Evolution And History

216 CHAPTER 9 | The Global Expansion of Homo sapiens and Their Technology

Years ago

150,000 125,000 100,000 75,000 50,000 25,000

Use of yellow and

red ochre in Africa

Colonization

of Australia

Figurative

art in Europe

Australian

rock art

Colonization

of the Americas

Colonization

of Siberia

Epoch

PLEISTOCENE

Figure 9.8 This timeline indicates the dates for some of the cultural innovations associated with

the Upper Paleolithic.

evidence as old as 200,000 years.^32 Perhaps pigments
were used on people’s bodies, as well as objects, as the
50,000-year-old mammoth-tooth churinga discussed in
Chapter 8 might suggest. The timeline in Figure 9.8 shows
some of the cultural events of the Upper Paleolithic.

Music

Evidence that music played a role in the lives of Upper Pa-
leolithic peoples is documented through the presence of
bone flutes and whistles in various sites, the most recently
discovered dated to 35,000 years old. But again, such in-
struments may have their origin in Middle Paleolithic pro-
totypes, such as the probable Neandertal flute discussed in

Chapter 8. Although we cannot be sure just where and when

it happened, some genius discovered that bows could be

used not just for killing, but to make music as well. Because

the bow and arrow is an Upper Paleolithic invention, the

musical bow likely is as well. We do know that the musical

bow is the oldest of all stringed instruments, and its inven-

tion ultimately made possible the development of all of the

stringed instruments with which we are familiar today.

Cave or Rock Art

The earliest evidence of cave art comes from Australia

and dates back at least 45,000 years. This consists entirely

of geometric patterns and repetitive motifs. Figurative

These 17,000-year-old images,
painted on a wall in the multi-
chambered Lascaux Cave in the
Dordogne region of southwest-
ern France, were discovered in
1940 by four teenage boys. In
addition to the Ice Age animals
depicted here—horses, wild ox,
rhino, and bison—the chambers
of Lascaux feature renderings
of many other recognizable spe-
cies. The carved and painted
interiors of such caves were
often deep underground and
difficult to reach. Upper Paleo-
lithic artists burned animal fat
in sandstone lamps to light their
way. In 1963 Lascaux Cave was
closed to the public because
carbon dioxide from the breath
of thousands of visitors was
damaging the ancient paintings.
The French government built an
exact replica of the cave so that
visitors can still experience the
wonder of these ancient works.

© Rock Painting of a bull and horses, c. 17,000

BC. Prehistoric/Caves of Lascaux, Dardogne, France/The Bridgeman

Art Library