When most people think of the Paleolithic era, they likely think of ancient hominins with spears chasing after wooly mammoths. Or they think of cave men numbly knocking rocks together, waiting for a spark.
But most people living during the Paleolithic era were actually children and adolescents. Archaeological discoveries of cave art, discarded tools, and burials are helping scientists gain a better understanding of what life was like for prehistoric children.
The Paleolithic era spans from 2.5 million years to 10,000 years ago, preceding the transition of Homo sapiens from nomadic hunter-gatherers to more settled farmers.
The Paleo era is divided into three time periods. The early Paleolithic era goes from 2.5 million to 1 million years ago. The middle ranges from 1 million to 40,000 years ago. And the late Paleolithic era spans from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago.
Homo sapiens weren’t the only hominins during the Paleolithic era; ...
