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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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See Examples For:

The fact that Neanderthal DNA is rare on the X chromosome does not, in itself, allow us to reconstruct Palaeolithic social organization or the sexual preferences of these populations.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

"As such, it reflects every part of human history, from the Palaeolithic to more modern times, across the whole of England and Wales," he said.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2024

During Palaeolithic times it contained a shallow lake.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

Plant residues found on grinding or pounding tools from the European later Palaeolithic period suggest early modern humans crushed and roasted wild grass seeds.

From Salon ● Dec. 5, 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

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