Cro-Magnons

The first men almost identical in appearance to Modern Humans appeared in Africa more than one hundred fifty thousand years ago. About one hundred thousand years ago Homo sapiens moved beyond their historical homeland and were settled all over the world. In Europe the first human remains close to Modern Humans were found in Cro-Magnon cave in France in eighteen sixty-eight; their estimated age is thirty-five thousand years. Sapiens of the Stone Age were named Cro-Magnon after the place of their discovery. Due to the developed technology of tool production and more complex system of social relationship they replaced the more ancient types of people – Neanderthals, Homo heidelbergensis and Homo erectus.

At the bottom of the showcase you can see stone implements of Cro-Magnon men which are characterized by a wide variety. There are flint flakes, scrapers, scalpiform cutting tools, piercing tools, and arrowheads. Unlike Neanderthals, Cro-Magnon men used not only rock but also bones – which are much flexible but at the same time not less solid. Bone sharp tips and arrowheads with a gutter for the outflow of blood of running wounded animals, spear-throwers, piercing tools, eye-pointed needles, fishing hooks, fish spears with spikes faced backward. Ration of sapiens was more diversified of compared to the one of Neanderthals': they were not only hunting big-size mammoths but also fishing.

Pay attention to the bone tools – they are decorated with ornaments. Next to them you can see sculptural images of a woman’s head and figures of women. Rock painting was also widely spread. Discovery of Paleolithic art was a sensation. No one could even assume that in the depth of caves there were real admirable masterpieces. However, we can only guess about the nature and purpose of this art. In Paleolithic art you can often see fantastic images. Find a flat stone at the right part of the showcase where a figure of half animal – half human with a lifted leg walking with a strange creature with a head of a buffalo is depicted; this is a reproduction of the famous scene “Sorcerer in a mask” from the Cave of the Trois-Frères. The process of ritual burial was much more complicated than the one of Neanderthals. The evidence of it we can see proceeding to showcase number thirty-seven. Turn around and step closer to the showcase from the side of a grave of two children.