Prehistory 24757 224374622 2008-07-08T16:01:41Z PMDrive1061 5403765 Rm. vandalism {{for|a timeline of events in the early history of the universe and prehistoric Earth|Early prehistory}} [[Image:Stonehenge.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Stonehenge]], England, erected by [[Neolithic]] peoples ca. 4500-4000 years ago. [[Archaeology]] is often an important field when it comes to understanding prehistory.]] '''Prehistory''' ([[Latin]], ''præ'' = before [[Greek language|Greek]], ιστορία = [[history]]) is a term often used to describe the period before [[Recorded history|written history]]. [[Paul Tournal]] originally coined the term ''Pré-historique'' in describing the finds he had made in the caves of [[southern France]]. It came into use in [[French language|French]] in the 1830s to describe the time before writing, and was introduced into [[English language|English]] by [[Daniel Wilson]] in 1851. Prehistory can be said to date back to the beginning of the [[universe]] itself, although the term is most often used to describe periods when there was [[life]] on [[Earth]]; [[dinosaur]]s can be described as prehistoric animals and [[caveman|cavemen]] are described as prehistoric people. Usually the context implies what [[geologic time|geologic]] or [[Three age system|prehistoric]] time period is discussed, f.e. "prehistoric [[miocene]] apes", about 23 - 5.5 Million years ago, or "[[Middle Palaeolithic]] ''Homo sapiens''", 200000 - 30000 years ago. Because, by definition, there are no written records from prehistoric times, (or at least there are none known to still exist down to this day) the information we know about the time period is informed by the fields of [[paleontology]], [[biology]], [[palynology]], [[geology]], [[archaeoastronomy]], [[anthropology]], [[archaeology]] and other natural and social sciences. In societies where the introduction of writing is relatively recent, [[Oral history preservation|oral histories]], knowledge of the past handed down from generation to generation, contain records of "prehistoric" times. The term became less strictly defined in the 20th century as the boundary between history (interpretation of written and oral records) and other disciplines became less rigid. Indeed today most [[historians]] rely on evidence from many areas and do not necessarily restrict themselves to the historical period and written, oral or other symbolically encoded sources of communication; in addition, the term "history" is increasingly used in place of "prehistory" (e.g. [[History of Earth]], [[history of the universe]]). Nevertheless, the distinction remains important to many scholars, particularly in the social sciences. The primary researchers into [[Human]] prehistory are prehistoric [[archaeologists]] and physical [[anthropologists]] who use excavation, geographic survey, and scientific analysis to reveal and interpret the nature and behavior of pre-literate and non-literate peoples. Human prehistory differs from history not only in terms of [[chronology]] but in the way it deals with the activities of [[archaeological culture]]s rather than named [[nation]]s or [[individual]]s. Restricted to material remains rather than written records (and indeed only those remains that have survived), prehistory is anonymous. Because of this, the reference terms used by prehistorians such as [[Neanderthal]] or [[Iron Age]] are modern, arbitrary labels, the precise definition of which is often subject to discussion and argument. The date marking the end of prehistory, that is the date when [[List of languages by first written accounts|written historical]] records become a useful academic resource, varies from region to region. In [[Egypt]] it is generally accepted that prehistory ended around 3200 BCE whereas in [[New Guinea]] the end of the prehistoric era is set much more recently, 1900. ==Stone Age== ===Paleolithic=== {{main|Paleolithic|Recent African Origin|Early Homo sapiens|Early human migrations}} [[Image:Map-of-human-migrations.jpg|thumb|400px|Map of early [[human migrations]], according to [[Mitochondrial DNA|mitochondrial]] [[population genetics]]. Numbers are [[millennia]] before the present (accuracy disputed).]] "Paleolithic" means "Old Stone Age." This was the earliest period of the [[Stone Age]]. The [[Lower Paleolithic]] predates ''Homo sapiens'', beginning with ''[[Homo habilis]]'' and the earliest use of stone tools some 2.5 million years ago. ''[[Early Homo sapiens|Homo sapiens]]'' originated some 200,000 years ago, ushering in the [[Middle Paleolithic]]. Sometime during the Middle Paleolithic, humans also developed [[Origin of language|language]], [[origin of music|music]], [[prehistoric art|early art]], as well as systematic [[paleolithic burial|burial of the dead]]. Humans spread from East Africa to the Near East some 80 millennia ago, and further to southern [[Asia]] and [[Australasia]] some 60 millennia ago, northwestwards into [[Europe]] and eastwards into [[Central Asia]] some 40 millennia ago, and further east to [[the Americas]] from ca. 15 millennia ago. The [[Upper Paleolithic]] is taken to begin some 40 millennia ago, with the appearance of "high" culture. Expansion to [[North America]] and [[Oceania]] took place at the climax of the most recent [[Ice Age]], when today's temperate regions were extremely inhospitable. By the end of the Ice Age some 12,000 [[Before Present|BP]], humans had colonised nearly all the ice-free parts of the globe. Throughout the Paleolithic, humans generally lived as [[nomad]]ic [[hunter-gatherer]]s. [[Hunter-gatherer#Social_structure|Hunter-gatherer]] societies have tended to be very small and egalitarian, though hunter-gatherer societies with abundant resources or advanced food-storage techniques have sometimes developed a sedentary lifestyle, complex social structures such as chiefdoms, and [[social stratification]]; and long-distance contacts may be possible, as in the case of [[Indigenous Australian]] "highways." ===Mesolithic=== {{main|Mesolithic}} [[Image:Canoe.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Dugout canoe]].]] The "Mesolithic," or "Middle Stone Age" (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] "''mesos''," "middle," and "''lithos''," "stone") was a period in the development of [[human]] [[technology]] between the [[Paleolithic]] and [[Neolithic]] periods of the [[Stone Age]]. The Mesolithic period began at the end of the [[Pleistocene]] epoch, some 10,000 BP, and ended with [[Agriculture#History|the introduction of agriculture]], the date of which varied by geographic region. In some areas, such as the [[Near East]], agriculture was already underway by the end of the [[Pleistocene]], and there the Mesolithic is short and poorly defined. In areas with limited [[glacial]] impact, the term "[[Epipaleolithic]]" is sometimes preferred. Regions that experienced greater environmental effects as the [[last ice age]] ended have a much more evident Mesolithic era, lasting millennia. In Northern Europe, societies were able to live well on rich food supplies from the marshlands fostered by the warmer climate. Such conditions produced distinctive human behaviours which are preserved in the material record, such as the [[Maglemosian]] and [[Azilian]] cultures. These conditions also delayed the coming of the Neolithic until as late as 4000 [[BCE]] (6,000 [[Before Present|BP]]) in northern Europe. Remains from this period are few and far between, often limited to [[midden]]s. In [[forest]]ed areas, the first signs of [[deforestation]] have been found, although this would only begin in earnest during the [[Neolithic]], when more space was needed for [[agriculture]]. The Mesolithic is characterized in most areas by small composite [[flint]] tools — [[microlith]]s and [[microburin]]s. [[Fishing tackle]], stone [[adze]]s and wooden objects, e.g. [[canoe]]s and [[bow (weapon)|bow]]s, have been found at some sites. These technologies first occur in [[Africa]], associated with the [[Azilian]] cultures, before spreading to [[Europe]] through the [[Ibero-Maurusian]] culture of [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]], and the [[Kebaran]] culture of [[Palestine]]. Independent discovery is not always ruled out. ===Neolithic=== {{main|Neolithic Period}} "Neolithic" means "New Stone Age." This was a period of primitive [[technological]] and [[social]] development, toward the end of the "[[Stone Age]]." Beginning in the 10th millennium BCE (12,000 BP), the Neolithic period saw the development of early [[village]]s, [[agriculture]], [[animal]] [[domestication]], [[tool]]s and the onset of the earliest recorded incidents of warfare.