The appearance of and is associated with Cro-Magnons. Ancient Cro-Magnon man - characteristics of lifestyle, tools, interesting facts with photos and videos

There are many theories whose authors are trying to find an answer to the question of how humanity appeared. According to one of them, the monkey, having begun to be reborn and having gone through several stages of evolutionary development, finally acquired the external resemblance of a modern person. Representatives of this new species, called Cro-Magnons, significantly surpassed the development of their predecessors - the Neanderthals and, according to one of the current hypotheses, are the ancestors of all modern people.

Findings of French paleontologists

Before we start talking about the way of life of the Cro-Magnons, let us clarify what should be understood by this term. Initially, it designated a species of ancient people whose remains were discovered in 1868 in the southwest of France in the Cro-Magnon cave. However, it later became clear that representatives of the species inhabited almost all continents during the Upper Paleolithic era, which covered the period from 40 to 10 thousand years ago. They received the name Cro-Magnons from the place where scientists first encountered their remains.

By appearance and the structural features of the Cro-Magnons were practically no different from modern people, which allowed scientists to include them in a common group with us, the representatives of which were called neoanthropes (“new people”), or Homo sapiens, that is, a reasonable person.

Finds from different parts of the world

Despite the fact that Cro-Magnons lived side by side with Neanderthals for almost 7 thousand years, who belonged to more early group people ─ paleoanthropes, they significantly surpassed them in their achievements. Currently, researchers have evidence that Cro-Magnons lived in Africa 35 thousand years ago, in Europe their remains are 30-40 thousand years old, and about the same in Asia. The burials discovered in New Guinea are somewhat younger - they are no more than 19 thousand years old. Australian finds of this kind date back to 20-14 thousand years, and the latest ones were discovered on the North American continent near Los Angeles. Their age does not exceed 11-13 thousand years.

Achievements of primitive culture

Studying the lifestyle and structural features of the Cro-Magnons, anthropologists discovered that they differed from modern people in slightly more massive bones of skeletons and skulls. Their burials correspond to the funeral rites of that ancient era.

As mentioned above, being neighbors at a certain period with their predecessors - the Neanderthals, the Cro-Magnons had a higher culture. First of all, this refers to the manufacture and use of tools, which they made from stones, as well as bones and animal horns. The results of excavations show that for their production, blanks were initially collected in large quantities, which were subsequently processed.

In which a significant part of the food was obtained by hunting, it pushed them to create more and more new tools, unknown to their ancestors. Thus, they invented bows, arrows and spears, which became constant companions of people for many subsequent millennia. The Cormagnons were the first to domesticate wild animals. It is known, for example, that they tamed a wolf, which over time turned into a domestic dog. It is characteristic that the way of life and tools of labor of the Cro-Magnons who inhabited different continents were basically similar.

The way of life of our ancestors

Our ancient ancestors, rightfully classified as Homo sapiens, lived in communities with an average of 40 to 120 people. It is important to note that, unlike the Neanderthals, they settled not only in caves, but much more often in dugouts, huts and even tents. Thus, we can already talk about the first human settlements created on earth. They also made significant strides in the manufacture of clothing, although they still sewed it from animal skins. It is also generally accepted that the Cro-Magnon lifestyle contributed to the gradual development of coherent and developed speech.

In the places of settlements of people of that ancient time, in addition to their remains, scientists have discovered many artifacts that give an idea of various aspects of their life. The main and most eloquent evidence is the samples rock art, preserved in caves discovered over a vast territory - from Lake Baikal to Britain.

Creativity of ancient people

It is the rock paintings that make it possible to most fully imagine the way of life of the Cro-Magnons and the cults that existed among them, the main one of which was the cult of hunting. It is curious that many rock paintings of animals are complemented by images of bows, arrows and spears. On this basis, scientists speculate that before going hunting, our ancestors killed their prey in the drawings, thereby hoping to secure the protection of certain magical powers.

