Lower Paleolithic

The Lower Palaeolithic - from Greek παλαιός ( palaios ) " old " and λίθος ( lithos ) "stone" - is the earliest section of the Paleolithic and stands at the beginning of human history. The beginning of the Lower Palaeolithic is regionally defined with the earliest detection of beaten stone tools as the first products of human culture in Africa (Early Stone Age) prior to about 2.5 million years ago in West Asia 1.8 million years ago, in the Middle East at about 1, 6 million years ago in southern Europe at least 1.2 million years ago. In Central Europe, the Lower Palaeolithic stone artefacts with undisputed begins less than a million years, for example, from the clay pit Mülheim- Kärlich or Miesenheim in Rhineland- Palatinate.

The end of the Lower Palaeolithic and the beginning of Mittelpaläolithikums is recognized worldwide with the transition to the Levallois technique ( a new stone processing technology) and dated at about 300,000 to 200,000 years ago.

Lower Palaeolithic in Africa

The beginning of this era marked the emergence of simple stone tools of the " Oldowan culture ", named after the first discoveries in the East African Olduvai Gorge. As manufacturers are Homo rudolfensis, Homo habilis and Homo erectus considered. However, a production by members of the genus Australopithecus can not be excluded. The earliest use of stone tools is seen in the controversial cut marks from DRP (Ethiopia ), which dated to an age of more than 3 million years, and Australopithecus afarensis be attributed.

The Oldowan culture ("mode 1" ) with their chopping tools was in Africa about 1.6 million years from the Acheulean ("mode 2 " '), which is characterized by bifaces. The oldest hand-axes are dated to 1.75 million years.

Lower Palaeolithic in Europe

In Europe, the oldest stone artefacts fall at the earliest in the time range from 1.7 to 1.3 million years ago. In 2009, debris and equipment altpleistozäne large mammal bones were published with cut marks that were found near the southern French village Lézignan -le- Cèbe in the valley of the Hérault ( between Montpellier and Béziers ). As early as 2007 had been presented similar to old tools from the Palaeolithic Site Pirro Nord ( Apulia). Undisputed human fossil remains and tools are available, however, only from about 1.2 million years old, Sima del Elefante in the Sierra de Atapuerca.

In Europe, the first backed bifaces are about 900,000 years ago in Estrecho del Quipar ( Cueva Negra del finding place Estrecho del Río Quipar ) in southeastern Spain occupied. These have, however, made ​​of limestone and therefore not without controversy. At about 760,000 years before present are hand-axes made ​​of flint from La Solana del Zamborino ( also south-eastern Spain ) dated. The oldest evidence for the Lower Palaeolithic in north-western Europe comes from the finding place Boxgrove Quarry in southern England. The technically well -made bifaces were manufactured more than 500,000 years ago.