Scientists regularly make new discoveries that cast doubt on information that has long been considered reliable. Recent research has changed the notion of life in the Stone Age.
Many are still convinced that in the Stone Age people lived in caves, walked with clubs and behaved like animals. Modern research has proved that this view is deceiving, and believe me, new discoveries cast doubt on the information that is told in history lessons.
1. Ancient written language
Studies of the caves of Spain and France were based on the study of rock carvings. Historians have long discovered the symbolism of the Stone Age, but it has not previously been subjected to careful analysis. On the walls of the caves between the drawings of bison, horses and other animals, tiny symbols representing something abstract were found.
It has been suggested that this is the oldest written language in the world. On the walls of about two hundred caves, 26 characters are repeated and if they are intended to convey at least some information, then we can assume that the letter was invented back in those days. Another interesting fact: many of the symbols found in French caves are repeated in ancient African art.
2. Terrible and senseless wars
People have waged wars with each other since ancient times, and that is a historical monument, called "The Massacre in Nataruka". In 2012, in Nataruk in the north of Kenya, bones were found, sticking out of the ground. Analysis of skeletons showed that people were forcibly killed. One of the skeletons belonged to a pregnant woman who was tied up and thrown into the lagoon. Remains of 27 other people were found, among which were six children and several women. They had broken bones, and there were pieces of different weapons in them.
Scientists suggested a version of why such a hard extermination of the settlement occurred. It is believed that this was a simple dispute over resources, because at that time this territory was fertile, a nearby river flowed, in general, there was everything necessary for a good life. To date, the "Massacre in Naturok" is considered the most ancient monument of war.
3. Spread of the plague
Modern studies of ancient skeletons, which were held in 2017, showed that the plague appeared in Europe even during the Stone Age. The disease spread to large areas. Researches have allowed to draw a conclusion, that, most likely, the bacterium has been brought from the east (the modern territory of Russia and Ukraine).
It is not possible to determine how deadly the plague wand was at that time, but it can be assumed that the settlers from the steppe left their homes because of this terrible epidemic.
4. Jugs of wine
In 2016 and 2017 archeologists in the territory of modern Georgia found fragments dating from the end of the Stone Age. The wreckage was part of clay jugs, after which tartaric acid was found after the analysis. This allows us to recognize the fact that in the vessels once there was wine. Scientists say that grape juice wandered naturally in the warm climate of Georgia. To determine the color of the drink, the color of the fragments found was analyzed. Yellow coating testified that in ancient times people produced white wine.
5. Experimental music
History tells us that tools in the Stone Age developed along with the language, but modern research has refuted this information. In 2017, scientists conducted an experiment: volunteers were shown how to make simple tools from bark and pebbles, as well as hand axes.
People were divided into two groups: one part watched the video with sound, and the second - without it. After that, people went to bed, and their brain activity was analyzed in real time. As a result, it was concluded that changes in knowledge are not related to language. Both groups successfully made Acheulean instruments. The scientists came to the conclusion that music appeared simultaneously with the human intellect.
6. A wide range of tools
During the excavation in 2017, a huge number of stone tools were found in Israel, which were perfectly preserved. They were created about 0.5 million years ago and were able to tell a lot about the people of that time.
For example, bricklayers chipped the edges of the Kremlin, getting blades for axes of pear-shaped form. Researchers believe that they were used for cutting animals and digging food. This primeval camp was in a great place, where there was a river, abundant vegetation and plenty of food.
7. Comfortable accommodation
Some schools continue to tell in history lessons that people in the Stone Age lived exclusively in caves, but the excavations showed the opposite. In Norway, 150 stony Stone Age settlements were found on which clay houses were located. Rings made of stone showed that in ancient times people lived in tents, made of animal skins, connected by rings.
In the Mesolithic era, when the Ice Age receded, people began to build and live in dug-out houses. The dimensions of some buildings were very large and reached 40 square meters. m., and this meant that several families lived in them simultaneously. There is evidence that people tried to preserve the buildings that were abandoned by the previous owner.
8. Ancient dentistry
Dentists are afraid since antiquity, because it turned out that people treated their teeth about 13 thousand years ago. Evidence was found in the mountains of northern Tuscany. During the excavations, teeth with traces of dental procedure were found - filled with cavity fillings in the teeth. On the enamel, the tracks were left with a special sharp instrument, which was made of stone.
As for the seals, they were made from bitumen, mixed with plant fibers and hair. Why the mixture was added the last two ingredients, scientists have not yet determined.
9. Awareness of Inbreeding
Let's start with the term, by which we understand the form of homogamy, that is, the crossing of closely related forms within a single population of organisms. Scientists only in 2017 were able to detect signs of early awareness of inbreeding, that is, one can not have sexual relations with close relatives.
In Sungir during the excavation, four skeletons of people were found, which died 34 thousand years ago. The genetic analysis showed that they do not have mutations of the genetic code, which means that people were already consciously approaching the choice of a life partner, because they understood that offspring with close relatives have negative consequences.
If the ancient people for sexual relations chose people at random, then there would be genetic consequences. They sought partners in other tribes, which suggests that the marriage was accompanied by ceremonies, and these were the earliest human marriages.