<ref>http://perfectirishgifts.com/blog/2008/06/prehistoric_massacres_the_twin.html</ref> {{main|History of Agriculture}} A major change, described by prehistorian [[Vere Gordon Childe]] as the "[[Neolithic Revolution|Agricultural Revolution]]," occurred about the 10th millennium BCE with [[Agriculture#History|the adoption of agriculture]]. The [[Sumerians]] first began farming ca. 9500 BCE. By 7000 BCE, agriculture had spread to [[India]]; by 6000 BCE, to Egypt; by 5000 BCE, to China. About 2700 BCE, agriculture had come to [[Mesoamerica]]. Although attention has tended to concentrate on the [[Middle East]]'s [[Fertile Crescent]], archaeology in the [[Americas]], [[East Asia]] and [[Southeast Asia]] indicates that agricultural systems, using different crops and animals, may in some cases have developed there nearly as early. the development of organised [[irrigation]], and the use of a specialised [[workforce]], by the [[Sumerians]], began about 5500 BCE. Stone was supplanted by bronze and iron in implements of agriculture and warfare. Agricultural settlements had until then been almost completely dependent on [[Rock (geology)|stone]] tools. In [[Eurasia]], [[copper]] and [[bronze]] tools, decorations and weapons began to be commonplace about 3000 BCE. After bronze, the Eastern [[Mediterranean]] region, [[Middle East]] and [[China]] saw the introduction of [[iron]] tools and weapons. [[Image:World 1000 BCE.png|thumb|right|300px|The technological and social state of the world, circa 1000 BCE.]] The Americas may not have had metal tools until the [[Chavín culture|Chavín]] horizon (900 BCE). The [[Moche]] did have metal armor, knives and tableware. Even the metal-poor [[Inca]] had metal-tipped plows, at least after the conquest of [[Chimor]]. However, little archaeological research has so far been done in [[Peru]], and nearly all the ''[[khipus]]'' (recording devices, in the form of knots, used by the Incas) were burned in the [[Spanish conquest of Peru]]. As late as 2004, entire [[cities]] were still being unearthed. The cradles of early [[civilization]]s were [[river]] [[valley]]s, such as the [[Euphrates]] and [[Tigris]] valleys in [[Mesopotamia]], the [[Nile River|Nile]] valley in [[Egypt]], the [[Indus River|Indus]] valley in the [[Indian subcontinent]], and the [[Yangtze]] and [[Yellow River]] valleys in [[China]]. Some nomadic peoples, such as the Indigenous Australians and the [[Bushmen]] of southern Africa, did not practice agriculture until relatively recent times. Before 1800, most populations did not belong to [[state]]s. Scientists disagree as to whether the term "[[tribe]]" should be applied to the kinds of societies that these people lived in. Some tribal societies transformed into states when they were threatened, or otherwise impinged on, by existing states.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Agriculture made possible complex societies — [[civilizations]]. States and markets emerged. Technologies enhanced people's ability to control [[nature]] and to develop [[transport]] and [[communication]]. ==Bronze Age== {{main|Bronze Age}} [[Image:Maler der Grabkammer des Sennudem 001.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Ox]]-drawn [[plow]], [[ancient Egypt|Egypt]], ca. 1200 BCE.]] The term '''Bronze Age''' refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced [[metalworking]] (at least in systematic and widespread use) included techniques for [[smelting]] [[copper]] and [[tin]] from naturally-occurring outcroppings of copper ores, and then smelting those ores to cast [[bronze]]. These naturally-occurring ores typically included arsenic as a common impurity. Copper/tin ores are rare, as reflected in the fact that there were no tin bronzes in Western Asia before 3,000 BC. The Bronze Age forms part of the [[three-age system]] for [[prehistory|prehistoric societies]]. In this system, it follows the [[Neolithic]] in some areas of the world. The Bronze Age is the earliest period of which we have direct written accounts, since the invention of [[writing]] coincides