The oldest man to have been found in France
was the Homo Erectus, who lived around 950,000 BC. Many cultures
followed in the years to come, each leaving distinct traces
of their existence. After the Ice Age, man began to settle
down more permanently as the concept of agriculture began
to flourish. The Old Stone or Paleolithic Age (50,000 BC-8000
BC) cultures, left evidence of their existence through a series
of artistic cave wall paintings, some of which can be seen
to this day at Lascaux in the Dordogne region of south-west
France. The culture that followed belonged to the Middle Stone
(Mesolithic) Age (8000 b.C. - 4000 b.C.). These people, unlike
their ancestors, left fewer traces of their time here behind.
Evidence of the New Stone or Neolithic Age (4000 BC –
2000 BC) culture however is still present today in the thousands
of incredible stone monuments that can be found around the
country. Examples include the menhirs found in Brittany and
southern France and the dolmens found in the Loire
Valley, the Parisian Basin, and Champagne.
During the Iron Age (8th-2nd century
BC) the Celts came over from Central Europe and settled in
Gaul. Theirs was a much more advanced and sophisticated culture
than those of the Stone Age. Also known as the Gauls, they
developed techniques of working with iron and dominated Gaul
during much of this period.
