7 Common Misunderstandings About the Stone Age

The Stone Age spans over 95% of human history, starting at least 2.6 million years ago with the discovery of the first stone tools, and ending around 3300 BCE with the onset of the Bronze Age and the advent of metal tools. To make things clearer, we divide the Stone Age into three main phases: the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), and Neolithic (New Stone Age).

Given the vast amount of time that has passed, we might assume that our world has little in common with that of our ancestors. However, as we will explore, many of our basic needs remain strikingly similar, particularly when it comes to satisfying our love for delicious meats and comforting carbohydrates. Here are several prevalent myths about the Stone Age, inspired by an episode of Misconceptions on YouTube.

Myth: Stone Age medical practices were nonexistent.

Over the years, archaeologists have discovered more than 1500 Neolithic skulls across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, many of which have holes in them. Some researchers believe this points to an early form of trepanning, a once-common procedure in which a hole would be drilled or cut into a person's skull to relieve pressure after an injury.

New bone growth around the edges of the holes indicates that some of these individuals may have actually survived for months or even years after the procedures. Archaeologists have even found a cow skull with a similar hole, suggesting either Stone Age veterinarians were at work, or that the animal was used for practice.

Some of the skulls show signs of brain disease or head trauma, which may have prompted early practitioners to resort to such procedures. However, in other cases, no prior injuries were found, leading many to believe these procedures were performed as part of rituals.

Prehistoric people might have been more focused on dental care than we once thought. In 2017, an international team of researchers reported finding two teeth in Italy that date back 13,000 years. The incisors had holes chiseled into them, with diseased tissue scraped out, likely using a sharp stone. The teeth were then packed with bitumen, a waterproof tar. While it's unclear, researchers believe this could have been an early attempt at dental fillings. Just be grateful we have anesthesia today.

Myth: Stone Age food was completely unrecognizable.

It seems that prehistoric meals weren’t all that different from your last takeout. In 1991, a 5300-year-old mummy was discovered in a glacier in Europe. The mummy, named Ötzi, had the contents of his stomach analyzed, revealing remnants of goat meat. While this wasn’t unusual, it was soon discovered that the meat wasn’t cooked, but dry-cured—essentially, Ötzi’s last meal was goat bacon.

We also know that late Stone Age cooks were using many of the spices you have in your kitchen today. Fossilized turmeric, capers, and coriander have been found in ancient cooking vessels, along with charred meat and fish. Even older, pots discovered in Germany dating back around 6000 years contain traces of garlic mustard seeds and possibly deer meat. This marks the earliest evidence of spice use in food. Archaeologist Hayley Saul, who led the research, explained that these findings shift our view of our ancestors. According to Saul, these meals weren’t just about sustenance—they were also about enjoying food and experimenting with new flavors.

You might think, based on the Paleo Diet, that people of the Stone Age lived on heaps of steak and never touched grains, but that's another misconception. Understanding prehistoric diets is an ever-evolving field, and trends likely changed over time. What we do know is that grains were part of the diet. Ötzi had einkorn wheat in his stomach, and there’s evidence that some groups were making bread as far back as 14,000 years ago, well before the rise of agriculture. Imagine it like a multigrain flatbread—top it with roasted gazelle, and you’ve got yourself a Paleolithic wrap.

Myth: Life in the Stone Age was always serious and full of hardship.

Regarding bread: given the time and effort required to make it, as well as the difficulty in sourcing the ingredients, scientists believe bread was often prepared for feasts and celebrations. While it’s easy to picture Stone Age life as a non-stop cycle of hunting, scarcity, and struggle, there was certainly room for some festive moments along the way.

In the late Neolithic period, the areas surrounding Stonehenge were likely the site of large feasts and celebrations, drawing visitors from all parts of what is now the United Kingdom. Archaeologists have discovered tens of thousands of animal bones in the area, many of which were from young pigs, around 9 months old, showing clear signs of butchery and scorch marks, suggesting they were roasted.

Further research suggests that the pigs were likely consumed during a midwinter festival. It’s believed that around a tenth of the population of Britain at the time might have attended this grand feast, with some of the pigs sourced as far away as Scotland. Besides marking the midwinter celebrations, the food may have also been consumed by early humans as they constructed the enigmatic Stonehenge.

With all that roasted pig, you’d probably want a drink to go with it. While beer is usually associated with the early Bronze Age, about 5000 years ago, a team of scientists, led by Li Liu from Stanford University, believes they discovered traces of prehistoric beer at a Natufian burial site in a cave near Haifa, Israel. This ancient brew was made from wheat and barley and stored in 25-inch-deep stone mortars that were likely used for food storage around 13,000 years ago. The scientists note that it was weaker and more porridge-like than modern beers, but it was still a fermented grain-based beverage that was quenching thirsts long before the earliest recorded beer.

