Re: Questions about Cro Magnon

WIlliam C. Wilson (Wildbill@ilhawaii.net)
3 Feb 1995 05:13:41 GMT

sigdowser@aol.com (SigDowser) wrote:
<snip>
> My questions are these:
>
> 1. Are there any theories as to where exactly the Cro Magnon came from?
> Or did s/he "just appear"?

I don't know of any clear evidence but judging from the sizes, and climate
conditions I would not be surprised if they came from the levant
(Middle East) or from the regions on either side (North Africa,
Caucuses, India/Afghanistan/Persia).

> 2. When/where was the most recent Cro Magnon we've found so far? What
> culture did s/he belong to?

My understanding is that Cro-Magnon bring the 1st real cultures
when they appear: Complex burials, inter-"national" trade and
significant stone tool advancements(Aurignacian tools), artwork, etc.
As soon as the Neanderthals dissapear the name seems to drop and they
are simply European paleo-hunter/gatherers often with regional
cultural names.

> 3. When did homo sapiens sapiens appear on the scene?

Modern Homo Sapiens Sapiens actually ?predates? the Neanderthals
going back at least 100,000 and probably over 200,000 years. In
one sense Neanderthal may have been a ?failed? offshoot adapted
to a tundra/montaine environment and superseded by technological
advancements as much as by evolutionary ones.

> Thank you in advance for any help you can give me on this.
> Sig Lonegren

William C. Wilson