Question regarding Upper Paleolithic

OK, Paleo newbie here.

In a TTC lecture on anthropology I was listening to recently, the professor
was discussing the upper paleolithic in near halcion terms. The folks were
taller, stronger, healthier, lived longer, had fewer diseases, a broader
diet, little (if any) indication of warfare, no famine, more leisure time
and no body odor (OK, that last one I made up). The professor went on to
describe the neolithic revolution as a relative descent into "nasty, brutish
and short". Once mankind began farming and herding, this lifestyle became a
ball and chain, they became slaves to their own technological advances.

I am exaggerating the professor's position a bit, but not much. Is this
rosy picture of the Upper Paleolithic generally accepted? Sounds like a
Jean Auel version, and I always assumed she "cleaned it up".

Also, here is an excerpt from an article, and I was wondering whether there
are any major mistatements in it:
"The archaeological picture changed dramatically around 40-50,000 years ago
with the appearance of behaviorally modern humans. This was an abrupt and
dramatic change in subsistence patterns, tools and symbolic expression. The
stunning change in cultural adaptation was not merely a quantitative one,
but one that represented a significant departure from all earlier human
behavior, reflecting a major qualitative transformation. It was literally a
"creative explosion" which exhibited the "technological ingenuity, social
formations, and ideological complexity of historic hunter-gatherers."7 This
human revolution is precisely what made us who we are today.

The Upper Paleolithic lifestyle, as it was called, was based essentially on
hunting and gathering. So successful was this cultural adaptation that until
roughly 11,000 years ago, hominids worldwide were subsisting essentially as
hunter-gatherers.

In the Upper Paleolithic of Eurasia, or the Late Stone Age as it is called
in Africa, the archaeological signature stands in strong contrast to that of
the Middle Paleolithic/Middle Stone Age. It was characterized by significant
innovation:

* a remarkable diversity in stone tool types

* tool types showed significant change over time and space

* artifacts were regularly fashioned out of bone, antler and ivory, in
addition to stone

* stone artifacts were made primarily on blades and were easily classified
into discrete categories, presumably reflecting specialized use

* burials were accompanied by ritual or ceremony and contained a rich
diversity of grave goods

* living structures and well-designed fireplaces were constructed

* hunting of dangerous animal species and fishing occurred regularly

higher population densities

* abundant and elaborate art as well as items of personal adornment were
widespread

* raw materials such as flint and shells were traded over some distances

Homo sapiens of the Upper Paleolithic/Late Stone Age was quintessentially
modern in appearance and behavior. Precisely how this transformation
occurred is not well understood, but it apparently was restricted to Homo
sapiens and did not occur in Neanderthals. Some archaeologists invoke a
behavioral explanation for the change. For example, Soffer11 suggests that
changes in social relations, such as development of the nuclear family,
played a key role in bringing about the transformation.

Klein7, on the other hand, proffers the notion that it was probably a
biological change brought about by mutations that played the key role in the
emergence of behaviorally modern humans. His biologically based explanation
implies that a major neural reorganization of the brain resulted in a
significant enhancement in the manner in which the brain processed
information. This is a difficult hypothesis to test since brains do not
fossilize. But it is significant that no changes are seen in the shape of
the skulls between earlier and later Homo sapiens. It can only be surmised
from the archaeological record, which contains abundant evidence for ritual
and art, that these Upper Paleolithic/Late Stone Age peoples possessed
language abilities equivalent to our own. For many anthropologists this
represents the final evolutionary leap to full modernity."

http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/johanson.html





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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Questions about the Upper Paleolithic
    ... >> with the appearance of behaviorally modern humans. ... that these Upper Paleolithic/Late Stone Age peoples possessed ... >> language abilities equivalent to our own. ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Questions about the Upper Paleolithic
    ... with the appearance of behaviorally modern humans. ... Homo sapiens of the Upper Paleolithic/Late Stone Age was quintessentially ... Some archaeologists invoke a ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Question regarding Upper Paleolithic
    ... with the appearance of behaviorally modern humans. ... Homo sapiens of the Upper Paleolithic/Late Stone Age was quintessentially ... Some archaeologists invoke a ...
    (sci.bio.paleontology)
  • Re: Questions about the Upper Paleolithic
    ... > with the appearance of behaviorally modern humans. ... > Homo sapiens of the Upper Paleolithic/Late Stone Age was quintessentially ... > language abilities equivalent to our own. ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)