The monuments presented represent the differences between Paleolithic peoples and Neolithic peoples. The main factor between the two cultures is a difference in climate, which influenced technology, social complexity and lifestyle in general. The people of the Upper Paleolithic lived in harsh environments during the Ice Age. They were nomadic hunter/gatherer groups of about 20 - small groups who moved with the animals they relied on and gathered what they could along the way. Everything these groups did was practical, functional or symbolically important. Ritual sites were re-visited generation after generation.
In contrast, the Neolithic people lived in warm, lush environments after the Ice Age. Neolithic people were able to form permanent settlements around agriculture and animal husbandry.
…show more content…
The monuments presented – a passage grave at Newgrange, Ireland and the famous Stonehenge in England – are examples of these societies. Both Newgrange and Stonehenge represent ritual surrounding death and burial, both are megalithic structures, and both reflect increasingly complex societies. The building of such monumental stone architecture were culture-shaping and society-building; important to collective peoples. They were not possible for only a single person, nor a few, only with many. These were not structures for every house or every person, but significant for religious, public or memorial reasons. As an example of stratification, only the wealthy or important could be buried in passage graves. And only collective peoples could make appropriate use of ritual sites such as Stonehenge. They both required a great deal of material and human resources. On the other hand, megalithic structures would not be possible without stratification. The need for organized, hierarchical planning, leading, and workforce can only be addressed with stratification and