Cro-Magnons << kroh MAG nahnz >> were prehistoric human beings who lived in Europe, Asia, and North Africa from about 45,000 to 10,000 years ago. The name comes from the Cro-Magnon rock shelter in Les Eyzies, a village in southwestern France. The first Cro-Magnon skeletons were discovered there in 1868. More than 100 Cro-Magnon skeletons have since been found. The skeletons indicate that these people were strong and had a height of more than 51/2 feet (170 centimeters). The bone structure of the Cro-Magnons was similar to that of modern people. Scientists believe that the Cro-Magnons were an early form of physically modern human being.
The Cro-Magnon people lived in Europe during the time of the last ice age. They were skillful toolmakers and hunters, producing many different tools and hunting weapons of stone, bone, and antler. They also used such tools to scrape skins, to carve wood, and to sew hides for clothing and shelter. Cro-Magnon people probably lived in tentlike shelters during the short summers, but many moved to shelter in cave openings during the harsh winters.
Cro-Magnons were accomplished artists, producing beautiful paintings and engravings of animals in caves in France and northern Spain. They also made carvings in bone and decorated themselves with necklaces and bracelets of animal bones and teeth, shells, and polished stones.
See also Cave paintings and drawings.
