PaleolithicPeoples

Paleolithic Peoples Southern African Rock Art

Early Human History 5 million BCE - first hominids (human relatives) evolved in east Africa  @500,000 years ago - first modern hominids (humans like us): larger brains  150,000 to 200,000 BCE - first homo sapiens (modern humans)  Other hominid groups died out  Links to Human Family Tree & Timeline 

Age of Earth vs. Humans Age of the Earth = 4.5 billion years

Hominid history = @ 5-6 million years Homo sapiens (like us) = 200,000 years

1 billion years = 1000 million years

Early Human History (cont.) Human adaptations to environment and resources  Human migrations for food and other survival reasons – populated other continents  By 50,000 BCE humans in Southeast Asia and Australia  By 12,000 BCE in northeast Asia and Americas 

Great website on human evolution: Smithsonian Institution’s “What Does It Mean to Be Human” website

History of Human Migration

First homo sapiens evolved in eastern Africa – migrated to other continents over next 50,000 years

Problems Studying Early Human History?  1st

written records only 5 thousand years ago – few survive  Using artifacts  Fossil records  Have to use other sources of info.  Accuracy? Link - list and  Meaning? explanation of  Forensic science diff. forms of dating  DNA, carbon dating

Paleolithic Rock and Cave Art

Video Links Rick Steves at Lasceaux, France  Lasceaux Prehistory of Art, Part 1 

Paleolithic Cave Paintings: Europe

Location of African Rock Art Spans centuries: 35,000 B.C.E+ to present

Drakensberg Mountains, South Africa

Cave Art, Inanke, Zimbabwe

Drakensberg, South Africa

Characteristics of Paleolithic Peoples

Paleolithic Life: 2 million – 10,000 years ago Early hominids and homo sapiens used stone tools  Lived in family groups  Foraged for food – cooperation  Hunting and gathering  Adapted to environment and other changing situations  Developed different cultures 

Paleolithic Tool Kit

Linton Panel – The ‘Rosetta Stone’ of S.A. Rock Art

Created in 18th or 19th century, C.E.

Game Pass, SA – original location of Linton Panel

Linton Panel Drawing

Interpretation of Rock Art?:

San Trance Ritual

Lonyana Rock, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.

Meaning? Significance?

San Trance – Bleeding from Nose

Trance: Bleeding from Nose

San Trance Rituals

Trance: Meaning? Significance?

Storm Shelter, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Meaning? Significance?

Shaman Transformed

Trance: Swallows (Birds)

Shaman and Participants

Shaman

Portrait of a Shaman

Storm Shelter, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Modern Rock Art:

Men on horses with rifles

Link to The African Rock Art Archive

Were Paleolithic people civilized? or What do we know about Paleolithic culture?