Photo by freestocks.org on Unsplash, produced by the public number: ? “SELF Gezhi On the Road pulpit” (ID: SELFtalks) , author: Gao Xing, Institute of vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology researcher

“The Paleolithic Age was the first stage of human evolution. From the beginning of human cultural competence to about 10,000 years ago, this long period of time accounted for 99% of the history of human history.”

Good afternoon everyone! I am very happy to have the opportunity to tell you some stories about the Paleolithic Age. Today I would like to share with you some of my thoughts on archaeological research in the Paleolithic Age.

The Paleolithic Age was the first stage of human evolution. From the beginning of human cultural competence to about 10,000 years ago, this long period of time accounted for 99% of the development of human history, that is, human beings. Most of the time of survival and evolution is in the Paleolithic era.

hunting and gathering

Human Hunting Collection

The Paleolithic humans used hunting stone tools to collect hunts. They lived without a fixed place and the population was very rare. Hunting collection is the livelihood model of the ancestors of the Paleolithic period. It should be said that this kind of livelihood model has nurtured the human beings of the past and shaped us today.

Everyone said, has the past been related to the present? Have. Let me give you an example. Hunting is mainly a job undertaken by a man. The title of a book is “Man, the Hunter.” Hunting often takes the way of running long distances and tracking prey. It requires the hunter to have a high degree of concentration. It can’t look around and can’t be affected by the surrounding environment, otherwise the prey will run away.

Hunting is often the behavior of individuals or small groups, so hunters are usually lonely. Not only do they not have much chance to communicate with others, but they also need to be equipped with tools to deal with unexpected needs, because maybe he only wants to play. A deer, the result of a tiger, he must find ways to save his life.

Collectors

So, hunting is highly risky and uncertain, and the hunter’s fight with animals is a bloody process. Some people may say, wasn’t there a woman’s use at that time? of course not. Women are also great, they are collectors.

Collection is important for the acquisition of food, the supply of nutrients, and the raising of offspring. However, the collection is often in front of the house, does not need to travel a long distance, and does not need to identify the direction. Moreover, the collection resources are relatively rich, and everyone usually goes hand in hand, and the time is relatively generous, with great randomness and entertainment. In addition, the collection does not needIt can be done with too complicated tools.

The characteristics of hunting and gathering in the Paleolithic era have actually continued into today’s production and life. For example, most men nowadays hate shopping, shopping, and are not willing to go to the mall. Why?

Because for men, the goods in the mall are like a prey. He wants to focus on selecting the favorite items, but the mall is noisy, they can’t stand it. Therefore, female friends should understand your boyfriend, your husband, and they are not willing to accompany you to shop, there is actually an evolutionary reason.

My husband’s depository

Fortunately, some shopping malls have humanized facilities, such as a rechargeable outlet, a small corner where you can rest, so that male friends can quietly wait for the returning women, and then go home together.

For example, a man has a general sense of direction, even if he has to go a long way, even if he has not been to those places, he is very confident, so they are not willing to ask for directions, even if they go wrong, they are not willing to ask. Because no one can ask a man who has been hunting in the past.

Also, men are generally clumsy, especially when quarreling, not as eloquent as women. Men are also more inclined to be alone than women, so most of the IT industry and the science and technology industry are men, and philosophers are also more men. Women rarely do such work.

Traveling with friends

Similarly, modern women also have the character of the old Stone Age female collectors. For example, women are obsessed with picking and like to go out together; they like to play and play, often loud and loud; they like shopping, shopping, shopping More critical, and often do not buy; women’s sense of direction is generally biased, can be distinguished before and after, the east and west are confused.

various tools

Many men are still tool control now, why? Because the previous hunting requires a lot of tools for the occasional needs, so men are still keen to collect tools, and sometimes show off, although those tools may not be used once a year.

Women often don’t use too many tools, and her teeth and nails are the tools that come with them. Because hunting is a violent and bloody process, men’s violent tendencies are greater than women’s. Some people say that the world is not too peaceful. If women are leaders, perhaps everyone will be more stable and united.

The making of stone tools

Stoneware in Kenya 3.3 million years ago

Speaking of the Paleolithic Age, one of the most important signs is the stoneware. In the site of 3.3 million years ago, we discovered stone tools.

