Hi all, been reading here for a couple of weeks
and really enjoying it (even the arguments ... er,
uh, i mean heated discussions :)

I have some questions, for anyone here but
especially for Amadeus (guten tag, by the way --
uh, that's about all the Deutsch i happen to
sprechen).

Mostly what i want to ask about is this matter of
"large prey animals" and "Germanic warriors" and
all that thread.

I'm just a mom, with only a high school education,
so please forgive me if/when i mangle the facts,
but i thought "paleolithic" referred to a time a
couple of million years before there was such a
creature as "Germanic warriors" and Tacitus and
Vikings and cultivated grains.   Aren't we here to
discuss what foods were eaten by our ape
ancestors, pre-human ancestors, and early human
ancestors?    On an evolutionary time scale it
seems to me that the Vikings and Romans and
Germanic warriors are, relatively speaking, our
contemporaries, and can in no way be considered
ape, pre-human, or early human.    If i'm wrong
about this, i would really appreciate it if
someone would tell me.

And regarding the "large prey animals," i fail to
see how these can be considered to have
constituted the bulk of the diet for our ape
ancestors, pre-human ancestors, and early human
ancestors.   If by "paleolithic" we are referring
to the time of the first stone tools and first
stone weapons, it seems to me that those sorts of
things were not suited to hunting "large prey
animals."    Unless of course "first stone tools
and first stone weapons" included spears, in which
case i obviously need to revise my definition of
what sorts of things constitute "first stone tools
and first stone weapons."

(By the way, i'm sorry to be so repetitive, but
i'm really trying to pin down exactly what is it
we're talking about, and i'm trying to be clear
and to learn.  Thanks for your patience,
everyone.)

So i'm confused as to what is meant by
"paleolithic" and "paleonutrition."    How long
ago are we talking about?   Are we talking about
our EARLIEST ape/pre-human/human ancestors?
Because if we are, then i fail to comprehend how
"large prey animals" could possibly have
constituted the bulk of their diet -- it doesn't
seem possible to me (though perhaps my imagination
is very limited) that our earliest
ape/pre-human/human ancestors could have brought
down a mastodon by flinging pebbles at it.

Another question (sort of off-topic, sorry) -- are
we (us, here, today) still living in the Holocene
epoch of the Quaternary period of the Cenozoic
era?   (Inquiring minds want to know.)

Another question -- back to the matter of "large
prey animals" and my doubts regarding their being
on the menu for our earliest ape/pre-human/human
ancestors ....    could you please read through
the following list and tell me which (if any) of
these can be considered "true paleofoods."
Because i really want to know


Eohippus (ancestor of horse)  --- Eohippus was
about the size of a fox, so not exactly a "large
prey animal")
Protylopus (ancestor of camel) -- also about the
size of a fox
Miacis (ancestor of cats and dogs) -- about the
size of a weasel
Ferret
Weasel
Mink
Chinchilla
Ermine
Lemming
Marmoset
Potto (and other Lorisidae)
Muskrat
Chipmunk
Squirrel
Opossum
Porcupine
Echidnae
Rat
Mouse
Shrew
Mole
Bat
Bird
Turtle
Tortoise
Fish
Crayfish ("crawdad")
Eel
Hare
Rabbit
Snake
Lizard
Salamander
Newt
Worm
Grubs of various sorts
Ants
Insects
Ticks
Fleas
Lice
Termites
Slugs
Snails
Monkeys
And of course other apes/pre-humans/early humans
Tidepool  creatures such as limpets, barnacles,
anemone, abalone, clams, whelks, starfish, etc.
And plant foods -- leaves (especially grasses,
which are the most plentiful form of leaves)
Bark
Tubers
Berries
Nuts
Fruits
Vegetables (which ones? i have no idea)

Tell me please, wouldn't the animals and plants on
this list form the main bulk of the diet of our
earliest ape/pre-human/human ancestors?  ( And
remember i am NOT talking about the Vikings and
those oft-cited Germanic warriors.)

In other words, can the foods on this list be
considered "the true paleofoods" ?

Thank you all for the information and the very
entertaining discussion!

Regards,
Emily <-- hoping no one will notice any
misspellings, inconsistencies in syntax and/or
grammar, inaccuracies, and/or flaws in logic  :)