Prehistoric Europe covers at least one million years of human occupation, starting with Dmanisi, in the republic of Georgia. This guide to prehistoric Europe skates the surface of the vast amount of information generated by archaeologists and paleontologists over the past couple of centuries; be sure to dig deeper where you can.
Lower Paleolithic (1,000,000-200,000 BP)
There is sparse evidence of the Lower Paleolithic in Europe. The earliest inhabitants of Europe identified so far were Homo erectus or Homo ergaster at Dmanisi, dated between 1 and 1.8 million years ago. Pakefield, on the North Sea coast of England, is dated to 800,000 years ago, followed by Isenia La Pineta in Italy, 730,000 years ago and Mauer in Germany at 600,000 BP. Sites belonging to archaic Homo sapiens (the ancestors of the Neanderthal) have been identified at Steinheim, Bilzingsleben, Petralona and Swanscombe, among other places beginning between 400,000 and 200,000. The earliest use of fire is documented during the Lower Paleolithic.
- Lower Paleolithic Sites in Europe
- Read more about the Lower Paleolithic
Middle Paleolithic (200,000-40,000 BP)
From Archaic Homo Sapiens came Neanderthals, and for the next 160,000 years, our short and stocky cousins ruled Europe, such as it was. Sites showing the evidence of Homo sapiens to Neanderthal evolution include Arago in France and Pontnewydd in Wales. Neanderthals hunted and scavenged meat, built fireplaces, made stone tools, and (maybe) buried their dead, among other human behaviors: they were the first recognizable humans.
- Middle Paleolithic Sites in Europe
- Read more about the Middle Paleolithic
- Read more about Neanderthals
Upper Paleolithic (40,000-13,000 BP)
Anatomically modern Homo sapiens (abbreviated AMH) entered Europe during the Upper Paleolithic from Africa by way of the Near East; the Neanderthal shared Europe and parts of Asia with AMH (that is to say, with us) until about 25,000 years ago. Bone and stone tools, cave art and figurines, and language developed during the UP (although some scholars put language development well into the Middle Paleolithic). Social organization began; hunting techniques focused on a single species and sites were located near rivers. Burials, some elaborate are present for the first time during the Upper Paleolithic period.
- Upper Paleolithic Sites in Europe
- Read more about the Upper Paleolithic
Azilian (13,000-10,000 BP)
The end of the Upper Paleolithic was brought about by a severe climate change, warming over a fairly brief period that brought immense changes to the people living in Europe. Azilian people had to deal with new environments, including newly forested areas where savanna had been. Melting glaciers and rising sea levels obliterated ancient coast lines; and the main source of food, large-bodied mammals, disappeared. A severe human population drop is in evidence as well, as the people struggled to survive. A new strategy of living had to be devised.
- Azilian Sites: Mas d'Azil, Balma Guilanya, El Miron, el Horno
- Read about Megafaunal Extinctions
Mesolithic (10,000-6,000 BP)
The increasing warmth and rising sea levels in Europe led people to devise new stone tools to handle the new plant and animal processing that was required. Large game hunting concentrated on a range of animals including red deer and wild pig; small game trapping with nets included badgers and rabbits; aquatic mammals, fish and shellfish become part of the diet. Accordingly, arrowheads, leaf-shaped points and flint quarries appeared for the first time, with a wide range of raw materials evidence of the beginning of long distance trade. Microliths, textiles, wickerware baskets, fish hooks and nets are part of the Mesolithic toolkit, as are canoes and skis. Dwellings are fairly simple timber-based structures; the first cemeteries, some with hundreds of bodies, have been found. The first hints of social ranking appeared.
- Mesolithic Sites in Europe
- Read more about the Mesolithic