In addition to rock paintings, all kinds of figurines made by the ancient inhabitants of the planet from animal bones, limestone or mammoth tusks open up great scope for scientific study. As a rule, they are images of people and animals. In more late period When the Cro-Magnon tools improved, knives appeared in their everyday use, the handles of which were customarily decorated with carvings, often depicting hunting scenes.

Many samples of clothing of people of that era that have survived to this day, although made from animal skins (they learned to weave much later), are richly decorated with beads painted with ocher. This undoubtedly indicates the formation of aesthetic ideas in them.

Funeral rites

Extraordinary important feature Cro-Magnons are considered to have an idea about the afterlife. This is indicated by the peculiarities of the funeral rites practiced at that time. During excavations of their burials, it was established that various hunting tools, jewelry, household items, and even food were placed in the grave along with the deceased member of the tribe. This is how relatives equipped the deceased in long haul that awaited him after death.

It is worth noting another interesting feature of the funeral rites that existed among the Cro-Magnons. The body of the deceased was covered with red ocher and lined with the bones of killed animals. He was always placed in the grave in the fetal position. Thus, it is completely traceable certain thought: in what form the embryo was in the mother’s womb, in the same form the deceased must depart to another world, closing the circle of his earthly existence. This suggests that the Cro-Magnons, unlike their ancestors, began to think not only in concrete, but also in abstract concepts.

One of the many hypotheses

IN scientific world A very popular hypothesis is that the very first Cro-Magnons appeared in the southeastern regions of Africa, much earlier than on the rest of the Earth’s surface. It is possible that this happened about 200 thousand years ago. Having settled the hot continent, our intelligent ancestors began to explore the Middle East and successfully coped with this approximately 80-70 thousand years ago.

Then they moved to the vast expanses of Europe and Asia, first settling in the southern and then northern regions. Australia was next in line, and after that the Cro-Magnons celebrated their housewarming in America. This is just one of the many assumptions generated by scientific thought. Among scientists there are many of its supporters, but even more opponents.

Alternative hypothesis

Meanwhile, there is another version, which claims that modern people did not have common ancestors, as which the supporters of the hypothesis stated above are trying to present the Cro-Magnons. Their opponents believe that peoples belonging to the Negroid and Mongoloid race, formed autonomously, filling the territories of their current residence.

As for the Cro-Magnons, they followed their own path of development, subsequently settling in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and a number of other territories. Having appeared in the region of present-day Ethiopia about 160 thousand years ago, people with pronounced Cromanoid features penetrated from there to Europe, making a long journey through the Caucasus and the Don basin. Proponents of this theory argue that the peak of migration to the West occurred approximately 40-35 thousand years ago. In particular, rock paintings discovered in the Cro-Magnon cave, which gave its name to a whole species of primitive people, date back to this period.

Time will tell which of the two theories above is closer to the truth. The process of studying the life of ancient people does not stop, and every year new technologies based on the most advanced achievements of modern technology become available to scientists.

Common features of Cro-Magnons

But no matter where our ancestors appeared, and no matter how the process of their settlement on earth proceeded, structural features common to all Cro-Magnons are noted. The photos given in the article will help you get a fairly complete picture of them. Thus, the remains discovered in burials on various continents indicate that, in contrast to the Neanderthals who lived earlier, they had bodies whose proportions were quite consistent with modern standards.

The height of men reached 180-190 cm, while women were 20-25 cm lower. At the same time, Cro-Magnons for the most part had long limbs, developed jaws and somewhat elongated skulls. It is generally accepted that it was they who, over time, transformed into the people of the current civilization, whose age does not exceed 7 thousand years.

Unanswered Questions

Among scientists there is no general opinion regarding when the species of people, previously uniform in their external forms, began to divide into races, each of which over time acquired its own characteristics. Many people also object to the generally accepted thesis that the modern type of people represents the crown of the evolutionary process. His opponents believe that the process of biological changes continues to this day, it’s just that on a planetary scale the period of time separating us from the era of ancient people is very insignificant, and physical transformations are not so pronounced.

