Stages of Prehistory - Brief Summary
One of the most fascinating and important historical periods in the history of our species is without doubt Prehistory, that is, those that exist before history if we use the definition of word. This means that everything is studied prior to the time the writing was createdTherefore, all the remains that are found in caves or excavations must be studied and analyzed to understand the way of life of ancient populations. In this lesson from a TEACHER we will delve into studying in a brief summary of the stages of Prehistory providing you with some important data for the comparison of these.
Index
- 1st stage of Prehistory: the Paleolithic
- Mesolithic, another of the stages of Prehistory
- Neolithic
- Age of metals
1st stage of Prehistory: the Paleolithic.
From the appearance of Homo sapiens until the year 9000 a. C. It is the period known as the carved stone or Paleolithic. It spans several areas such as Asia, Europe and Africa and coincides with the time when societies begin to
work the stone to get tools that facilitate their work, such as the creation of axes and spears for hunting, as well as other more sophisticated tools such as the creation of buttons to fasten their garments.At the end of the historical moment we will find that society had been changing and they will practically be sedentary, although they still kept some traits of nomadic society, their habitats par excellence will be the caves (where we will find the paintings).
They had an economy of hunting and gathering, where women and children worked collecting the fruits of the trees, in addition to collecting small animals from the traps, on the other hand the men were in charge of hunting large mammals and for this on many occasions they had to march several days to catch them, that is why I mentioned that nomadism had not yet stopped from the everything.
We know little about their beliefs, the only thing that anthropologists have been able to bring to light is that they worshiped nature and would perform some ceremonies to calm the gods. For this reason, it would not be surprising that in the political sphere of the group the priest had great importance, because in addition to being the elder of the group, he would have some knowledge about medicine (ointments, ...).
The hominids of this stage of prehistory provide the first tools, you can see the production of the first representative figurines of votive offerings for the gods. And one of the greatest achievements will be to see the appearance of fire and mobile elements to transport them, such as lamps, which could be made of stone or shells of various mollusks.
In this other lesson from a TEACHER we will talk to you in detail about the Palaeolithic characteristics.
Mesolithic, another of the stages of Prehistory.
We continue with this brief summary of the stages of Prehistory to speak, now, of the moment known as Mesolithic. Between the 9000 and the 5000 a. C. We will find this period, although we cannot give these dates for all places at the same time because in each place it will be given at one time or another.
What differentiates this from the previous stage is that in addition to the hunting, gathering and fishing mentioned above, we will find a small agriculture, That is, the finding of a model by which it was not necessary to move to collect food, was what would lead many civilizations to settle permanently and grow in number.
In this way, the settlements that are found will be much larger and many are the archaeologists who are dare to distinguish some classes within the groups, such as hunters, artisans, gatherers, leaders... It is say, society would begin to specialize.
In the field of beliefs it is known that the ritual to death will gain strength, that is to say, it is a time in which the member of the tribe when he dies is buried with some elements and some rituals are performed before giving his last goodbye. On the subject of art we will find a great contribution of sculptures such as the famous Venus, in addition to the representation of bison, horses ...
Neolithic.
Continuing with our brief summary on the stages of Prehistory we enter a period that includes between 5000-2,500 BC C., this stage will be known as the Polished stone age or Neolithic.
During this time we will find the full development of agriculture and livestock. So in the same way, a small-scale trade will be born where barter was the payment element.
Regarding society we will find a division by professions, as will be the merchants, officials, priests, peasants, artisans, slaves. In the same way we will find the origin of the clans or families, which had a lot of power within society.
But undoubtedly the most characteristic element of this period will be the appearance of writing, from 3000 BC. C. thus beginning the story (if we focus on the definition we gave earlier). This appeared to make lists in the temples with the products and materials they had, that is, to make inventories. It will be in Mesopotamia where it appears, being the cuneiform writing the one that would be transformed until arriving at the rest of civilizations.
On the other hand, at the end of the period we will find that a goldsmithing arises, since these towns begin to make use of metals.
In this other lesson from a TEACHER we discover a short summary of the Neolithic so that you know better everything that happened in that stage.
Image: blogdehistoria.info
Age of metals.
Although we cannot say that this stage belongs totally to Prehistory, there are many books that you will find where this stage appears, which is also known as Protohistory, that is, the beginning of History. In it appears a great technological revolution due to the handling of metals. Within this stage we will find another subdivision with the Copper Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age.
Ending with this brief summary of the stages of Prehistory we focus on seeing in a quick way that in the economic field we will find a boom in trade, which was also influenced by the improvement in navigation and the appearance of new architectural elements that aided the irrigation system for the burgeoning period of the farming.
Regarding the social issue we will find that the appearance of metals and their use for the creation of tools, made weapons one of the most coveted objects and the people who had the best weapons were the strongest, this also meant the appearance of inequalities between different populations and between the same society where the differences between poverty and wealth would increase.
Within the scope of power we will find the first extensive territorial controls, such as the Babylonian Empire. Regarding the issue of religion, the great sanctuaries appear with the different divinities, which are the protectors of the cities and within this organization a great hierarchy appears with the different priestly classes.
In this other lesson from a TEACHER we discover a summary with the ages of history.
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