7 Cro-Magnon 7

Cro-Magnon

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ro-Magnon was a population of early Homo sapiens

dating from the Upper Paleolithic Period (c. 40,

to c. 10,000 years ago) in Europe. In their ancient cave

habitations they left behind traces of ingenious stone

tools, carved statuettes and figurines, and painted scenes

of striking beauty that are considered to be among the

greatest treasures of human creativity.

In 1868, in a shallow cave at Cro-Magnon near the

town of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac in the Dordogne region of

southwestern France, a number of obviously ancient

human skeletons were found. The cave was investigated

by the French geologist Édouard Lartet, who uncovered

five archaeological layers. The human bones found in the

topmost layer proved to be between 10,000 and 35,

years old. The prehistoric humans revealed by this find

were called Cro-Magnon and have since been considered,

along with Neanderthals (H. neanderthalensis), to be repre-

sentative of prehistoric humans.

Cro-Magnons were robustly built and powerful and

are presumed to have been about 5 feet 5 inches to 5 feet 7

inches (about 166 to 171 cm) tall. The body was generally

heavy and solid, apparently with strong musculature. The

forehead was straight, with slight browridges, and the face

short and wide. Cro-Magnons were the first humans

(genus Homo) to have a prominent chin. The brain capacity

was about 100 cubic inches (1,600 cc), somewhat larger

than the average for modern humans. It is thought that

Cro-Magnons were probably fairly tall compared with

other early human species.

It is still hard to say precisely where Cro-Magnons

belong in recent human evolution, but they had a culture

that produced a variety of sophisticated tools such as