with its early beginnings. ==Iron Age== {{main|Iron Age|Classical Antiquity}} In [[archaeology]], the '''Iron Age''' was the stage in the development [[ferrous metallurgy]]. The adoption of [[iron]] coincided with other changes in some past societies often including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles, which makes the archaeological Iron Age coincide with the "[[Axial Age]]" in the history of philosophy. ==Timeline of Human Prehistory== {{see|Timeline of human evolution}} {{Mergefrom|Timeline of early prehistory|date=May 2008}} All dates are approximate and conjectural, obtained through [[Anthropology]], [[Archaeology]], [[Genetics]], [[Geology]], or [[Linguistics]]. They are all subject to revision due to new discoveries or improved calculations. BP stands for "Before Present." ;[[Paleolithic]] * c. [[120,000 BP]] - Modern [[Homo sapiens]] appears in Africa. * c. [[300,000 BP]] to [[30,000 BP]]. [[Mousterian]] ([[Neanderthal]]) culture in [[Europe]].<ref> Shea, J. J. 2003. Neanderthals, competition and the origin of modern human behaviour in the Levant. ''Evolutionary Anthropology'' 12: 173-187. </ref> * c. [[75,000 BP]] - [[Toba catastrophe theory|Toba Volcano]] supereruption.<ref>{{cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title=Mount Toba Eruption - Ancient Humans Unscathed, Study Claims | date= | publisher= | url =http://anthropology.net/2007/07/06/mount-toba-eruption-ancient-humans-unscathed-study-claims/ | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2008-04-20 | language = }}</ref> * c. [[70,000]] - [[50,000]] BP - [[Homo sapiens]] move from [[Africa]] to [[Asia]].<ref> This is indicated by the M130 marker in the [[Y chromosome]]. "Traces of a Distant Past," by Gary Stix, ''Scientific American'', July 2008, pages 56-63.</ref> In the next millennia, these human group's descendants move on to southern [[India]], the Malay islands, [[Australia]], [[Japan]], [[China]], [[Siberia]], [[Alaska]], and the northwestern coast of [[North America]].<ref> Ibid. </ref> ;[[Mesolithic]] * c. [[32,000 BP]] - [[Aurignacian]] culture begins in Europe. * c. [[30,000 BP]] / [[28,000 BCE]] - A herd of [[Reindeer]] is slaughtered and butchered by humans in the Vezere Valley in what today is [[France]].<ref> Gene S. Stuart, "Ice Age Hunters: Artists in Hidden Cages." In ''Mysteries of the Ancient World'', a publication of the National Geographic Society, 1979. Pages 11-18. </ref> * c. [[28,500 BCE]] - New Guinea is populated by colonists from [[Asia]] or [[Australia]].<ref> James Trager, ''The People's Chronology'', 1994, ISBN 0805031340 </ref> * c. [[28,000 BP]] - [[20,000 BP]] - [[Graveltian]] period in Europe. Harpoons, needles and saws invented. * c. [[26,000 BP]] / c. [[24,000 BCE]] - Women around the world use fibers to make baby-carriers, clothes, bags, baskets and nets. * c. [[25,000 BP]] / [[23,000 BCE]] - A hamlet consisting of huts built of rocks and of [[mammoth]] bones is founded in what is now [[Dolni Vestonice]] in [[Moravia]] in the [[Czech Republic]]. This is the oldest human permanent settlement that has yet been found by archaeologists.<ref> Gene Stuart, Ibid., page 19. </ref> * c. [[20,000 BP]] or [[18,000 BCE]] - [[Chatelperronian]] Culture in France.<ref> ''Encyclopedia Americana'', 2003 edition, volume 6, page 334. </ref> * c. [[16,000 BP]] / [[14,000 BCE]] - [[Wisent]] sculpted in clay deep inside the cave now known as Le Tuc d'Audoubert in the French Pyrinees near what is now the border of [[Spain]].<ref> Gene S. Stuart, Ibid., pp 8-10. </ref> * c. [[14,800 BP]] / [[12,800 BC]] - The Humid Period begins in North Africa. The region that would later become the [[Sahara]] is wet and fertile, and the [[Aquifer]]s are full.<ref> "Shift from Savannah to Sahara was Gradual," by Kenneth Chang, ''[[New York Times]]'', [[May 9]], [[2008]]. </ref> ;[[Neolithic]] * c. [[8000 BCE]] / [[7,000 BCE]] - In northern [[Mesopotamia]], now northern [[Iraq]], cultivation of [[barley]] and [[wheat]] begins. At first they are used for [[beer]], [[gruel]], and [[soup]], eventually for [[bread]]..<ref>Kiple, Kenneth F. and Ornelas, Kriemhild Coneè, eds., The Cambridge World History of Food, Cambridge University Press, 2000, p. 83</ref> In early agriculture at this time, the [[Planting stick]] is used, but it is replaced by a primitive [[Plow]] in subsequent centuries.