CroMagnon

Cro-Magnon is a common name used to describe the fossils of early Homo sapiens discovered in Europe. The original fossils were found in 1868 in a cave called the Abri de Cro-Magnon, near the village of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac in the Dordogne region of France. These remains, which included several adults and an infant, are among the oldest anatomically modern human fossils found in Europe, dating back approximately 40,000 to 30,000 years ago.

The term "Cro-Magnon" was once used by some scientists to designate a distinct subspecies of Homo sapiens, Homo sapiens cro-magnonensis. However, modern paleoanthropology generally considers these fossils to be simply early examples of Homo sapiens, indistinguishable from later modern humans in terms of their fundamental biology. The physical characteristics observed in the Cro-Magnon remains, such as a robust build and prominent brow ridges, are within the range of variation seen in modern human populations and are not indicative of a separate species or subspecies.

The people referred to as Cro-Magnons lived during the Upper Paleolithic period. They were hunter-gatherers who coexisted with other hominin species, such as Neanderthals, though the exact nature of their interactions remains a subject of research. The archaeological sites associated with Cro-Magnon have yielded significant evidence of advanced tool-making, art, and symbolic behavior, including cave paintings, engravings, and personal ornaments, which are crucial for understanding the development of human culture.