What is prehistory and protohistory
It is considered by prehistory and protohistory to time before the appearance of writing, that is to say, of which no type of written sources are conserved. Next, in this lesson from a TEACHER, we will explain separately what is prehistory and protohistory, taking into account that, since we have not received written sources, everything that we know today has been thanks to the archaeological finds that throughout history have been discovered, and the little that has been written and preserved of those cultures closest to these as is the case of the Celts, and especially the Greeks and Romans.
What is Prehistory.
It is known for prehistory to the period of time that goes from the appearance of man on Earth until writing arises. There are three phases in which it is divided: Paleolithic, Neolithic and Mesolithic.
Paleolithic
It is the oldest prehistoric period that spans from 2.5 million to 10,000 BC. C. and etymologically means Ancient Stone
. It is characterized among other things by the nomadismIn other words, man was constantly moving without having a fixed place to settle, guided by the search for food. His main tasks were hunting, fishing and gathering fruits.Another of the things for which they were also characterized was the manufacture of utensils and carved stone tools or bones, which were used to hunt or tear animals apart, and the appearance of first artistic manifestations located inside the caves with a magical - religious sense, such as the cave paintings of the Altamira Cave.
Mesolithic
It is the intermediate and transitional period between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic of prehistory, hence it is etymologically known as Middle age of the stone and covers from 10,000 a. C. until 7,000 a. C. It was a time that was marked by strong climate change in which the last glacial period was ended and the progressive introduction of a more temperate / warmer climate, which that caused hunting to become a scarce resource and they looked for new sources of food such as the consumption of seafood.
The microliths used for the collection and opening of the mollusks are very characteristic of this period, and those used for cutting and scraping also stood out.
Neolithic
It is the last period belonging to prehistory and covers from 7000 BC. C. until 4000 BC C. It was characterized by assuming a great advance in the life of man, with the discovery of agriculture and livestock, which allowed a sedentary lifestyle, that is, the first settlements.
The manufacture of stone utensils began to be perfected little by little at this time, hence this period is also known as New Stone Age. The man also learned to make ceramics, textiles, and how not to build his houses.
What is Protohistory.
It is known for Protohistory to the period of transition between prehistory and history, which is when the first written sources begin to appear around the 6th century BC. C. and IV a. C.
This period is sometimes also called Age of metals because in it it is true that the appearance and development of metallurgy will take place, which allowed the development of much more elaborate tools for agricultural tasks, as well as weapons mortals.
Depending on the domain of metallurgy, based on the different materials and alloys, the Metal Age is divided into three periods:
Copper age
Also called Eneolytic or Chalcolithic. Copper was the first of the metals used by man, which was molded through the technique of hammering or cold beating, since they did not know the mechanism by which to melt the metal. At this time the megaliths are also closely linked, that they were large architectural constructions whose purpose was religious - funeral; how were the menhirs Y dolmens.
Bronze age
Result of the alloy of copper with tin, which was a great advance in metallurgical techniques. It was also the time when they gave up first time burials both individually and in pairswithin the same towns. The first cultures that are known in the Bronze Age were the Mycenaean, Cretan and Cycladic and in the Iberian Peninsula the culture of El Argar in Almería.
Iron age
It is the third and last period of protohistory and culminates with the invention of writing, which is when it is considered that history begins. The advances it made in agriculture at this time, with the manufacture of plow points, allowed man could better work the land and plant cropsApart from having free time that I dedicate to making jewelry with the same material.
In this other lesson from a TEACHER we discover a summary of the ages of history.
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