Cro-Magnons(Fig. 1) are the direct ancestors of modern people. This species, according to scientists, appeared more than 130 thousand years ago. Archaeological finds indicate that the Cro-Magnons lived for more than 10 thousand years in the vicinity of another species of people - the Neanderthals. In fact, Cro-Magnons have no external differences with modern people. There is another definition for the term "Cro-Magnon". In the narrow sense, this is a representative of the human race who lived on the territory of modern France; they received their name from the place in which researchers first discovered a large number of remains of ancient people - the Cro-Magnon gorge. But more often, all the ancient inhabitants of the planet are called Cro-Magnons. During the Upper Paleolithic period, this species dominated most of the land surface, with a few exceptions - in places where Neanderthal communities still remained.

Rice. 1 - Cro-Magnon

Origin

There is no consensus on how it appeared "Cro-Magnon" species among anthropologists and historians, no. Two main theories predominate. Most scientists believe that this species appeared in the eastern part of Africa, and then spread across the Arabian Peninsula throughout Eurasia. Adherents of this theory believe that the Cro-Magnons later divided into 2 main groups:

Ancestors of modern Hindus and Arabs.
The ancestors of all modern Mongoloid peoples.

As for the Europeans, according to this theory, they are representatives of the first group, who migrated about 45 thousand years ago. Archaeologists have found a huge amount of evidence in favor of this theory, but still the number of scientists adhering to an alternative point of view has not decreased over the years.

IN lately There is more and more evidence of the second version. Scientists who adhere to this theory believe that Cro-Magnons are modern Caucasians and are not classified as this species Negroids and Mongoloids. A number of scientists insist that the first Cro-Magnon man appeared on the territory of modern Ethiopia, and his descendants settled in northern Africa, the entire Middle East, Asia Minor, most Central Asia, the Hindustan Peninsula and all of Europe. They insist that the Cro-Magnons are practically in full force migrated from Africa more than 100 thousand years ago, and only a small part of them remained in the territory of modern Egypt. Then they continued to develop new lands; the ancient people reached France and the British Isles by the 10th century BC, passing through the Caucasus Range, crossing the Don, Dnieper, and Danube.

Culture

Ancient man Cro-Magnon began to live in fairly large groups, which was not observed among Neanderthals. Often communities consisted of 100 or more individuals. Cro-Magnons inhabiting Eastern Europe, sometimes lived in dugouts; such housing was a “discovery” of that time. Caves and tents were more comfortable and spacious compared to similar types of Neanderthal dwellings. The ability to speak clearly helped them understand each other better; they actively cooperated if one of them needed help.

The Cro-Magnons became more skilled hunters and fishermen; these people first began to use the “drive” method, when a large animal was driven into a pre-prepared trap, and there it would face inevitable death. First similarities fishing nets were also invented by the Cro-Magnons. They began to master the harvesting industry, dried mushrooms, and stocked up on berries. They also hunted birds, for this they used snares and nooses, and often ancient people did not kill the animals, but left them alive, constructed primitive cages for birds and admired them.

Among the Cro-Magnons, the first ancient artists began to appear who painted different colors cave walls. You can see the work of ancient masters in our time, for example, in France, in the Montespan cave, several creations of ancient masters have survived to this day. But not only painting developed; the Cro-Magnons sculpted the first sculptures from stone and clay and engraved mammoth tusks. Very often, ancient sculptors sculpted naked women, it was like a cult, in those days it was not slimness that was valued in a woman - ancient sculptors sculpted women with curvaceous. Sculptors and artists of antiquity often depicted animals: horses, bears, mammoths, bison.

The Cro-Magnons buried their dead fellow tribesmen. In many ways modern rituals reminiscent of the rituals of those years. People also gathered and also cried. The deceased was dressed in the best skin, jewelry, food, and tools that he used during life were placed with him. The deceased was buried in the “fetal” position.

