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Glite Dictionary
Lower Paleolithic

Lower Paleolithic

9.2
A very early time in human history when people first used simple stone tools like hand axes
  • noun
  • /ˈloʊər ˌpeɪlɪəˈlɪθɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : Paleolítico Inferior
  • During the Lower Paleolithic, the hand ax became a vital tool for early human survival.

Examples

  • This hominid of the Lower Paleolithic showed "concern with realities transcending mere biological needs," with, for example, its use of common iron oxides at burial sites (Edwards, 135).

    Academic text (1998)

  • The Lower Paleolithic marks the beginning of human innovation with the first use of stone tools.

  • Artifacts from the Lower Paleolithic indicate that early humans were developing complex hunting strategies.

Synonyms

Eolithic Age
vsLower Paleolithic
  • Archaic
9.9

Earliest part of the Stone Age when people first made simple stone tools

is a narrower early phase marked by first hand ax use and dated end

Surface Forms

Lower Paleolithic singular
Lower Paleolithics plural

Morphology

lower + Paleolithic

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'Paleolithic' names the period and 'lower' functions as a chronological/stratigraphic modifier meaning the earlier part of that period. A B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to the earliest phase of the Paleolithic characterized by early stone tools, a pattern common across languages.

Etymology

Lower Paleolithic comes from how people read layers in the ground: Lower points to the older, deeper layers and Paleolithic means 'old stone', the time when humans first made simple stone tools like the hand ax. So, Lower Paleolithic refers to the earliest part of the Stone Age when humans began using those tools.