Middle Paleolithic

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/middle-paleolithic

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary lithic technology?Levallois technique and prepared core methods
2. What is the key hominin species present?Homo sapiens, Neanderthals, Homo erectus (in some regions)
3. When did the Middle Paleolithic happen?It lasted from about 300,000 years ago to around 50,000 years ago, but the exact dates can differ in different places. In Great Britain it was split into an early part from 325,000 to 180,000 years ago and a later part from 60,000 to 35,000 years ago.
4. What special tool‑making method did people use in the Middle Paleolithic?They used the Levallois technique, where they shaped a stone core to make predictable flakes or points. This showed they could plan ahead and imagine the tool before making it.

Lithic Technology: The study and practice of making tools and implements from stone.
Levallois Technique: An advanced method of stone tool preparation to produce standardized flakes.
Hominin Replacement: The process by which one hominin species becomes extinct and is replaced by another.
Symbolic Behavior: Actions or objects that represent abstract ideas or concepts, like art or ritual.