Rice. 2 - Skeleton of a Cro-Magnon man

Leap in development

Cro-Magnons developed more actively than the Neanderthals they assimilated and the common ancestors of both types of Pithecanthropus. Moreover, they developed in many areas; a huge number of achievements were made by this species. The reason for such intensive development is Cro-Magnon brain. Before a child of this species was born, the development of its brain completely coincided with the intrauterine development of the Neanderthal brain. But after birth, the baby’s brain developed differently - the parietal and cerebellar parts were actively formed. After birth, the Neanderthal brain developed in the same directions as that of chimpanzees. Cro-Magnon societies were much more organized than those of Neanderthals; they began to master spoken language, while Neanderthals never learned to speak. Development proceeded at an incredible pace, Cro-Magnon tools- these are knives, hammers and other tools, some of which are still used today, since, in fact, no alternative has yet been found to them. The Cro-Magnon man actively adapted to weather factors; their homes began to vaguely resemble modern houses. These people created social circles, built a hierarchy in groups, distributed social roles. Cro-Magnons began to become self-aware, think, reason, actively explore and experiment.

The emergence of speech among Cro-Magnons

Just as there is no unity among scientists on the issue of the origin of Cro-Magnon, there is no unity regarding another question - “how did speech originate among the first intelligent people?”

Psychologists have their own opinion on this matter. They claim, having an impressive evidence base, that Cro-Magnons adopted the experience of Neanderthals and Pithecanthropus, who had some rudiments of articulate communication.

Linguists of a certain persuasion (generativists) also have their own theory, supported by facts. However, it cannot be said that only generativists support this theory; many prominent scientists are on their side. These scientists believe that there was no inheritance from previous species, and the appearance of articulate speech is the result of some kind of brain mutation. Generativeists, trying to get to the bottom of the truth and find confirmation of their theory, are looking for the origins of the protolanguage - the first human language. So far, the disputes have not subsided, and not one of the parties has comprehensive evidence that they are right.

Differences between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon

Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals are not very close species; moreover, they did not have a common ancestor. These are two species between which there was competition, skirmishes, and, possibly, local or general confrontation. They could not help but compete, since they shared the same niche and lived nearby. There are many differences between the two types:

body constitution, size and physiological structure;
cranial volume, cognitive abilities of the brain;
social organization;
general level of development.

Research conducted by scientists has shown that there is a significant difference in the DNA of these two species. As for nutrition, there are also differences here, these two species ate differently, generalizing, we can say that Cro-Magnons ate everything that Neanderthals ate, plus plant foods. An interesting fact is that the Neanderthals’ body did not digest milk, and the basis of the Neanderthals’ diet was the meat of dead animals (carrion). Cro-Magnons ate carrion only in rare cases, in cases where there were no other options.

Rice. 3 - Cro-Magnon Skull

There is ongoing debate among scientists about whether these two species could interbreed. There is a large amount of evidence that they could. For example, we cannot exclude the fact that in the structure and constitution of the body of some modern people, echoes of Neanderthal genes can sometimes be traced. The two species lived in close proximity, and mating could definitely have taken place. But scientists who claim that Cro-Magnons assimilated Neanderthals are opposed in disputes by other scientists, among whom are famous personalities. They argue that after interspecific crossing, fertile offspring could not be born, that is, for example, a female individual (Cro-Magnon) could become pregnant by a Neanderthal, and could even bear the fruit. But the born baby was weak to survive, much less give life to his own offspring. These conclusions are supported by genetic studies.

Differences between Cro-Magnon man and modern man

There are both minor and significant differences between modern man and his Cro-Magnon ancestor. For example, it was found that the average brain volume of a representative of an earlier subspecies of people was slightly larger. This, in theory, should indicate that the Cro-Magnons were smarter, their intellect was more developed. This hypothesis is supported by a small number of pundits. After all, a larger volume does not always guarantee best quality. In addition to brain size, there are other differences that are not hotly debated. It has been proven that the ancestor had denser body hair. There is also a difference in height; it has been noted that over time and evolution, people have become taller. Average height The two subspecies differ significantly. Not only the height, but also the weight of the Cro-Magnon man was less. In those days, there were no giants weighing more than 150 kilograms, and all because people could not always provide themselves with food, even in the required quantities. Ancient people did not live long, a person who lived to be 30 years old was considered an old man, and cases when a person survived the 45-year mark are generally rare. There is an assumption that Cro-Magnons had better vision, in particular, they saw well in the dark, but these theories have not yet been confirmed.

