Middle Paleolithic

Quick Facts: Who was Middle Paleolithic?

Subject:

Middle Paleolithic

Known for:

The second phase of the Stone Age, spanning 300,000 to 50,000 years ago.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleolithic in African archeology. The Middle Paleolithic broadly spanned from 300,000 to 50,000 years ago. There are considerable dating differences between regions. The Middle Paleolithic was succeeded by the Upper Paleolithic subdivision which first began between 50,000 and 40,000 years ago.

Career & Major Achievements

Pettit and White date the Early Middle Paleolithic in Great Britain to about 325,000 to 180,000 years ago (late Marine Isotope Stage 9 to late Marine Isotope Stage 7), and the Late Middle Paleolithic as about 60,000 to 35,000 years ago. The Middle Paleolithic was in the geological Chibanian (Middle Pleistocene) and Late Pleistocene ages. According to the theory of the recent African origin of modern humans, anatomically modern humans began migrating out of Africa during the Middle Stone Age/Middle Paleolithic around 125,000 years ago and began to replace other Homo species such as the Neanderthals and Homo erectus. The earliest evidence of behavioral modernity first appears during the Middle Paleolithic; undisputed evidence of behavioral modernity, however, only becomes common during the following Upper Paleolithic period. Middle Paleolithic burials at sites such as Krapina in Croatia (dated to c. 130,000 BP) and the Qafzeh and Es Skhul caves in Israel (c. 100,000 BP) have led some anthropologists and archeologists (such as Philip Lieberman) to believe that Middle Paleolithic cultures may have possessed a developing religious ideology which included concepts such as an afterlife; other scholars suggest the bodies were buried for secular reasons.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

According to recent archeological findings from Homo heidelbergensis sites in the Atapuerca Mountains, the practice of intentional burial may have begun much earlier during the late Lower Paleolithic, but this theory is widely questioned in the scientific community. Cut-marks on Neanderthal bones from various sites – such as Combe Grenal and the Moula rock shelter in France – may imply that Neanderthals, like some contemporary human cultures, may have practiced excarnation for presumably religious reasons (see Neanderthal behavior § Cannibalism or ritual defleshing?). The earliest undisputed evidence of artistic expression during the Paleolithic period comes from Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age sites such as Blombos Cave in the form of bracelets, beads, art rock, ochre used as body paint and perhaps in ritual, though earlier examples of artistic expression such as the Venus of Tan-Tan and the patterns found on elephant bones from Bilzingsleben in Thuringia may have been produced by Acheulean tool-users such as Homo erectus prior to the start of the Middle Paleolithic period. Activities such as catching large fish and hunting large game animals with specialized tools indicate increased group-wide cooperation and more elaborate social organization. In addition to developing advanced cultural traits, humans also first began to take part in long-distance trade between groups for rare commodities (such as ochre (which was often used for religious purposes such as ritual)) and raw materials during the Middle Paleolithic as early as 120,000 years ago.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Middle Paleolithic

True or False: “The earliest undisputed evidence of artistic expression during the Paleolithic period comes from Middle Paleolithic sites like Blombos Cave.”

Answer (TRUE ⭕): Blombos Cave provided early artifacts such as bracelets and beads, marking a significant development in symbolic thought.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Midori Suzuki (educator) — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering Japanese media educator, feminist, and researcher advocating for citizen-centered media literacy.
• Mieszko I — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Founder of the first unified Polish state and first Christian ruler of Poland.
• Migration Period — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: A transformative era (c. 300–600 AD) marked by massive population shifts across Europe.
• Miguel Díaz-Canel — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Cuban politician and engineer, leader of Cuba since 2021.
• Miguel de la Madrid — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Mexican politician and lawyer who served as the 59th President of Mexico (1982-1988).
• Miguel de Unamuno — Chrono-Wiki Encyclopedia Entry: Pioneering Spanish essayist, novelist, and philosopher known for his struggle with faith.

Frequently Asked Questions about Middle Paleolithic