Asheli Hand Axe 400,000 years ago

Most Stoneware 200,000 years ago

stones and fine leaves of 4 to 2 million years ago

With the evolution of the times, stone tools are constantly exquisite, stone tools are constantly exquisite, and functional differentiation is more obvious. By comparing 400,000 years ago, 200,000 years ago, and different tools from 40,000 to 20,000 years ago, we can find that stone tools are not only more refined, but also artistic.The direction of development.

Fantastic Leva Wow Technology

The picture above is what I want to introduce is a very magical stone making technique in the Paleolithic era – Leva Wow technology.

Leva Wow is named after a Paleolithic site near Paris. This stone-making technique is popular between 400,000 and 40,000 years ago. It is generally considered to be Neanderthal production and The method of using the tool.

The Neanderthals are an ancient crowd. Previous studies have shown that they are completely extinct, but current research shows that we have their genetic contributions in our gene pool because they are part of our ancestors.

Prohibition and Hunting Complex Tool

The Leva Wow tools they make are very refined and very standardized, and most of them are compound tools, such as spearheads, which can be used as weapons for self-defense or hunting.

Xinjiang camel stone Leva technology products

Levalo Technology Products of Kingstay, Inner Mongolia

This kind of Lewawwa producer has also been found in a few sites in northern China. Everyone knows that it is different from other ordinary stone tools, but the time when Leva Wow technology was transmitted to China to East Asia. It is already late.

This technology is a magical technology that shows that humans at the time have been able to produce a final product from the cobblestones of common river beaches through a series of procedures such as prefabrication, processing, and transformation. The product is very standard and very sharp and can be used directly.

I will give you a video here, this is a video of modern people simulating stone tools to restore Leva’s technology.

The Ultimate Product Birth Process

We like to do this kind of work often, this is part of the experimental archaeology. This is a meteorite, a pebbles on a river bank. After continuous filming on both sides, a stone core is finally produced.

This stone core is shaped like a tortoise, with a convex side and a flat surface. The final tool was taken from the flat side.

Look, this is the last blow. The final product is like this, very sharp and very standard. So what did he do with this stone? In fact, this stone piece is a tool in itself, it will be embedded on the wood, on the antlers, or on the handle.

Because it is very sharp and very effective, it is widely used and can be used to cut trees, even when compared to current metal tools.

Everyone may not think that the stone tools will be so sharp. The humans in the Paleolithic period did not have metal tools. Stone tools are all tools for their production and life, so stone tools are very important to them.

Use of stone tools

The stoneware is for people to use. What is it used for? Of course, different people, different ages, stone tools have different uses. Let me introduce to you the use of stone tools by Beijing monks.

Beijing Deaf People

90 years ago, the first skull of the Beijing monks was discovered at the Zhoukoudian site in Fangshan, Beijing. This year is exactly the 90th anniversary of the discovery of the Beijing monks.

Crushed stone unearthed from Zhoukoudian

Some people may have seen these stone tools in museums or books. Maybe you will wonder: Are these broken stones and stone pieces really tools? What is the use of them? What objects are they used to process? What information can we get from it? Is there anyone in Beijing who is wise?

Some people say that Beijing monks are too stupid, the tools they use are so primitive, they are definitely extinct and will not evolve into today’s humans.

Micro-smear analysis technology

We selected 134 specimens from the upper cultural layer of the Zhoukoudian site, which is about 400,000 years ago, for use and functional analysis.

This technique, called micro-smear analysis, uses traces for analysis. These traces are particularly small and can only be observed under a microscope. This is a process from known to unknown.

We first experimented, modeled the antiques to make tools, and then used them in various ways. After use, we carefully observed and recorded the damage of the trace under the microscope to obtain the three-dimensional shape.

In the end, we conclude that the stoneware does leave traces of human use in the past, and different times and different effectsLike, the traces left on the stone are different.

We compare the specimens of the experiment with the specimens found at the archaeological site to see which traces are most similar, and we can see how the stoneware was used that year.

Molding antiques making tools and using

Specific to the Beijing Shuren site, many types of tools, mainly scrapers and sharps, were unearthed from the site. For example, the tool that you see, it has a sharp point, and there is a blade. We generally call it a sharp edge or a pointed device, and its tip is used by the drill bit.

We observed the results of the simulation and found that it was used to engrave or drill hard materials such as antlers, bones, and wood, so it formed some damage and rounding.

Edge (point B as shown) has a cutting edge with traces of wear left by the cut, (as shown) C This place also has traces, which are worn by the hand holding the stone.

The earliest shank tool that can be confirmed in China