Cro-Magnon man: characteristics

Within the group of hominids we are going to find a series of species that have colonized our planet earth until the arrival of modern man. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are not going to stop at characteristics of the Cro-Magnon man which was the last step before the arrival of modern man. That is, we are going to meet a species quite similar to ours in which the sharpening of the ingenuity was very necessary to adapt to the environment that surrounded him. For this reason, we will see the different elements that make up their culture and the relationships that it may have had with other hominid species, as was the case of the homo neanthertalensis.

Index

1. Find and ideas about the Cro-Magnon man
2. Morphological features
3. Forms of life
4. Contact with homo neanthertalensis

We have to say that this hominid is known as the Cro-Magnon man because was found in a French town, Cro-magnon and that later was Castilianized becoming known as Cro-Magnon. It is known to both archaeologists and historians, as the

The studies carried out on this species show us that his life occurred between 40,000-10,000 BC. C. emerging in Africa and gradually expanding to the Middle East and from there to Asia, Europe,… Therefore we have to say that his life occurs during the period known as the Paleolithic.

Within the characteristics of the Cro-Magnon man We will begin by analyzing the aspect of its morphology. As we have mentioned before, he is related to the predecessor to modern man, therefore we must make ourselves a similar image to these.

In the first place we know from the study of the bones that he was able to have a height of 1'80cm where the element that stood out the most was his prominent chin. On the other hand, he had a great cranial capacity, similar to that of the modern human, therefore we will find that he had the ability to speak and think, in addition to performing complex tasks, such as lithic or bone tools or making clothing to protect themselves from inclement weather.

Another element would be that they would have less muscle mass than their contemporary, homo neanthertalensis, because they did not have the same bone mass as these and therefore needed less muscle to move their bodies.

In this other lesson from a TEACHER we will discover the Neanderthal man characteristics.

An element that we must take into account within the characteristics of the Cro-Magnon manIt will be the form of settlement, as it will be one of the most relevant factors.

Until now, the different groups of hominids that had passed through the continents had been characterized by nomadic groups that were based on the movements of large mammals. But said group begins to have zones of predilection, that is, we will find that they continue to inhabit caves, but their field of movement will be less, since they will only leave them during some annual periods to look for other types of food.

During such movements, it is possible to find them in outdoor camps, although it was not common yet. So we can say that it was a hunter-gatherer society, in which each group would have different tasks, the men would be in charge of hunting in groups the medium and large mammals, while the Women and children would be in charge of making traps for small animals in addition to collecting the fruits of the trees and the shrubbery.

Within the way of life we ​​have to see another of the activities that characterized this species as was the lithic industry, which we assimilate to the so-called Aurignacian mode 4. This already has a complex elaboration where we will find that the edges of these were made a series of incisions that gave rise to small teeth that served to cut and tear the meat. In the same way we will find needles made of bones.

On the other hand, indications have been found that suggest that they were covered with clothing made from fur, which we relate to the arrival of the last ice age, by which this group knew how to react to combat inclement weather.

As we have been saying in the characteristics of the Cro-Magnon man, he inhabited the earth during the Paleolithic, because within this stage, in the beginning, called the Upper Paleolithic, we will find that he cohabited with the homo neanthertalensis, which was doomed to disappearance due to a number of factors.

It seems that there may have been exchange relations between the two, because elements of the other group have been found in the caves. There are many archaeologists and historians who mention the possibility that at some point a cross could have occurred between both species, although to date it is not confirmed with sufficient forcefulness, we have to know that there are great indications of they. More if we know that in our DNA there are some genetic traits from this group Extinct.

It seems that little by little the Cro-Magnon man was expelling or pushing the Neanderthals out of their habitats, that is, although the Neanderthals were nomads, they spent time in the same place and from practically the arrival of homo sapiens they were forced to move with more assiduity.

One of the last cracks where we will find Neanderthals, will be in the Rock of Gibraltar, where it is assumed that they ended up becoming extinct in the Iberian Peninsula around 27,000 BC. C.

In this other lesson we will discover the differences between Cro-Magnon man and Neanderthal.

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