PROBLEM 5 . The Stages of Mans Develop?nent on the Earth 



5^9 



Fig. 519 Some scientists believe that toward the end of Neandertal mart's develop- 

 ment he iised spears tipped with flint. He was perhaps not so well formed or equipped 

 as this artist has shown him. How long ago did Neandertal man live? (logan mu- 

 seum, BELOIT college) 



The culture of Neandertal men repre- 

 sents a great advance over the cultures 

 of preceding primitive men. They not 

 only used fire but they probably had 

 learned to make fire. They were able to 

 fashion a fair variety of flint tools. When 

 they chipped flint they used the flakes, 

 making- them into real tools that could 

 be used for cutting, drilling, boring, and 

 scraping. Judging from the tools they 

 possessed, we believe that they wore 

 skins as protection against the cold. 

 When you have studied Figure 519, turn 

 to Exercise 2. 



The location of the fossils shows that 

 there were times when Neandertal men 

 roamed about and other times when 

 they lived in caves. It is beUeved that 

 they took to the caves when the most 

 recent ice age began. In these caves 

 burial places have been found. This is 

 probably a remarkable advance over 

 previous prehistoric men; it indicates 

 that the Neandertals must have had some 



special beliefs or thoughts about death. 



Neandertal men of various types must 

 have lived on the earth for a long period 

 of time, during the third warm inter- 

 glacial period and well into the fourth 

 or last ice age. For 75,000 or 100,000 

 years they inhabited Europe and West- 

 ern Asia. Then about 25,000 years ago 

 they seem to have disappeared. It is not 

 known whether they became extinct at 

 this time or whether they were at least 

 partly absorbed by Homo sapiens, who 

 appeared in Europe then. 



Homo sapiens appears on the scene. 

 You know that Homo sapiens populates 

 the earth today; all living men belong to 

 this one species. They have lived on the 

 earth for at least 25,000 years. We don't 

 know where they came from, although 

 many experts think they first appeared 

 in Asia. We beHeve that over a period of 

 thousands of years they gradually re- 

 placed Neandertal men. You will read 

 why this might well have happened. 



