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Prehistory

the period of time in the past before


people could write
Prehistory starts with the appearance of the first
hominid, 4.5 million years ago, and finishes
with the invention of the writing, 3,500 years
b.C.

This long period can be divided into 3 stages:
- Paleolithic Age
- Neolithic Age
- Metal Age


PALEOLITHIC
PALEOLITHIC means
old stone.

It starts with the
appeareance of the
first hominids (4.5
million of years ago)
and ends with the
discovery of
agriculture (7,000
years b.C.)




During that time,
humans got their food
by hunting animals, by
fishing and by
gathering fruits, nuts,
and other wild plant .

They were nomadic,
they travel from time
to time or with the
seasons to find food
and following the
animals.
They form small groups of 20 or 30 people called tribes. The
members of a tribe belong to the same family. They live up to
about 35 years because of a cold climate and common diseases.
They live in caves or huts made with sticks and the skin of the
animals
TOOLS
Men discovered that by
hitting rocks together,
they could make tools.

Tools were so important
that the material they
were made of is used to
refer to different ages of
human historythe
Stone Age, the Bronze
Age, the Iron Age, etc
FIRE
Life changed a lot for the early
humans when they discovered
how to make fire.

The fire allowed them to cook
food, warm themselves and
have light.

Fire could also be used to cut
down trees and protect against
wild animals.
ART
Around 30,000 years ago
humans begin painting on
the walls of caves.

This shows an artistic
sensibility.

Paleolithic Art
They painted
Animals: horses, deers, bisons,
mammoth, etc.
Colours: brown, black, red and
yellow made from natural
materials.
Animal hair was used to make
brushes.

They believed that painting
gave good luck in hunting
NEOLITHIC
The Neolithic Era
(New Stone Age)
begins 10,000 years
ago, when humans
invented agriculture
and livestock raising.

Neolithic people
learn how to plant
cereals and to farm
and domesticate
animals.

Neolithic times
The Neolithic Era(New Stone Age) began when humans
invented agriculture and started making tools out of metal
instead of stone.
Neolithic people learned how to farm and domesticate
animals.
Domesticate means train a wild animal to be useful to
humans.
Sheep were among the first animals to be domesticated by
humans.
A lot of Neolithic people began living in the Fertile Crescent
also known as Cradle of Civilization.it was the place
where the land was fertile (good for growing plants).

Neolithic people are not nomadic. They settle down in
towns and build houses because they have to farm and need
to be close to their fields.

They begin to form villages around the fields they farm and
near rivers. They learn how to make many new things like:
jewelry, pottery, bigger houses, better clothing, and stronger
tools.
Once people begin
building houses and
living in towns life got
easier.
They divide up the
work; some people
farm, some take care
of animals, some build
houses, some make
tools, some make
clothing, some made
pottery, etc.



Trade begins during the
Neolithic Era.

Trade is buying and
selling/exchanging goods.

During the Neolithic people
begin to trade for things they
want, so some people become
traders.

The first civilizations began
around the major rivers.
TOOLS







People use stone tools, but
they begin to be more
sophisticated, specialized, and
they are often polished to a
fine finish.
Pottery is made for the first
time during the Neolithic Age.
These pots are very simple.
ART

The human figure
becomes important in
Neolithic art, which
often paints scenes with
groups of people
hunting, farming or
dancing.

Figures in these paintings
were very schematic.
PALEOLITHIC v.s. NEOLITHIC
METAL AGE
The Age of Metals began when human beings to learn how to
use metals to make objects (5.000 years BC).
First they use copper, then bronze and finally iron.
TOOLS AND
TECHNOLOGY
Metal tools are better
than stone tools.

They are stronger and
can be sharpened.

Metal is used for:
-Tools such as ploughs
and knives
-Weapons such as
swords.
-Jewlery such as
necklace.
plough
weapons
jewlery
FIRST CITIES
Agriculture, livestock and the new technical advances,
improve peoples lives. Because of this, population increased.
Some villages become small cities with hundreds of
inhabitants.
Cities are surrounded by walls, and inside there are buildings
with different functions: houses, stores, shops or workshops.
First cities houses are small, their walls are made of adobe or
stone and their ceilings were made of straw.

The Neolithic revolution
The Neolithic Revolution is the transformation of human societies
from being hunter-gatherer based to agriculture based.
The period, which occurred between 12,000 and 8,000 years ago,
brought along many profound changes to human society and
culture.
MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS
In the late Neolithic Age, human beings built what we can
call the first monuments using big blocks of stone, called
megaliths (big stones). The main monuments are menhirs,
dolmens and cromlechs (stone circles).
MENHIRS
Menhirs are big, long
stones vertically put
into the ground.

Menhirs are probably
religious constructions
dedicated to worship
the sun.
DOLMENS
Dolmens are collective
burial places.
They are made of big,
long vertical stones
covered by several
horizontal slabs of a great
size.
CROMLENCH
Cromlechs are wide
circles formed by
several menhirs put in
round.
They were probably
used as sanctuaries
Stonehenge
Human feature of the
Neolithic Period, in Wiltshire,
England

Open Computers for
Stonehenge tour.

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