Cro-Magnons - common name ancestors of people who existed 40-10 thousand years ago (). Cro-Magnons are a sharp leap in the development of human evolution, which became decisive not only in the survival of the human race, but also in the formation of Homo sapiens.

Cro-Magnons appeared much later, about 40-50 thousand years ago. According to some estimates, the earliest Cro-Magnons could have existed more than 100 thousand years ago. Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons are species of the genus Homo.

Neanderthals supposedly evolved from humans, who in turn were a species of Homo erectus (), and were not the ancestors of humans. Cro-Magnons descended from Homo erectus and are the direct ancestors of modern man. The name "Cro-Magnon" refers to the discovery of several human skeletons with Late Paleolithic tools in the rock grotto of Cro-Magnon, France. Later, the remains of Cro-Magnons and their cultures were found in many parts of the world - in Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Romania, and Russia.

Scientists offer different versions of the appearance and spread of Cro-Magnons, the ancestors of humans. Judging by one version, the first representatives of the ancestors of people with the Cro-Magnon type of development (a species of Homo erectus) appeared in East Africa another 130-180 thousand years ago. About 50-60 thousand years ago, Cro-Magnons began to migrate from Africa to Eurasia. Initially one group settled the coast Indian Ocean, and the second settled in the steppes Central Asia. A little later, migration began to Europe, which was settled by Cro-Magnons about 20 thousand years ago. There are also other versions about the spread of Cro-Magnons.

The Cro-Magnons had a huge advantage over the Neanderthals that existed at the same time in Europe. Although the Neanderthals were more adapted to northern conditions, they were more powerful and stronger, they could not resist the Cro-Magnons. The direct ancestors of people were carriers of such high culture for that time, the Neanderthals were clearly inferior to them in development, although, according to some studies, the Neanderthal brain was larger, he knew how to create tools for labor and hunting, used fire, created clothes and homes, knew how to make jewelry, had speech, and so on. By that time the Cro-Magnon man had already produced enough complex decorations made of stone, horn and bone, as well as rock paintings. The Cro-Magnons were the first to come up with human settlements and lived in communities ( tribal communities), which included up to 100 people. As dwellings in different parts The Cro-Magnons used caves, tents made of animal skins, dugouts, and houses made of stone slabs. The Cro-Magnons created clothing from skins and made more modern tools for labor and hunting than their ancestors and Neanderthals. Cro-Magnons also domesticated the dog for the first time.

As researchers suggest, the migrating Cro-Magnons who arrived in Europe met here with Neanderthals, who had already mastered the most best territories, populated the most convenient caves, settled in advantageous areas near rivers or in places where there was a lot of prey. Probably, in 1960, the Cro-Magnons, who had a higher development, simply exterminated the Neanderthals. Archaeologists find bones of Neanderthals at Cro-Magnon sites that have obvious traces of eating them, that is, Neanderthals were not only exterminated, but also eaten. There is also a version that only part of the Neanderthals were destroyed, the rest were able to assimilate with the Cro-Magnons.

Finds of Cro-Magnons clearly indicate the existence of religious ideas. The beginnings of religion are also observed among Neanderthals, but many scientists express great doubts about this. Among the Cro-Magnons, cult rituals can be traced very clearly. The ancestors of people tens of thousands of years ago carried out complex funeral rites, buried their relatives in a bent position in a fetal position (belief in the transmigration of the soul, rebirth), decorated the dead with various products, placed household items, food in the grave (belief in the afterlife of the soul, during which it will need the same things as during the earthly life - plates, food, weapons, etc.).