<ref> "No-Till: The Quiet Revolution," by David Huggins and John Reganold, ''Scientific American'', July 2008, pages 70-77. </ref> Around this time, a round stone tower, now preserved to about 8.5 meters high and 8.5 meters in diameter is built in [[Jericho]].<ref> Fagan, Brian M, ed. ''The Oxford Companion to Archaeology'', Oxford University Press, Oxford 1996 ISBN 978-0521402163 p 363</ref> ;[[Chalcolithic]] * c. [[3700 BCE]] - [[Cuneiform]] writing appears and records begin to be kept. * c. [[3000 BC]] - [[Stonehenge]] begins to be built. In its first version, it consisted of a circular ditch and bank, with [[56]] wooden posts.<ref> Caroline Alexander, "Stonehenge," ''National Geographic'', June 2008. </ref> ==By region== ;Old World *[[Prehistoric Africa]] **[[Predynastic Egypt]] **[[Prehistoric Central North Africa]] *Prehistoric Asia **East Asia: ***[[Prehistoric China]] ***[[Prehistoric Thailand]] ***[[Prehistoric Korea]] ***[[Japanese Paleolithic]] ***[[East Asian Bronze Age]] ***[[Chinese Bronze Age]] **South Asia ***[[South Asian Stone Age]] ***[[Prehistory of Sri Lanka]] **[[Prehistory of Central Asia]] **[[Prehistoric Siberia]] **Soutwest Asia (Near East) ***[[Aurignacian]] ***[[Natufian culture]] ***[[Ubaid period]] ***[[Uruk period]] ***[[Ancient Near East]] **[[Prehistoric Caucasus]] ***[[Prehistoric Armenia]] *[[Prehistoric Europe]] **[[Paleolithic Europe]] **[[Neolithic Europe]] **[[Bronze Age Europe]] **[[Iron Age Europe]] **[[Atlantic fringe]] ***[[Prehistoric Britain]] ***[[Prehistoric Ireland]] ***[[Prehistoric Iberia]] **[[Prehistoric Balkans]] ;New World *[[Pre-Columbian Americas]] **[[Prehistoric Southwestern Cultural Divisions]] **[[2nd millennium BC in North American history]] **[[1st millennium BC in North American history]] **[[1st millennium in North American history]] *[[Prehistoric Australia]] ==See also== *[[Archaeoastronomy]] *[[Archaeology]] *[[Anthropology]] *[[Holocene]] *[[Paleoanthropology]] *[[Archaic Homo sapiens]] *[[Prehistoric art]] *[[Prehistoric life]] *[[Prehistoric music]] *[[Prehistoric warfare]] *[[Prehistoric Medicine]] *[[Periodization]] *[[Synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures]] *[[Three-age system]] *[[Younger Dryas]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.science.ulster.ac.uk/cma/slan/ Submerged Landscapes Archaeological Network] *The Neanderthal site at [http://www.geocities.com/patrickbringmans/veldwezelt-hezerwater.html Veldwezelt-Hezerwater], Belgium. *[http://www.northpacificprehistory.com North Pacific Prehistory] is an academic journal specialising in Northeast Asian and North American archaeology. *Prehistory in Algeria and in Morocco [http://www.neolithique.eu/index.html] *[http://sd71.bc.ca/sd71/school/courtmid/Library/subject_resources/socials/early_humans.htm Early Humans] a collection of resources for students from the Courtenay Middle School Library. {{Polytonic|}} [[Category:Prehistory| ]] [[Category:Periods and stages in archaeology]] [[Category:Anthropology]] {{Link FA|sr}} [[als:Ur- und Frühgeschichte]] [[ar:ما قبل التاريخ]] [[ast:Prehistoria]] [[bn:প্রাক-ইতিহাস]] [[be:Першабытнае грамадства]] [[br:Ragistor]] [[ca:Prehistòria]] [[cs:Pravěk]] [[da:Menneskets urhistorie og forhistorie]] [[de:Urgeschichte]] [[et:Esiaeg]] [[es:Prehistoria]] [[eo:Prahistorio]] [[fa:پیش از تاریخ]] [[fr:Préhistoire]] [[fy:Klassike Aldheid]] [[hr:Prapovijest]] [[id:Prasejarah]] [[is:Forsögulega tímabilið]] [[it:Preistoria]] [[he:פרהיסטוריה]] [[sw:Kabla-ya Historia]] [[ht:Preyistwa]] [[ku:Pêşdîrok]] [[la:Praehistoricum aevum]] [[lv:Aizvēsture]] [[lb:Virgeschicht]] [[lt:Priešistorė]] [[hu:Őskor]] [[nl:Prehistorie]] [[ja:先史時代]] [[no:Oldtiden]] [[nn:Førhistorisk tid]] [[nrm:Préhistouaithe]] [[oc:Preïstòria]] [[pms:Preistòria]] [[pl:Prehistoria]] [[pt:Pré-História]] [[ro:Preistorie]] [[ru:Первобытное общество]] [[scn:Preistoria]] [[simple:Pre-history]] [[sl:Prazgodovina]] [[sr:Праисторија]] [[su:Prasajarah]] [[fi:Esihistoria]] [[sv:Förhistorisk tid]] [[ta:தொல் பழங்காலம்]] [[th:ยุคก่อนประวัติศาสตร์]] [[vi:Tiền sử]] [[tr:Prehistorya]] [[uk:Первісне суспільство]] [[ur:زمانہ قبل از تاریخ]] [[zh:史前史]]