Palaeolithic

British  

/ ˌpælɪəʊˈlɪθɪk /

noun

1. the period of the emergence of primitive man and the manufacture of unpolished chipped stone tools, about 2.5 million to 3 million years ago until about 12 000 _bc . See also Lower Palaeolithic Middle Palaeolithic Upper Palaeolithic

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adjective

1. (sometimes not capital) of or relating to this period

Example Sentences

One of the central questions guiding the research is how Neanderthals and Homo sapiens interacted during the mid-Middle Palaeolithic in this region.

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026

During Palaeolithic times it contained a shallow lake.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2023

Residues from an Upper Palaeolithic site in the Pontic steppe in eastern Europe show ancient people pounded tubers before they ate them.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2022

There are Palaeolithic pathways up to 12,000 years old, and Bronze Age burial sites as well as the remains of more modern settlements and industrial activities.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2022

The famous rock paintings in Chauvet, France, made by cave- dwelling people of the Upper Palaeolithic period, or European Ice Age, are 32,000 years old.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall