Fill in the Blanks LIFE DURING THE PALAEOLITHICOnline version Characteristics of the Palaeolithic period. by Alfonso Poza 1 Palaeolithic writing tools gathering nomadic Sapiens Africa archaeological ago evolution Prehistory is the period before the invention of . As there are no written records we have to study this period through remains . The process of human describes the physical changes that transformed primates into humans . The first humans appeared in 2 million years . During the men and women lived by scavenging , , hunting and fishing . They were and lived in camps or in caves . They also made the first and learnt to use fire . Around 40000 years ago , Homo created the first cave paintings .