Myth: Most of life took place in caves.

It’s not entirely a misconception that Stone Age people lived in caves and wandered around grunting while carrying large clubs. Some of these things certainly happened at various points in time. However, this doesn’t account for the entire 2+ million-year span of the era. During the early Neolithic period, around 4000 to 3600 BCE, people built their own free-standing homes, complete with fireplaces. Evidence shows that many also contributed to the construction of large timber halls for their communities, remnants of which have been uncovered across the UK. One such house, found in North Yorkshire, dates back more than 10,000 years when Britain was still connected to mainland Europe. According to a report from the University of Manchester, scientists determined that generations of hunters inhabited this house for periods ranging from 200 to 500 years, during which it was periodically repaired and rebuilt.

The findings, reported in 2010, highlight how some of the hunter-gatherers after the last Ice Age, who were once thought to be nomadic, might have actually formed stable communities and developed a stronger connection to their land than previously believed.

Myth: We know exactly who were the first to settle in the Americas.

You might have been taught in school about the theory of the Bering Strait crossing. It suggests that, around 13,000 years ago, a group of Stone Age people, known as the Clovis culture, crossed the land bridge that once connected Siberia to Alaska. From there, they spread across North and South America over the following centuries.

However, it’s likely that people had already been making their way across the Americas long before that.

In 2015, archaeologists uncovered stone tools and the remains of animals and plants in Monte Verde, Chile, dating back around 15,000 years. This means that prehistoric humans had already reached South America some 2,000 years prior to the arrival of the Clovis people.

In Florida’s Aucilla River, researchers discovered additional tools and mastodon bones buried in a 30-foot sinkhole, which date back roughly 14,500 years.

However, news in 2020 dramatically shifted our understanding when researchers revealed the discovery of limestone tools in a cave in Mexico, dating back an astounding 33,000 years. Although not all archaeologists agree with this finding, it suggests that the people responsible for these tools might have arrived on the continent via the Pacific coast, further challenging and reshaping our theories of early human migration.

Misconception: Women in the Stone Age weren’t active participants in the action.

In 2018, archaeologists in Peru uncovered the remains of what initially appeared to be a prehistoric male hunter, who was buried with weapons and other tools typical of hunter-gatherers from around 9,000 years ago. The discovery seemed like an ordinary burial of a prominent figure. But upon closer inspection, they noticed that the bones were lighter than expected.

After further analysis, they realized the skeleton actually belonged to a young woman, between 17 and 19 years old. This suggests that some women in Stone Age societies were involved in hunting and bringing down large game.

This young hunter isn’t an outlier; other female skeletons found across the Americas were also buried with hunting tools. This evidence challenges the traditional view of men being the sole hunters in Stone Age societies, suggesting that the reality is far more nuanced.

Even as Stone Age societies transitioned to farming during the Neolithic period, women remained crucial to the survival of their communities. Their work on early farms was likely demanding, as studies of skeletons from a prehistoric agricultural society, dating back around 7400 years, revealed that the arm bones of these women were 11 to 16 percent stronger than those of the women from Cambridge's 2017 championship rowing team.

Misconception: Neanderthals were hunched, brutish creatures.

Modern culture often depicts Neanderthals as short, thick-browed brutes, hunched over and covered in matted, mud-covered body hair. But that portrayal is far from accurate.

A 2019 study from the University of Zurich used computer modeling of a Neanderthal skeleton found in La Chapelle-aux-Saints, France, in the early 20th century. Their analysis suggests that this individual had similar lower back and neck curvatures to ours, meaning he likely stood upright like modern Homo sapiens. Additionally, Neanderthals may not have been as hairy as we once thought—perhaps not much more so than we are today.

The question of how much hair Neanderthals had—whether they were furry or closely resembled modern humans—is still a matter of debate. A 2003 study proposed that they might have had sparse, 1.5-inch hairs across their bodies, providing the warmth of a light layer of clothing for cold Ice Age nights. But they were likely not as covered in hair as some might believe. It’s possible we may never know exactly what they looked like, since no Neanderthal has ever been perfectly preserved.

While humans didn’t evolve directly from Neanderthals, many of us still carry some Neanderthal DNA, thanks to interspecies intermingling. Unless you’re of entirely African descent, you likely have about 1 to 4 percent Neanderthal DNA in your cells. Scientists have also discovered that some of these gene variants can influence various aspects of modern life, like your tendency to smoke, your susceptibility to sunburn, or even your risk of depression.