Troglodyte cave - Expo Paris 1889

The Exhibition shows us a specimen of this dwelling: without doubt, it appears quite miserable; there, at least, the Troglodytes, that is to say the cave dwellers (this is the name given to the men of that time), no longer had anything to fear from the wind, the rain, the ferocious animals; thanks to the relative safety they now enjoyed, they were able to make the first discoveries, improve their tools, substitute polished stone for split stone: this is the second age of humanity.

With the aid of polished stone tools, man could cut wood and work it, and consequently undertake a thousand tasks the very thought of which was forbidden to him; for the first time, he could think of building his own home and adapting it to his needs, instead of simply accepting the one nature offered him, with all its disadvantages.

The invention of polished stone thus brought about a first revolution in the history of human habitation.

© L'exposition de Paris - 1889