Cro-Magnons are inhabitants of the Late Stone Age, who were similar in many of their features to our contemporaries. The remains of these people were first discovered in the Cro-Magnon grotto, located in France, which gave them their name. Many parameters - the structure of the skull and features of the hand, body proportions and even the size of the brain of Cro-Magnons are close to modern humans. Therefore, the opinion has taken root in science that they are our direct ancestors.

Appearance Features

Researchers believe that Cro-Magnon man lived about 30 thousand years ago, and it is interesting that for some time he coexisted with Neanderthal man, who later finally gave way to more modern representative primates. For about 6 millennia, scientists believe, these two types of ancient people simultaneously inhabited Europe, in sharp conflict over food and other resources.

Despite the fact that Cro-Magnon appearance not much inferior to our contemporaries, muscle mass was more developed in him. This was due to the conditions in which this person lived - the physically weak were doomed to death.

What are the differences?

The Cro-Magnon has a characteristic chin protuberance and a high forehead. The Neanderthal had a very small chin, and the brow ridges were characteristically pronounced.
Cro-Magnon man had the volume of the brain cavity necessary for brain development, which was not the case in more ancient people.
The elongated pharynx, flexibility of the tongue and the location of the oral and nasal cavities allowed Cro-Magnon man to receive the gift of speech. Neanderthal man, as researchers believe, could make several consonant sounds; his speech apparatus allowed him to do this, but he did not have speech in the traditional sense.

Unlike the Neanderthal, the Cro-Magnon man had a less massive build, a high skull without a sloping chin, a wide face and narrower eye sockets than those of modern humans.

The table shows some features of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, their differences from modern humans.

As can be seen from the table, the Cro-Magnon man, in terms of structural features, is much closer to our contemporaries than to Neanderthal man. Anthropological finds indicate that they could interbreed.

Geography of distribution

The remains of Cro-Magnon-type humans are found in various parts of the world. Skeletons and bones have been discovered in many areas European countries: Czech Republic, Romania, Great Britain, Serbia, Russia, and also in Africa.

Lifestyle

Researchers were able to recreate a model of the Cro-Magnon lifestyle. Thus, it has been proven that it was they who created the first settlements in human history, in which they lived in fairly large communities, including from 20 to 100 members. It was these people who learned to communicate with each other and possessed primitive speech skills. The Cro-Magnon lifestyle meant doing business together. Thanks largely to this, they were able to achieve impressive success in the hunting-gathering economy. Thus, hunting in large groups, together, allowed these people to obtain large animals as prey: mammoths, aurochs. Such achievements were, of course, beyond the capabilities of one hunter, even the most experienced.

In short, the Cro-Magnon lifestyle largely continued the traditions of Neanderthal people. They also hunted, used the skins of killed animals to make primitive clothing, and lived in caves. But independent buildings made of stones or tents made of skins could also be used as a dwelling. Sometimes they dug original dugouts to provide shelter from bad weather. In the matter of housing, Cro-Magnon man managed to make a small innovation - nomadic hunters began to build light, dismountable huts that could be easily erected during a stop and assembled.

Community life

The structural features and lifestyle of the Cro-Magnon man make him in many ways similar to a modern person. So, in the communities of these ancient people there was a division of labor. The men hunted and killed wild animals together. Women also took part in food preparation: they collected berries, seeds and nutritious roots. The fact that jewelry is found in the graves of children indicates that the parents had warm feelings for their descendants, grieved over the early loss, and tried to at least take care of the child posthumously. Due to the increased life expectancy, Cro-Magnon man was able to pass on his knowledge and experience to the next generation, and be more attentive to raising children. Therefore, child mortality has also decreased.

Some burials differ from others in their rich decorations and abundance of utensils. Researchers believe that noble members of the community, respected for some merit, are buried here.

Tools of labor and hunting

The invention of the harpoon is the merit of the Cro-Magnon man. The lifestyle of this ancient man changed after the appearance of such weapons. Affordable, effective fishing gave complete food in the form of sea and river inhabitants. It was this ancient man who began to make snares for birds, something his predecessors had not yet been able to do.

