Cro Magnons Facts: Learn About Early Humans And Human Fossils

Cro Magnons were early modern humans from the Upper Palaeolithic age.

Cro Magnon came to central Europe from East Africa 48,000 years ago. They lived throughout Europe from their arrival to around 10,000 years ago.

Cro Magnon was named by Louis Lartet, who discovered the first Cro-Magnon remains in southwestern France. The name was given after the place of origin of the skull, Abri de Cro-Magnon. 'Abri' is a French word meaning rock shelter, 'Cro' is Occitan for a hole, and Magnon was the landowner's name where the fossils were found.

The Cro Magnons' life was nomadic or semi-nomadic as they followed their prey around for hunting. They hunted in groups, and their diet was omnivorous with prey animals including Megaloceros, cave bears, woolly mammoths, and plants like carrots, turnips, onions, and beets.

Early modern humans (Homo sapiens), like Neanderthals and Cro Magnons, lived in Europe and interacted and interbred with each other. Cro Magnon and Neanderthal behavior towards residing in communities and hunting were similar.

They hunted large animals in groups, lived in caves, gathered plants, made carvings and paintings, and held burials for their families. The difference between them was that Neanderthals stayed in the same place all year long while Cro Magnons moved around.

Cro Magnon lived a challenging life. Injuries like fused vertebrates, fractures, infections were found in the remains of their fossils. Cro Magnons also developed ways to live, beyond just survival, according to their tools, sculptures, paintings, and music.

The how and when of the extinction of Cro Magnons is not well known. Some believe that they eventually mixed in with the newer European human populations.

Origin Of Cro Magnons

Cro-Magnon roamed the Earth during the Upper Palaeolithic period, i.e., 40,000 to 10,000 years ago. During the geological epoch 'Pleistocene,' more commonly known as the ice age.

However, there are reports that the Cro-Magnons probably settled in the continent even earlier than their original timeline. These reports put their first settling in Europe at an estimated time frame of 48,000 years ago.

These prehistoric humans are said to have lived in Europe during this period. This means they must have interacted with the Neanderthals in Eurasia. Their original lineage came from east Africa; however, there is still some confusion regarding the origin and lineage of the Cro Magnons.

Fossil Details Of Cro Magnons: Location And Features

In March of 1868, near the village of Les Eyzies, Dordogne in southern France, a rock shelter called the Abri de Cro-Magnon containing the remains of five skeletons was found. These skeletons were the remains of Early European Modern Humans (EEMH), also known as Cro Magnons.

Louis Lartet, a geologist, discovered these five skeletons. The fossils were found inside a large cavity in the rock shelter, which protected them. The remains consisted of four adults (three adult male and one adult female), one infant, and fragmented bones.

The skeletons were found with ornaments such as perforated shells, pendants, and necklaces with animal teeth. This has led experts to believe that the French Cro Magnon remains were buried there and that this was a burial site. The radiocarbon dating of tools and bones is estimated to be about 32,000 to 30,000 years old.

The Cro-Magnon 1, an adult male specimen from this site, had an almost complete cranium and mandible. This Cro-Magnon man is believed to be under 50 years of age. These skeletal remains match the modern human features, like a high forehead, slender and upright posture, chin, and cranial capacity.

Physical Features Of Cro Magnons

Cro Magnon had more rugged bodies than modern humans. The height is estimated to be about 5.5-5.7 ft (167.6-173.7 cm). The body was slender with a straight posture like that of modern humans.

They were warm-blooded and dark in color. The facial features of Cro Magnon were broad faces with large chins, a prominent nose, and a straight forehead. What distinguishes them from modern humans is the size of their brains, as theirs were slightly larger.

Tools Used By Cro Magnons

Cro Magnons, like most early humans, used tools like javelin, spears, and spear throwers for hunting large animals. They hunted middle-sized game such as horses, reindeers, and cave bears. They also attacked mammoths for meat, fuel, and bones on some rare occasions.

Hunting camps created with mammoth bones were found in Ukraine's Paleolithic dwellings. Cro Magnon built huts and shelters from mammoth bones, rocks, clay, branches, and animal hide/fur. These early humans were nomadic or semi-nomadic beings who built semi-permanent hunting camps to follow the migration of their prey.

Cro Magnons lived during the Aurignacian phase of the Upper Palaeolithic age and are associated with Aurignacian tools. These tools were made from bones or antler points with groove points in the bottom. Fine blades and bladelets were struck in the flint tools. These tools were used in creating figurines and cave paintings.

They also knew how to weave clothes with animal skin/fur and make baskets from cords made of flax. Animal shells, bones, and teeth were utilized in jewelry making.

Iron and manganese oxides were used to create cave art. There is speculated evidence, discovered from the stone tools, that the first calendar was created around 15,000 years ago by these Cro Magnons.

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