The Palaeolithic is a huge time period that accounts for about 99% of human history.
This era witnessed major human evolutionary change alongside significant technological innovations. And yet, one of the most captivating things about the Palaeolithic is the cultural transformation that occurred.
The emergence of language and increasingly complex societies, allowed early humans the chance to deliberate, ritualise, entertain, and create. The Palaeolithic marks the first appearance of our creative impulse, when archaeologists start to find evidence for art, music, and storytelling.
Brno puppet made from mammoth ivory, Czech Republic. Image courtesy of britishmuseum.org
Palaeolithic cave paintings, sculptures and instruments all reveal how our ancestors had an interest in finding meaning, expressing feeling, and sharing knowledge. Even at the height of the last ice age, under the most extreme conditions they devoted time to art and recognised the importance of communicating ideas to the next generation.
Palaeolithic flutes. Image courtesy of hourgold.tumblr.com
The people of the Palaeolithic still have much to teach us about what it is to be human. To remind us that either as creators or consumers, art is a tool, empowering us to express our innermost thoughts, ponder our universe and escape into new possibilities.
