramatically. This change in climate would have been gone upto maximum in all aspects. Means the weather would have been goes upto the maximum hot to maximum cold.
The experts believe that when the African climates were become humid and filled with water during this period. Then there were more trees grow and our earliest ancestors live on trees by climbing in them. and the experts also believe that when African climate dried and the number trees was reduced and our ancestors had to move in search new place for survival by walking on two legs through grasslands.
The experts believe that the climate had being become cooler to coolest. The experts also believe that before the weather became warm again it reached at the maximum cool upto the the last Glacial Maximum temperature. Most of Northern Europe was covered by an ice-sheet and the weather conditions forced the humans to live into the areas known as Last Glacial Maximum refugia. It includes the area of modern Italy and the Balkans, parts of the Iberian Peninsula and areas around the Black Sea.
The experts believe that the climate condition of Last Glacial Maximum would have been also followed by the weather condition of a warm and moist global interstadial. Then there would have been a very rapid onset, perhaps within as little as a decade, of the cold and dry climate period. The experts believe that the sharply rise and fall in the temperature of the climate had brought temperatures nearly to present day levels. Resulted the Upper Palaeolithic era is become the successor of Mesolithic cultural period.
Some of the important Link of the Articles which is important for your preparation of the exam.
| 01 | The Prehistoric Period – How Humans Lived Before Written Records? | CLICK HERE |
| 02 | Stone Age ‑ Definition, Period & Tools | Ancient History | CLICK HERE |
| 03 | Palaeolithic Age and its Phases | stone Age | CLICK HERE |
| 04 | Lower Paleolithic Period – The Most Early phase of Stone Age | CLICK HERE |
| 05 | Lomekwi Stone Tools – The World’s Oldest Artifact – Stone Age | CLICK HERE |
| 06 | Oldowan Tools – The Oldest Stone Tools In The World – Stone Age | CLICK HERE |
| 07 | List of Important Oldowan Sites and the Name of their Archaeologists | CLICK HERE |
| 08 | Middle Palaeolithic Age | The Old Stone Age | Ancient History | CLICK HERE |
Some of the important Link of the related MCQ/Quiz which is helpful for the preparation of the exam.
| 01 | Prehistoric Period MCQ/Quiz – UPSC, SSC, Bank Exam | MCQs/Quiz | CLICK HERE |
| 02 | MCQs on Stone Age ‑ Classification, Period & Tools | Ancient History | MCQs/Quiz | CLICK HERE |
| 03 | MCQ on Lower Paleolithic Period – The Most Early phase of Stone Age | MCQs/Quiz | CLICK HERE |
| 04 | MCQs on Lomekwi Archaeological Site – Important Milestone | MCQs/Quiz | CLICK HERE |
| 05 | MCQs/Quiz on Oldowan Tools – The Oldest Stone Tools | MCQs/Quiz | CLICK HERE |
Wishing you a very healthy and prosperous future