Introduction:
Cro-Magnons were hunters and
gatherers that looked a lot like us
today. They were famous for their cave
paintings, shelters, and tools. Today
you will learn all about their food,
religion, clothing, tools, and more.
By : Cole , Dana ,
Spencer , and Meghan
Cro-Magnon lived up to 40,000 years
ago, towards the end of the Ice-Age. At the
beginning of their existence, they lived in
France. Then they migrated to Asia, Africa, and
Europe. Cro-Magnons only lived during the
Ice-Age. [1]
Cro-Magnons were the first people to have the
same shape and bodies and skulls as we do. CroMagnons had more rounded brain cases and
pointed chins. They had very slight eyebrow ridges,
and their foreheads were flat rather than sloping.
Their teeth, noses, and jaws were smaller than
previous early humans. This made their faces
straight rather than jutting forward. The average
male height was 70.4 inches.[2] The females was 64.8
inches. The average male weight 186 pounds. The
female was 148 pounds. [3]

Cro-Magnons lived in huts or underground
caves. Huts had grass roofs, and they were
held up (supported) by sticks. Their huts were
made from rotten wood or animal hide. The
only time Cro-Magnons lived in caves is when
the cold winter came. [4]

Wild carrots, beets, onions, turnips, cabbage,
and fruit were some of the foods women
gathered. Women also gathered shellfish and
eggs. [5] The men hunted small animals and
fish. They stored food for when winter came.
Cro-Magnons also ate ants! They would eat the
leftovers of a leopard’s prey that had been left
up in a tree. They started drinking milk around
40,000 B.C. [6]

Cro-Magnons had very busy and difficult days.
When they had good weather, they were in
festive moods. Sometimes after a hard day’s
work, they would have time to relax, which
they barely got to do with all the hunting and
gathering they did during the day. [7]

Cro-Magnons were hunters and gatherers. One of their tools
was an awl. The awl was created to make better holes in animal
hides. The Cro-Magnon also created burins that were created to
make weapons. They used animal hides to create robes, shelters,
bedding, and clothing. After a hunt, Cro-Magnons would skin
the animal, and then they would lay the animal hide on the
ground with the hair touching the ground. After that, they
would use special tools to scrape the flesh and fat of the animal
hide . Cro-Magnons are the ones who created the bow and
arrow. [8]

Cro-Magnon lived in the end of the Ice Age.
That means it was extremely hard to get a
lightning strike. They did know how to make fire,
using flint and stone to make a spark. It was hard
to start a fire, so Cro-Magnons were really excited
when a lightning strike occurred because a branch
or a tree would catch on fire . Then the CroMagnons would pick it up and bring it back to
camp. [9]

When a Cro-Magnon died, all the CroMagnons participated in the funeral. The body
was put in a grave with tools and weapons. The
Shaman (religious leader) put some ingredients
on the dead body and requested the body to
have a happy afterlife. For ceremonies, they
made flutes then played music. [11]

Based on the position of the larynx, CroMagnons were the first of our ancestors to be
capable of pronouncing clear speech so they
could develop more understanding with
language. This allowed them to have a more
productive day. Cro-Magnons had the ability
to share knowledge of hunting, gathering, and
more. [12]
The Cro-Magnons wore and made robes
from thin animal hide. Their belts were made
of thicker material. They wore animal fur and
shells for jewelry. Their necklaces were made
of stones, shells, fish bones, and bits of
eggshell. In the winter, they wore very thick fur
to keep them warm. [13]
Cro-Magnon cave paintings mostly
focused on animals and hunters . Natural
colors were the only colors they used. They
were made of minerals, such as oxide or black
manganese. Their people drawings were stick
figures, but the animal drawings were more
accurate. [14]



1. Did Cro-Magnons always live in caves? Why
or why not?
2.Name two of the things from which CroMagnons made necklaces.
3.What was one of the two minerals the CroMagnons used to paint?



1. No, only during the winter. They also had to be
careful to make certain that no wild animals were
inhabiting the caves. In the winter, the CroMagnons didn’t move around as much.
2.Fish bones and stone were two items used to
make necklaces.
3. Iron oxide and black manganese are two things
used to make paint.
In conclusion , Cro-Magnons were the most
evolved of our ancestors. They were hardworking people who lived normal lives. They
were very outgoing during their ceremonies.
Additionally, until modern humans, they were
the most intelligent of the early humans.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Kearns, Marsha, “Homo Sapien: Cro-Magnons,” Early Humans, Creative
Teaching Press, CA,1993, p. 1.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid, p. 3.
Ibid, p. 1.
Ibid, p. 4.
Ibid, p 3.
“Otzi the Iceman,” Early Human Class Presentation by Lonnie Johnson on
October 28, 2010.
Ibid.
“Cro-Magnon,” http://kidspast.com.
Ibid.
“Cro-Magnon,” http://mrdonn.org.
“Cro-Magnon,” http://studyingsocieties.com.
Kearns, p. 4.
California Visits Ancient Civilizations.
Macmillan/MacGraw Hill: New York, NY, 2007.
“Cro-Magnon.” Cro-Magnon.
http://www.earlyhumans.mrdonn.org/.
“Cro-Magnon.” Cro-Magnon.
http://www.kidspast.com.
“Cro-Magnon.” http://www.studyingsocieties.com.
Http://www.heathersanimations.com
Kearns, Marsha.“Homo Habilis.” Early Humans.
Creative Teaching Press: CA, 1993.
“Otzi the Iceman.” Early Human Class Presentation by
Lonnie Johnson on October 29, 2009.