Human beings during the upper Palaeolithic

This was the natural environment in which our direct ancestors, Homo sapiens sapiens also known as CroMagnon mandwelt. The archaeological evidence suggests that they lived in groups and that their sole purpose in life was not just to search for food for their own subsistence. The population of the time was organised in small groups which would plan how best to exploit the local resources (raw materials such as flint, game, fish, fruit, etc.). They settled in caves in the open air, in habitations which varied according to their function and how frequently they were used: dwellings, hunting or fishing areas, sanctuaries and assembly centres. These meeting points, such as the one that existed in Isturitz during the Gravettian and the Middle Magdalenian, were essential for forming close bonds and uniting different groups, reviving and unifying beliefs and conveying information and knowledge.