About 35,000 years ago, well after the appearance of "anatomically correct" man, a taller, sea-faring, race suddenly "invades" the western shores of Europe and North Africa. This innovative, large-brained invader is dubbed Cro-Magnon.
About 17,000 years later the Aurignacian culture is replaced by another smaller "invasion" (circa. 18,000 B.C.) known as the Solutrean, then 16,000 years ago the Magdalenian "invasion" occurs, These "invasions" are all associated with Cro-Magnon Man.
Finally the Azilian "invasion" occurs very close to the magic date of 10,000, ending forever the Upper Paleolithic Age.
An anthropological fact usually ignored is that there are notable differences in types of paleolithic man. The terms Cro-Magnon and Modern Man are used as if they were synonymous, whereas strictly speaking they are not. All Cro-Magnons are Modern, but all Moderns are not Cro-Magnon.
Cro-Magnon's distribution is limited to western portions of Europe and North Africa, as well as a number of Atlantic islands. Even some limited portions of South America have a type called Cro-Magnoid (meaning possessing some Cro-Magnon characteristics).
Finally the Azilian "invasion" occurs very close to the magic date of 10,000, ending forever the Upper Paleolithic Age.
An anthropological fact usually ignored is that there are notable differences in types of paleolithic man. The terms Cro-Magnon and Modern Man are used as if they were synonymous, whereas strictly speaking they are not. All Cro-Magnons are Modern, but all Moderns are not Cro-Magnon.
Cro-Magnon's distribution is limited to western portions of Europe and North Africa, as well as a number of Atlantic islands. Even some limited portions of South America have a type called Cro-Magnoid (meaning possessing some Cro-Magnon characteristics).
The Upper Paleolithic Age covers the period from circa. 38,000-10,000 B.C. During this period two main physical types of Modern Man flourished throughout Europe, Asia and Africa--the eastern and western.
The "western" is known as Cro-Magnon, but the "eastern" are known by various other names, such as Brunn Man, or Combe Capelle (wherever the remains were first found).
These eastern types are generally shorter, more gracile, and rather smaller-brained than Cro-Magnon. The latter does not imply any particular degree of intelligence, but is merely stated as a defining characteristic.
These eastern types are generally shorter, more gracile, and rather smaller-brained than Cro-Magnon. The latter does not imply any particular degree of intelligence, but is merely stated as a defining characteristic.
Average stature of the Combe Capelle Man was about five feet four inches, whereas Cro-Magnon Man averages over 6 foot.
The tool assemblage associated with Combe Capelle is known as the Perigordian, and is merely a continuation of the earlier Neanderthal's toolkit (the Mousterian), whereas the various Cro-Magnon tool assemblages are definitely not.
The beautiful cave paintings found throughout the Pyrenees and Cantabrian mountains which have become world famous are the work of Cro-Magnon. The art impulse of the "eastern" branch of Upper Paleolithic mankind seems to be characterized by the small, carved female "fertility" images.
Cro-Magnon villages consisted of houses (we don't know what they were made of: all we have is the post hole patterns). They had spear throwers, harpoons, bows and arrows, arrow straighteners, obsidian razors, needles, musical instruments, even bone calendars (carved with symbolic notations bordering on writing;).
A number of sites dating back as far as 15,000 B.C show evidence of the practice of agriculture. Archeologists, not knowing how to account for such a circumstance, have labeled these activities as "a false dawn".
During the Period (15,000-10,000 B.C.) the innovations in technology came so fast that archeologists had to divide it up into Magdalenian I-VI.
Significantly, the final "invasion," the Azilian, occurred approximately 10,000 B.C., close to the date when Plato says Atlantis sank.
Although occurring in time at the beginning of the Mesolithic, the Azilian is Upper Paleolithic in character. All other European tool industries are Mesolithic in character at this time. Four Cro-Magnon invasions have been noticed in North Africa during this same time period, although more work involving dating needs to be done there.
They are known as the Aterian, Ibero-Maurusian, Mouillian and the Capsian (Bordes, 1968; Clark, 1977, et al.). Dr. Bruce Howe (1967) of Harvard University states:
"The bulk of the datable Aterian appears to be earlier than any European Solutrean. The earliest Aterian is so far undated."
In conclusion, we have four Cro-Magnon invasions (each more advanced than the last) happening over a period of just under 25,000 years--the Aurignacian, Solutrean, Magdalenian and Azilian--the last one occurring just when Atlantis was said to have subsided, and since that magic date, no more Cro-Magnon invasions. So were the Cro-Magnon’s Atlanteans?
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