Discuss the following questions, alternately,

find answers for them:

1. When Were Cupules Made?

Cupules occur in the Pleistocene, but most are from the Holocene, and
they were made from Acheulian to Historic times. In many parts of
Europe, cupules are particularly numerous in the Metal Ages. It is therefore
false to assume that cupules are always an indication of archaic traditions. Have
been found on every continent except Antarctica, and were produced during all
three eras of the Stone Age - Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic 

2. What Are the Main Characteristics of Cupules?

Cupules are typically found in groups, often numbering several hundred in a
single location. Singletons are highly unusual. Almost all specimens are
between 1.5 and 10 centimetres in diameter, but larger examples have been
found. Average depth is between 10 and 12 millimetres (less on very hard rock)
although examples over 100 mm deep have been found. They can occur on
horizontal, sloping or vertical rock-surfaces, but very rarely on overhead rock
ceilings. Many cupules, including the oldest specimens at Bhimbetka and
Daraki-Chattan, occur on very hard, erosion-resistant rock types, such as
quartzite, gneissic granite and even crystalline quartz. some cupule-sites have
been re-worked by later artists, sometimes several thousands of years later.

3. Where Do Cupules Occur?

In general, cupules exist in nearly all of the world’s petroglyph-rich zones.They
have been discovered throughout the Americas, including, the United States,
especially in Canada,Mexico ,Costa Rica, Panama ,Colombia ,Brazil ,Argentina
,Peru,and Chile. Outside the Americas, cupules exist throughout the continent of
Asia, including India, Inner Mongolia, eastern Siberia, China, Nepal and
especially Japan - in fact, the Japanese trove is probably the best classified of all
cupule art. In the Middle East, cupules have been discovered across the Arabian
peninsula. In Europe, there are a great many specimens, and Estonian cupules
comprise all the locally known rock art. In both Macedonia and Ireland, cupules
constitute over half of all known petroglyphs. Other European sites have been
found in Italy, A huge number occur in Australia, mostly in the north, and
Tasmania, but none in New Zealand
4. What Are the Oldest Known Cupules?
The Bhimbetka and Daraki-Chattan Cupules are the oldest pieces of prehistoric
art ever found. Tracing back to 700,000 BC, they were discovered in Madhya
Pradesh in Central India. At least two of these cupules are anticipated to belong
to the Lower Paleolithic Period. Due to the immoveability of the former, the
cupules at Bhimbetka have been assigned a minimum age of 290,000 years,
which is equivalent to the latest date ever known for Acheulian debris. The
Daraki-Chattan cupule specimens (nearly 500 in total) are thought to date from
the same period, if not earlier. Archeological investigation has confirmed they
were made by humans who used chopping tools similar to the Oldowan culture
of the early Lower Paleolithic.

5. What is the Purpose of Cupules? Why Were They

Made?
Cupules are first and foremost a pattern of behaviour a pattern common to
nearly all known prehistoric cultures around the globe and this cultural
behaviour of our earliest ancestors can only be comprehended after a great deal
more research into the worldwide beliefs and values of Paleolithic Man.
Cupules have been found at Olduvai gorge in Tanzania dated to around 1.7
million years ago. These cupules were made for grinding plants, created only
for utilitarian reasons. As this idea spread, the practice spread. But eventually
something changed. The shape of cupules changed: they were made deeper and
wider