Epipaleolithic
Encyclopedia
The Epipaleolithic
Age was a period in the development of human technology marked by more advanced stone blades and other tools than the earlier Paleolithic
age, although still before the development of agriculture in the Neolithic
age. The exact dates depend on what area and group of humans you're talking about, and the level of technology (Industry
) they had, but the Epipaleolithic age usually starts about 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, and usually ends between 10,000 and 2,000 years ago.
"Epipaleolithic" is a term used for the "final Upper Palaeolithic industries occurring at the end of the final glaciation which appear to merge technologically into the Mesolithic
".
The term is usually confused with Mesolithic
, and the two are sometimes used as synonyms. Yet, when a distinction is made, Epipaleolithic is used for those cultures that were not much affected by the ending of the Ice Age (like the Natufian and Khiamian
cultures of Western Asia) and the term Mesolithic is reserved for Western Europe where the extinction of the Megafauna
had a great impact on the Paleolithic populations at the end of the Ice Age (like European post-glacial cultures: Azilian
, Sauveterrian
, Tardenoisian
, Maglemosian, etc.).
The term is sometimes used in the opposite meaning, Alfonso Moure says in this respect:
Epipalaeolithic hunter-gatherer
s made relatively advanced tools from small flint
or obsidian
blades, known as microlith
s that were hafted in wooden implements. They were generally nomad
ic.
Epipaleolithic
The Epipaleolithic Age was a period in the development of human technology marked by more advanced stone blades and other tools than the earlier Paleolithic age, although still before the development of agriculture in the Neolithic age...
Age was a period in the development of human technology marked by more advanced stone blades and other tools than the earlier Paleolithic
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
age, although still before the development of agriculture in the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
age. The exact dates depend on what area and group of humans you're talking about, and the level of technology (Industry
Archaeological industry
An archaeological industry, normally just "industry", is the name given in the study of prehistory to a consistent range of assemblages connected with a single product, such as the Langdale axe industry...
) they had, but the Epipaleolithic age usually starts about 10,000 to 20,000 years ago, and usually ends between 10,000 and 2,000 years ago.
"Epipaleolithic" is a term used for the "final Upper Palaeolithic industries occurring at the end of the final glaciation which appear to merge technologically into the Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
".
The term is usually confused with Mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
, and the two are sometimes used as synonyms. Yet, when a distinction is made, Epipaleolithic is used for those cultures that were not much affected by the ending of the Ice Age (like the Natufian and Khiamian
Khiamian
The Khiamian is a period of the Near-Eastern Neolithic, marking the transition between the Natufian and the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A...
cultures of Western Asia) and the term Mesolithic is reserved for Western Europe where the extinction of the Megafauna
Megafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
had a great impact on the Paleolithic populations at the end of the Ice Age (like European post-glacial cultures: Azilian
Azilian
The Azilian is a name given by archaeologists to an industry of the Epipaleolithic in northern Spain and southern France.It probably dates to the period of the Allerød Oscillation around 10,000 years ago and followed the Magdalenian culture...
, Sauveterrian
Sauveterrian
The Sauveterrian is the name for an archaeological culture of the European Epipaleolithic which flourished around 7000-8000 years BC. The name is derived from the type site of Sauveterre-la-Lémance in the French of Lot-et-Garonne....
, Tardenoisian
Tardenoisian
The Tardenoisian is an archaeological culture of the Epipaleolithic period from north-western France and Belgium. Similar cultures are known further east in central Europe and west across Spain....
, Maglemosian, etc.).
The term is sometimes used in the opposite meaning, Alfonso Moure says in this respect:
Epipalaeolithic hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s made relatively advanced tools from small flint
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
or obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
blades, known as microlith
Microlith
A microlith is a small stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically a centimetre or so in length and half a centimetre wide. It is produced from either a small blade or a larger blade-like piece of flint by abrupt or truncated retouching, which leaves a very typical piece of waste,...
s that were hafted in wooden implements. They were generally nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic.