PRE-HISTORIC FRANCE
Prehistoric France was an important period in human occupation of the geographical area covered by present-day France. The period extended through prehistory and ended in the Iron Age with the Celtic "La Tene Culture".
Various phases such as Lower Palaeolithic, Middle Palaeolithic, Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, the Copper Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age are part of pre-history of France.
LOWER PALAEOLITHIC
In France, there are Olduwan (Abbevillian) and Acheulean sites that belong to early or non-modern Hominini species. These species include Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis. Few shelters at Grotte du Lazaret and Terra Amata near Nice in France were identified. There are possinilities that the hunter-gatherers of the Palaeolithic built these shelters.
MIDDLE PALAEOLITHIC
The earliest Homo sapiens to occupy Europe were the Neanderthals. They arrived around 300,000 BC and died by about 30,000 BC. Many Neanderthal artifacts have been found from this period. Some artifacts use the "Levallois technique".
UPPER PALAEOLITHIC
The Cro-Magnons were the earliest modern humans. It was the Cro-Magnons who entered Europe (including France), 40,000 years ago. The Cro-Magnons brought with them engraving, painting, body ornamentation, decoration of utilitarian objects etc. Cave paintings at Lascaux in Southern France are from this period.
MESOLITHIC
In the phase from the Paleolithic to the Mesolithic, the Magdalenian culture evolved. The Azilian culture co-existed with some early Mesolithic European cultures in South-west France and Spain.
The Sauveterrain followed the Azilian culture in Southern France and Switzerland. The Tardenoisian in Northern France and the Maglemosian in Northern Europe came later.
NEOLITHIC
The Neolithic phase lasted in Northern Europe for around 3000 years. During this phase, there was adoption of agriculture and development of pottery. Neolithic period saw the expansion of people from southwest Asia into Europe. These archaeologists marked the eclipse of Mesolithic culture.
THE COPPER AGE
The Copper Age witnessed the Seine-Oise-Marne Culture and the Beaker Culture. The Seine-Oise-Marne Culture was the final culture of the Neolithic. This culture was found around Oise River and Marne River. This culture is very popular for its gallery grave megalithic tombs. The Beaker Culture was a Neolithic-to-bronze age transitional group that spread to most of France except the Massif Central.
THE BRONZE AGE
The transitional Beaker Culture, the Tumulus Culture and the Urnfield Culture are some Bronze Age archeological cultures of France.
THE IRON AGE
Iron-working spread during this period. Hallstatt Culture also spread during this period. Proto-Celtic was the language that was spoken at the time of the late Urnfield. Later, the La Tene Culture developed in Eastern France, Switzerland, and a number of other European countries.
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