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== == The distinguishing characteristic of the Paleolithic is the development by hominids (early humans) of worked stone tools. Worked stone is stone that has been deliberately modified from its original form (as opposed to just picking up and using a rock) by striking with other stones, bone hammers or other tools. The resulting tools could be used as axes, adzes, chisels and scrapers, just to name a few I can think of off the top of my head. The working of stone to make useful objects is considered to have been a major leap in the advancement of humankind. Before it was discovered that some other animals will deliberately modify an object to make something else (as a chimpanzee strips the leaves and twigs off a limb to make a kind of fishing rod for termites), tool making used to be considered the exclusive province of humans.

During the paleolithic we also have the first evidence for the manufacture of clothes, the controlled use of fire and the first art. The name Paleolithic derives from Greek, and literally means Old (paleos) Stone (lithos). The period is considered to have been the longest prehistoric (before written history) era, from about 2.5 million years to around 10,000 BCE (Before Common Era, also known as BC).

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16y ago

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