Paleolithic and Glacial Periods

The Quaternary is, in fact, divided into two main periods: the Pleistocene (2 million-10 thousand years) which is in turn divided into three sub-periods, and the Holocene that started around 10 thousand years ago and is still in progress. The Pleistocene period includes the most important stages of the evolution of mankind in different species: Homo abilis (2-1 million years), Ergaster and Erectus (1,800-3000 years), Sapiens archaic (300-120 thousand years) Neandertal (120-45/40,000 years) and Sapiens (120 thousand years up to today). From a climate point of view, it involved some great glacial periods that encased the earth in ice. Europe, in particular, was affected by four glacial periods: Günz, Mindel, Riss and Würm, alternated by three interglacial periods with warm climate: Günz-Mindel, Mindel-Riss and Riss- Würm. For this reason in order to survive Man had to continuously fight against frequent and radical changes in climate that turned environments favourable to human life into strongly hostile environments. He, thus, had to continuously search for new strategies and new systems in order to adapt to the environments he was slowly conquering.

L'uomo, quindi, per tutto il Paleolitico, ha dovuto confrontarsi continuamente per la propria sopravvivenza con frequenti e radicali cambiamenti di clima che trasformavano, di volta in volta, ambienti favorevoli alla vita umana in ambienti fortemente ostili, sviluppando una continua ricerca di nuove strategie e nuovi sistemi di adattamento agli ambienti che andava mano a mano conquistando.

Homo sapiens who was more enterprising and cunning than Neanderthal man spread rapidly throughout the world, adopting new settlement strategies and new socio-cultural, political and economic systems. Homo sapiens brilliantly overcame the rigors of the last glacial era, taking shelter in caves where he perfected his skills in chipping stones, devising new instruments, refining his hunting techniques and left signs of one of his most brilliant inventions: art; ready to face the rapid increase in Holocene temperatures, thus changing radically his life economy. However this is another topic!