Cultural And Cultural Changes In The Upper Paleolithic Period

Throughout history, humans have undergone significant changes that influenced their lives in a plethora of ways – both positive and negative. One example is the Upper Paleolithic period, which is considered a time of a creative and cultural explosion. This also marks the true beginning of human cultural behavior. The introduction of Homo habilis led to the advancement of art in the form of painting, venus figurines, and many more forms of expression. At the same time, this period led to a cultural explosion in practical ways. Raw materials were manipulated for the first time, creating woven materials such as rope or clothing. Furthermore, tools allowed us to rise above predators, making humans the dominant species. As a result, this time period …show more content…
In short, these animals had better biological adaptations. Fortunately, the Upper Paleolithic was a period of cultural adaptation, which proved extremely effective. These former predators could not throw spears or fight against stone aged technology. On top of that, clothing allowed humans to survive harsher environments. Clothing is a great example, as it provided basic protection and warmth. As a result, one could say that during this period, such cultural adaptation exponentially increased our abilities and so predators were outpaced in terms of biological ability. Unlike two species constantly adapting to get an edge against another for survival, our cultural adaptation was too fast and too powerful. As a result, this creative explosion allowed us to survive and prosper, eventually forming the basis for civilization later on and allowed humans the opportunity to pursue an important part of their culture which was …show more content…
With specialized tools and shelter, we see artwork never seen before – from iconography, figurines, reliefs, engraving, and even figurines. Such uses delved into artistic decoration, sculpture, cave paintings, and pendants. For example, the Upper Paleolithic period was best known for its wall paintings and animal engravings in Altamira and Lascaux. This transcends back to a creative explosion because the function for these paintings remain unknown. For example, this could mark the formation of early belief systems, animal cults, or even religion! Another example was the creation of Venus figurines. As these artifacts represent human women, this could trace back to a whole host of creative explosions. These figurines could represent exploration in sexuality, early pornography, dolls, objects of worship, and many more