When hunting, ancient man learned to use not only strength, but also ingenuity, constructing traps for animals many times larger than himself. Therefore, obtaining food for an entire community required much less effort than in the days of their predecessors. The corralling of herds of wild animals and mass round-ups of them were popular. Ancient people mastered the science of collective hunting: they frightened large mammals, forcing them to flee to those areas where it was easiest to kill prey.

Cro-Magnon man managed to step up the ladder of evolutionary development much higher than his predecessor, the Neanderthal. He began to use more advanced tools, which allowed him to gain advantages in hunting. So, with the help of spear throwers, this ancient man was able to increase the distance traveled by the spear. Therefore, hunting has become safer, and prey has become more abundant. Long spears were also used as weapons. Tools became more complex, needles, drills, scrapers appeared, for which ancient man learned to use everything that came to hand: stones and bones, horns and tusks.

A distinctive feature of Cro-Magnon tools and weapons is narrower specialization, careful workmanship, and the use of a variety of materials in production. Some products are decorated with carved ornaments, indicating that ancient people were not alien to their unique understanding of beauty.

Food

The basis of the Cro-Magnon diet was the meat of animals killed in hunts, primarily mammals. At the time when these ancient people lived, horses, goats, deer and aurochs, bison and antelope were common, and they served as the main source of food. Having learned to fish with harpoons, people began to eat salmon, which in abundance rose through the shallow water to spawn. Of the birds, according to anthropologists, ancient inhabitants could catch partridges - these birds fly low and could well have become the victim of a well-thrown spear. However, there is a hypothesis that they were also able to catch waterfowl. According to scientists, the Cro-Magnons stored meat reserves in glaciers, the low temperature of which did not allow the product to spoil.

Plant foods were also used by the Cro-Magnons: they ate berries, roots and bulbs, and seeds. In warm latitudes, women mined shellfish.

Art

The Cro-Magnon man also became famous for the fact that he began to create objects of art. These people painted colorful images of animals on the walls of caves, carved Ivory and deer antlers anthropomorphic figures. It is believed that by painting silhouettes of animals on the walls, ancient hunters wanted to attract prey. Researchers believe that it was during this period that the first music and the earliest musical instrument- stone pipe.

Funeral rituals

The fact that the Cro-Magnon lifestyle has become more complicated compared to his ancestors is also indicated by the change in funeral traditions. Thus, burials often contain an abundance of jewelry (bracelets, beads and necklaces), which indicate that the deceased was rich and noble. Attention to funeral rituals, covering the bodies of the dead with red paint allowed researchers to conclude that the inhabitants of the ancient Stone Age had some rudiments of beliefs about the soul and afterlife. Household items and food were also placed in the graves.

Achievements

Cro-Magnon lifestyle in harsh conditions ice age caused these people to take tailoring more seriously. According to finds - rock paintings and the remains of bone needles - the researchers concluded that the inhabitants of the Late Stone Age knew how to sew primitive items of clothing. They wore jackets with hoods, pants, even mittens and shoes. Clothes were often decorated with beads, which researchers believe was a sign of honor and respect among other members of the community. It was these people who learned to make the first dishes using baked clay. Scientists believe that during the time of the Cro-Magnons, the first animal was domesticated - the dog.

The era of the Cro-Magnons is separated from us by a thousand years, so we can only guess how exactly they lived, what they used for food and what kind of order reigned in the settlements. Therefore, many controversial and ambiguous hypotheses arise, which have not yet found serious scientific evidence.

The discovery of a Neanderthal child's jaw, mutilated by a stone tool, led researchers to think that Cro-Magnons could have eaten Neanderthals.
It was Cro-Magnon man who caused the extinction of the Neanderthals: a more developed species displaced the latter into territories with an arid climate, where there was practically no prey, dooming them to death.

The structural features of the Cro-Magnon man in many ways bring him closer to the modern type of man. Thanks to their developed brains, these ancient people were new round evolution, their achievements both in practical and in spiritual sense truly great.