History of China/Prehistoric

In archaeology, the Paleolithic Age—the earliest phase of the Stone Age—is defined as the stage of human cultural development characterized by the use of chipped stone tools. It is generally dated from approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago, spanning the geological epochs of the Pliocene and the Pleistocene. The era is typically divided into three periods—Early, Middle, and Late Paleolithic—which roughly correspond to the stages of human physical evolution: *Homo habilis* and *Homo erectus* (Early), Early *Homo sapiens* (Middle), and Late *Homo sapiens* (Late). During this period, people primarily manufactured simple tools for hunting and gathering. Taking "Peking Man" (discovered at Zhoukoudian, China) as an example, research indicates that they used stone tools and wooden sticks to hunt wild animals and gathered fruits for sustenance. They lived mainly in caves; archaeological findings within these caves—such as charcoal, ash, fire-cracked stones, and burnt bones—demonstrate that they had mastered the use of fire and felled trees for fuel. In summary, by the Early Paleolithic, humans had learned to use fire; bone tools appeared during the Middle Paleolithic; and by the Late Paleolithic, humans were capable of making simple composite tools and had begun to form matrilineal clans. Yuanmou Man, Lantian Man, and Peking Man all belong to this era.