Paleolithic Society Research Paper

The Paleolithic Society took place from 250,000 to 9,000 B.C.E. During this time, people throughout the world lived in such ways that were very similar to each other. The three key features of Paleolithic society were: how they searched for food, their family and kinship relationships, and their cultural creations and spirituality. Most people are familiar with the term “hunter-gatherer” which is used to refer to Paleolithic peoples. However, recent anthropological and archaeological research now shows that both modern-day and historical hunter-gatherers have depended less on meat, and more on the food they’ve gathered. The majority of scholars now refer to them as foragers, which is a term that denotes the adaptability as well as the flexibility in one’s search for foodstuffs. As stated previously, foragers relied mainly on a plant-based diet, and most of the

Beginning in this era, humans have expressed themselves through what we know as culture or the arts: making music with one’s voice, painting objects and walls, dancing in groups or alone, and telling tales. Some of the cultural creations seem to have had a greater purpose: to honor leaders or ancestors, assist people in remembering traditions and events, or promote safe childbirth or good hunting skills. Furthermore, Paleolithic paintings, objects, and burials suggest that people may have considered that their world extended beyond what is visible. Studies of archaeological evidence suggest that people lived in smaller groups of related persons who moved around in search of food. In the later period of Paleolithic, people developed religious ideas and created music and art that connected the physical world to a world that was beyond. In sum, the three key features of Paleolithic society were: how they searched for food, their family and kinship relationships, and their cultural creations and