The 6 stages of Prehistory

Egypt, Greece, Rome... we know a lot about countless peoples and civilizations that preceded us, and whose role in the world ended up causing our life to be what it is now. All this is mainly thanks to the invention of writing, which allowed us to record the events that occurred in the world. It is from the invention of this that we can begin to talk about history. But.. And before that? What happened before human beings began to record in writing what happened in the world in which they lived?

Of most of the events that our most remote ancestors lived through, everything that our species lived before the invention of the writing, we can only speculate through the analysis of deposits of bones and tools, as well as a few representations artistic. Based on these elements, the human being has tried to organize a timeline that helps us understand our past, establishing different stages of prehistory.

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The main stages of prehistory: what are they?

The human being has been on earth for hundreds of thousands of years, leaving his mark. Since his appearance, our species has had to face innumerable dangers and struggled to survive. Without written documents that determine the great events that occurred between peoples and tribes, historians, archaeologists and anthropologists have divided prehistory into different stages based on the instruments and materials they used our ancestors.

It is necessary to bear in mind, however, that depending on the region of the planet we are talking about, the development of new technologies and techniques could have occurred sooner or later, there being a lag between the duration of the different ages depending on the place where we were let's find. Next we will see some of the main stages of prehistory. The dates are approximate, and can vary greatly depending on the place.

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Stone age (up to 6,000 BC) C)

The first of the stages of prehistory that has been identified is the stone age, characterized by the creation of various tools made of this material, both for hunting and other uses. Technically it would include from the appearance of the first hominids to the use of metal as a tool. Humans were grouped into small groups or clans, and were mainly nomads hunter-gatherers (although at the end of this age the first fixed settlements appeared, the agriculture and livestock). Within the stone age three great periods stand out.

1. Paleolithic (2,500,000 BC) C. -10,000 a. C.)

The Paleolithic is the first of the periods considered as prehistory, which would go from the appearance of the first tools created by hominids. It is also the longest period or stage. During this period much of Europe was frozen, being situated in the glacial stage. In this stage there were different species of hominids in addition to ours, As the Homo habilis or the Homo neanderthalensis, which would eventually become extinct.

Our diet was mainly based on gathering fruits and berries and hunting, being the hunter-gatherer human being. This stage of the stone age can, in fact, be divided into three: Lower, Middle, and Upper Palaeolithic.

The Lower Paleolithic is the period of time that comprises approximately from the appearance of the man (assumed around two and a half million years ago) to about 127,000 to. C. From this period date the first tools found, made in a rudimentary way with stone carved by friction with others.

The Middle Palaeolithic corresponds to the period that would go from that date to approximately 40,000 BC. C. This stage corresponds to the presence of Homo neanderthalensis in Europe, already existing the domain of fire, the first known funeral rites and the first ornamentation and cave paintings. The tools created used the Levallois method, which consisted in the elaboration of stone flakes that were given (at least the upper layer) shape before extracting them.

Finally, we would consider Palaeolithic superior to the period between 40,000 BC. C. and the 10,000 a. C. One of the main milestones of this stage is the migration and expansion of homo sapiens sapiens in Europe after emigrating from Africa, as well as the disappearance of the Neanderthals. Rock art becomes common and the domestication of animals such as the wolf begins.

2. Mesolithic (10,000 BC) C. - 8,000 a. C.)

The second of the periods pertaining to the Stone age, the period known as Mesolithic, corresponds largely to the end of the last Ice Age. In general, humanity was still mainly nomadic, except for a few settlements that are beginning to flourish. Indeed, the first villages begin to appear. Elaborate tools tend to shrink in size and people are less likely to seek refuge in caves. Another characteristic element is that the first cemeteries begin to be seen.

3. Neolithic (8,000 a. C.- 6,000 a. C.)

The Neolithic is the last of the Stone Age periods. This stage is characterized by the birth, expansion and progressive improvement of agriculture and livestock. The human being no longer needed to carry out large migrations in pursuit of the herds of animals to hunt, and settlements began to emerge that eventually became great civilizations.

Age of metals (6,000 a. C.- 600/200 a. C.)

The so-called age of metals corresponds to a period in which human beings stopped using stone to use metal and in which the first civilizations and cultures would begin to appear.

1. Copper Age (6,000 BC) C.- 3,600 a. C.)

Copper was one of the first metals that were used as a material to create tools, producing more efficient and cutting elements than stone. Initially it was used without melting, using the same mechanisms as with stone. Over time you would begin to experiment and metallurgy would eventually emerge.

2. Bronze Age (3,600-1,200 BC) C.)

Stage characterized by the use of bronze as a manufacturing material. In addition to bronze, other materials such as glass also began to work. During the bronze age. The cremation of the bodies of the dead and the placement of the ashes in ceramic urns are also observed. The different cultures of antiquity had already appeared, such as the Mycenaean.

3. Iron Age (1,200 BC) C.- 600/200 a. C.)

This stage is characterized by the use of iron as a material to create tools. Said use is very complex and requires a high level of technique. This stage, in fact, could already be considered within history, since some of the main civilizations of antiquity and in some places writing has existed since about the year 3,500 a. C. However, the generalization of the use of iron would not occur in Europe until the existence of the Roman Empire (one of the reasons why, although writing already existed, this stage is still considered within prehistory)

And in America?

The aforementioned stages are those that are generally used at the European, Asian and African levels. However, the stages of prehistory varied enormously in other regions of the world. An example is the prehistory that Native American peoples lived through. For example, these peoples did not begin to use iron until they were invaded by peoples from Europe. The writing as such corresponds to the last moments of the Olmecs, of which we do not have much information precisely because of this fact.

Prior to that, American culture is considered to have the following prehistoric stages.

1. Paleoindian stage (up to 10,000 / 8,000 BC) C.)

This stage is the longest in American prehistory, including everything that happened before 8000 BC. This does not mean that there were no major developments before 8000 BC. C., but there is no evidence of elements that allow a clear differentiation. Its beginnings are not clear, since it is not entirely clear when the American continent began to be populated by human beings.

It could be considered the equivalent of the Paleolithic, with its lower, middle and upper sub-periods. The existence of a population with stone tools is observed, mostly hunter-gatherers who they came to face the megafauna existing at the time. At the end of 8000 a. C. the ice began to retreat, which caused great changes in the ecosystem of many species.

2. Archaic stage (10,000 / 8,000 a. C - 1,500 a. C)

Stage that begins with the retreat of the ice from a large part of the continent. The settlers of America began to stop being nomadic hunter-gatherers to little by little begin to establish towns and the first cities. Animals and plants began to be domesticated.

3. Formative or preclassical period (between 1500 a. C. and 900 of our history)

This stage is characterized by the expansion of agriculture and the formation and apogee of the first hierarchical societies known on this continent. Among them, the Olmec civilization stands out.

4. Classic period (292 and 900)

The beginnings of this period correspond with the invention of writing in America. It is the most documented stage in pre-Columbian history, in which the Olmec civilization disappeared and one of the best-known Mesoamerican civilizations appeared: the Mayan civilization.

5. Postclassic (between 900 and the arrival of Columbus in America, in 1527)

In this last period prior to the encounter with the peoples of Europe, which in fact is already considered historical due to the fact that written records have been found. The Mayans began to decline and they appeared among other empires such as the Aztec or the Inca. Agriculture was the economic base, and there was a period of relatively frequent migration and conflict. Metallurgy and work with minerals and metals also appear for the first time.