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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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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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

This degree of culinary complexity has never been documented before for Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers.

From Salon Dec. 5, 2022

The Palaeolithic artwork, it says, must have been made by Neanderthals, a "sister" species to Homo sapiens, as they were Europe's sole human inhabitants at the time.

From BBC Aug. 3, 2021

It is thought that Palaeolithic cave- iwellers would sing here not only as part of communal ritual, but also to find their bearings.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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