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Thecaveman is astock character representative of primitive humans in thePaleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, whenNeanderthals were influentially described as "simian" or "ape-like" byMarcellin Boule[1] andArthur Keith.[2]
The term "caveman" has itstaxonomic equivalent in the now-obsoletebinomial classification ofHomo troglodytes (Linnaeus,1758).[3]
Cavemen are typically portrayed as wearing shaggyanimal hides, and capable ofcave painting likebehaviorally modern humans of thelast glacial period. They are often shown armed with rocks, cattle bone clubs, spears, or sticks with rocks tied to them, and are portrayed as unintelligent and with either an easily frightened or aggressive personality. Typically, they have a low-pitched rough voice and makevocalizations such as "ooga-booga" and grunts or speak using simple phrases.Popular culture also frequently represents cavemen as living with, or alongside of,dinosaurs, even though non-avian dinosaurs became extinct at the end of theCretaceous period, 66 million years before the emergence ofHomo sapiens. The era typically associated with the archetype is thePaleolithic Era, sometimes referred to as theStone Age, though the Paleolithic is but one part of the Stone Age. This era extends from more than 2 million years into the past until between 40,000 and 5,000 years before the present (i.e., from around 2,000kya to between 40 and 5 kya).[citation needed]
The image of these people living in caves arises from the fact that caves are where the preponderance ofartifacts have been found from European Stone Age cultures. However, this most likely reflects the degree of preservation that caves provide over the millennia, rather than an indication of them being a typical form of shelter. Until the last glacial period, the great majority of humans did not live in caves, as nomadichunter-gatherer tribes lived in a variety of temporary structures, such as tents[4] and wooden huts (e.g., atOhalo). A few genuine cave dwellings did exist, however, such as atMount Carmel inIsrael.[5]
Stereotypical cavemen have traditionally been depicted wearing smock-like garments made from the skins of animals and held up by a shoulder strap on one side, or loincloths made from leopard or tiger skins. Stereotypical cavewomen are similarly depicted, but sometimes with slimmer proportions and bones tied up in their hair. They are also depicted carrying large clubs approximately conical in shape. They often have grunt-like names, such as "Ugg" and "Zog".[6]
Caveman-like heraldic "wild men" were found in European and African iconography for hundreds of years. During theMiddle Ages, these beings were generally depicted in art and literature as bearded and covered in hair, and often wieldingclubs and dwelling in caves. While wild men were always depicted as living outside of civilization, it was not always clear whether they were human or non-human.[7]
In SirArthur Conan Doyle'sThe Lost World (1912), ape-men are depicted in a fight with modern humans.How the First Letter Was Written andHow the Alphabet was Made are two ofRudyard Kipling'sJust So Stories (1902) featuring a group of cave-people.Edgar Rice Burroughs adapted this idea forThe Land That Time Forgot (1918). A genre of cavemen films emerged, typified byD. W. Griffith'sMan's Genesis (1912); they inspiredCharles Chaplin's satiric take[8] inHis Prehistoric Past (1914), as well asBrute Force (1914),The Cave Man (1912), and later,Cave Man (1934). From the descriptions, Griffith's characters cannot talk, and use sticks and stones for weapons, while the hero ofCave Man is aTarzanesque figure who fights dinosaurs.Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels (1977–1980) is an animated comedy depicting the titular caveman as being hairy and carrying clubs, and in one episode extends this trait to other cave dwellers from his time period.[citation needed]
Griffith'sBrute Force represents one of the earliest portrayals of cavemen and dinosaurs together, with its depiction of aCeratosaurus.[9][10] The film reinforced the incorrect notion that non-avian dinosaurs co-existed with prehistoric humans.[10] The anachronistic combination of cavemen with dinosaurs eventually became acliché, and has often been intentionally invoked for comedic effect. The comic stripsB.C.,Alley Oop, the Spanish comic franchiseMortadelo y Filemón, and occasionallyThe Far Side andGogs portray "cavemen" with dinosaurs.Gary Larson, in his 1989 bookThe Prehistory of the Far Side, stated he once felt that he needed to confess his cartooning sins in this regard: "O Father, I Have Portrayed Primitive Man and Dinosaurs In The Same Cartoon".[11] The animated seriesThe Flintstones, a spoof on family sitcoms, portrays the Flintstones even using dinosaurs,pterosaurs and prehistoric mammals as tools, household appliances, vehicles, and construction equipment; some spinoffs of the series also feature Captain Caveman.[12]
