Cro- Magnons

entrances, while others built huts in forested areas. As better hunting methods developed, Cro-Magnons built more permanent homes. Long houses holding many families were made of stone blocks. There is archaeological evidence that communities of 30 to 100 people lived together. To their technological advances, the Cro- Magnons added accomplished artistry. They creat- ed cave paintings like those found at Lascaux (la .sKOH) and Vallon-Pont-d' Arc (vah. YOHN pohn DAHRK), both in France, as well as those at numerous other cave sites in Spain and Africa. Researchers so far can only speculate on the pur- pose behind the mysterious wall images. Perhaps the hunting scenes were educational, designed to teach young hunters how to recognize prey. On the other hand, the Cro-Magnon painters may have been reaching out to the spiritual world, creating images meant to have mystical powers that would help the hunters. Archaeologists have discovered some Cro- Magnon figures sculpted from clay or carved from reindeer antlers. They have also found figures of ivory and bone decorated with animal drawings and abstract designs. Some of these artifacts may well have been used in magic rituals and probably reflect Cro-Magnon beliefs about spirits thought to live in animals, plants, the earth, and the sky. During the Neolithic period and immediately after, humanity made one of its greatest cultural advances. New environments had developed with the end of the last Ice Age, and forests and grass- lands appeared in many areas. Over some 5,000 years, people gradually shifted from gathering and hunting food to producing food. Because new agri- cultural methods led to tremendous changes in peoples' lifestyles, this period is usually called the Neolithic Revolution.