Paleontologists Heaven Solutre France. 4 February 2011; Jorma Jyrkkanen

jjyrkkanen76@outlook.com Homo sapiens sapiens evolved considerably during the Chatelperronean to Magdalenian probably as a consequence of social interaction through regular communal hunting, and gathering skill development, sharing technologies and techniques offering opportunity for improving the intellectual aspects of his genome. It would have been a time when effective communication, rapid learning of skills and good recall of memories were rewarded with enhanced survival. Diagram showing the period I found most interesting. The emergence of us. Refinement of big game hunting with spears and atlatl's. Stone tool technology reached a very high level at this time and it was a skill that we even today would have to practice considerably to become adept.

Horses being driven over a narrow pass and big boulders to slow their passage for easy Atlatl Darting. Large mammals dominate the interglacial fauna many of which vanished in the Pleistocrene extinctions. More species found in the kill and butchery sites. Bison were huge at that time. This display models the manner in which horses were driven past hunters who hurled spears on atlatl's and easily killed with effective results. The best weapon for killing big game. Spear lofted by an Atlatl with a flint blade.

The Ancestral horses that were killed were very similar to the Prezwalski' Horse and related to Icelandic horses. A pile of horse bones demonstrating long use of this site for killing. Horses were driven towards large boulders where running was very difficult making them easy targets. Cave bears would have been easy to kill for hides, meat and especially cooking fat both at big game slaughter sites where they cam to scavange scraps and in winter hibernation in caves.

Flint knives with handles held on by rawhide or sinew made with a tang inserted into a groove cut into the bone. Glue would probably also have been used and that made from boiling horses hooves. Steps in flaking a spearpoint out of flint core. Flint wasn't found everywhere and was a precious commodity hoarded and traded far and wide. Solutre and Aze are particularly rich in it in spots as are many places in southern France.

Anyone arguing a vegetarian origin for Homo s. sapiens is woefully wrong as abundant evidence shows at this butchering site. What a thrill to visit this ancient historic and precious archaeological site. The museum people have done a wonderful job and the hiking trails around the site are also wonderful. Copyright 2011 Jorma Jyrkkanen. All rights reserved. Tags: Solutre, France, Paleontology, Homo, Pleistocene, flint, hunting, Interglacial Ice Age Fauna, Jorma Jyrkkanen