Cro Magnon Essay
Cro-magnons were ancestors of us humans, and they lived throughout the Ice Age on every continent except Antarctica. They were an advanced species of man, and they crafted and used tools that were superior to other species such as the Neanderthals. In order to live throughout the period known as the Ice Age, they needed these tools to use for hunting, culture and a lot more. Such tools were the throwing spear and the bow and arrow, both used for the purpose of hunting. These tools had to be one of the many needed aspects of their living until their extinction. Cro-magnons would not be alive without the extraordinary part that tools played within these aspects of their life.
Cro-magnons used tools for culture as well as hunting. They sometimes would bury the dead with “gifts” of tools and other objects that were important to them. It was almost as if the dead was going to wake! Another part that tools played within their culture is the role of farming. Cro-magnons would use special tools for this specific job. These tools consisted of deer antlers, so it could dig into fertile soil. Instead of hunting, they could now grow their own food! Still in the topic of farming, through years of growing plants Cro-magnons invented a new tool for this job, called the ox-driven plow, which was slightly more advanced than other tools. Farmers also used a tool called a Sundial, which could track the seasons. Calendars were also invented, and did the same job the Sundial did. Both of these tools were very important to farmers since these helpful resources could tell which season would be best for planting. Cro-magnons also used tools for creating paintings and sculptures of animals, people, and more. One example of a network of these paintings the Cro-magnons created is the Lascaux Caves in France. Without this advancement of tools and the creation of art within their culture, Cro-magnons could have never left a mark in the world, and we wouldn’t have known they ever existed!
Tools played a very large impact in hunts. They could kill the animal and salvage the meat for food. Cro-magnons were also very resourceful of these animals, and could craft even the most useless items from the animal into some of the best tools. They therefore hunted more easily than the Neanderthals, and could create traps using fire, which is another tool that was beneficial to the survival of their race. They used fire to scare the hunted animal into a trap, and then the other part of the hunting party could shoot the animal with a barrage of arrows. This proves that they could create better plans with the help of tools. Due to their success in hunting, their population exploded. This occurred because of the very existence of tools to begin with.
One last aspect is the making of tools itself. Neanderthals used just the material known as stone to craft tools, however Cro-magnon used more of a variety of materials. Such materials that the Cro-magnons used for tools is ivory, stone, deer antlers and finally bones. With this variety of materials, they were capable of crafting different and more unique tools, such as the throwing spear. With the advancement of tools, they were also able to master and adapt to the harsh climate of the Ice Age.
With the new technology and the advancement of tools, Cro-magnons could live all over the world and could adapt to any environment. They have also made an influence in our own culture, such as inventing the computer. Their old tools have provided the basis to build and craft amazing tools like the computer. These seemingly “old” tools have been the building blocks for our tools. In conclusion, I believe that the Cro-magnons could not have survived or even come to exist without tools, and that also applies to us, too.