Did cave men really exist? What are they suppose to be?

Question

Also, where on earth did they usually live and how many were there?

Answer 1

Of course they did, In some climates a cave was a reasonabl e place to live to avoid harsh weather and prowling animals.  In other climates shelters of thatch or branches were adequate,

I am not sure what you mean by your second question. They were really types of humans that might have co-existed among the later types (and then again they may have been killing and eating each other).

Answer 2

Homo erectus left Africa around 1.5M ya..the cave complex 'dragon bone lair', near modern Bejiing show evidence of seasonal occupation between 700,000 and 350,000 y BP.Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Israel andYugoslavia have caves with evidence of Neanderthal remains (tools, burials etc) from about 250,000 Y BP.(Mousterian) And the caves of Altamira and Lascaux in Spain and Italy show the 'artwork' and technology of homo sapiens from about 18,000 Y BP.(Magdalenian) Caves were used in extreme climatic conditions, but tents and huts from that era would not survive the test of time- although dwellings made from mammoth bones presumably in a tundra environment have been found in the Ukraine (18000 Y BP)

An extreme tundra environment would support 2/3 per sqkm at most. The evidence is that while neanderthalis lived in familial groups of about 10, homo sapiens recently emerged from africa lived in tribes of about 30 or so..so accelerating the development of language (to pass on tribal knowledge) and differentiation of roles within the group

Answer 3

Prehistoric man made use of natural shelters on almost every continent - just like animals do.  Some of the earliest known cave dwellings or ceremonial sites are in Southern Africa, and they are well documented and researched. The name 'cave men' is just a term used as shorthand for pre-historic man.   It is often taken to mean Neanderthals, but both they and Homo Sapiens used cave shelters.  Trogloditic dwellings have been used in many cultures right up to the present, so there are still 'cave men' about.

Answer 4

yes they did and still do in remote areas. see this link for pictures:   http://images.google.com/images?q=stone+...

Answer 5

What do you mean?

Houses had to be invented first...they don't grow on trees. Caves seem like a comfy alternative

Answer 6

Yes, they are supposed to be primitive, nomadic, hunter-gatherer man - before he learned to harness the earth for agriculture and actually form settlments instead of following the food or moving with the seasons. Caves were natural shelter.

Answer 7

Yes, Our Ancestors

Answer 8

I think they lived in plenty of other locations as well as caves.  Its just that we only really have evidence from the caves!

I think they attributed some kind of magical or spiritual significance to caves, a link to the underworld, spirits and ancestors etc!  Maybe they made so many cave paintings in order to try to "invoke" the spirits of the prey they wanted to catch the next day?  Also, caves have interesting acoustic properties that they probably thought was magical as well.  There is speculation that Stonehenge was designed to have "magical" acoustic properties!?!?!

Answer 9

Ever since the 19th century when archaeologists first began uncovering evidence of our most ancient ancestors, which archaeologists dubbed ‘cavemen’, and since they appeared to have been extremely primitive... therefore, archaeologists reasoned, they were slovenly and dimwitted. This has been the opinion held by academia which has never changed. It has been the picture given us in every classroom. Conversely, this article will demonstrate cavemen weren’t so ignorant after all. It is also doubtful they were even slovenly.

Answer 10

Yes cave-men existed. Before the invention of the house people lived in caves, they caught and killed or grew their own food, made their own tools. They lived basic lives but they were smart, which is why we are, where we are today. We may think they were idiots, but they started us off, and few off us could survive the way they did.