Prehistory It is the part of History that studies the life of primitive man, from his appearance on Earth, to the invention of writing. It covers the longest period of human development, during which the first advances were made, such as the appearance of language and the domestication of animals and plants.
Taking into account the materials used in the manufacture of utensils and weapons, the cultural degrees reached and the ways of life, Prehistory has been divided into two ages:stone age and metal age .
1. The stone age in prehistory
It is the part of Prehistory in which man preferably used stone as a material to make his utensils, tools, weapons and other daily instruments. Two important periods can be distinguished in this age:the Paleolithic and the Neolithic .
1.1 The paleolithic period
In prehistory it is the period of carved stone . It covers from the origins of human history to 10 thousand years BC. At that time stone was the main material used to make knives, points, spears and scrapers. Sometimes the stone was used as it was found in nature and other times they were carved, with the help of stones harder than flint.
Paleolithic man They had the following characteristics:
- In this period of prehistory they lived in caverns or caves , which is why they are also known by the name of cave or troglodyte.
- They fed on roots, wild fruits, seeds, etc. They hunted wild animals and fished in rivers and lakes. They were gatherers, hunters and fishermen.
- They covered their bodies with the skin of the animals they hunted.
- They learned to carve stone to make their utensils and weapons. They also carved the bones and wood with which they made awls, harpoons and daggers.
- They moved constantly from one place to another, in search of food. They were nomads or wanderers.
- They discovered fire, whether caused by lightning, volcanic lava, burning coal, or rubbing flint and iron pyrite.
- It was organized into small groups called clans. The clan was led by the strongest.
- In their moments of rest they drew and painted on the walls and ceilings of the caves. These works of rock art , which have reached our times, reproduced scenes from their daily life. The Altamira cave paintings are famous (Spain), discovered in 1879.
1.2 The Neolithic Period
It is the period of polished stone in prehistory. It ranges from 10 thousand years B.C. until 3 thousand years B.C. During that period important changes occurred that transformed human life.
Neolithic man had the following characteristics:
- he began to build his first homes , generally crude, gradually leaving the caverns. The most curious houses were built on the sunken piles of lakes in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. These constructions are called stilt houses . They also built megalithic monuments, such as dolmens (stone tables) and menhirs (rows, circles or rows of stones), possibly to perform certain cults.
- he used some vegetable fibers , such as linen in the manufacture of fabrics, which began to be used in the manufacture of dresses, instead of animal skins.
- he learned to polish the stone to make utensils, weapons and tools from him. Polishing was done by filing the stone with wet sand or by rubbing harder stones. At that time, the ax with a handle appeared, which facilitated the felling of trees and the construction of houses.
- He discovered agriculture, in a rudimentary and casual way, with the intervention of women. It is possible that when transporting or consuming the wild fruits, they inadvertently dropped some of them on moist soil and that when the seed germinated, they saw it grow.
In this way the cultivation of the fields began in prehistory. originally pointed sticks were used to remove the earth where the seeds were thrown. Later the plow was invented, pulled by animals.
- he Tamed some animals with which he organized the current livestock. In this way he domesticated the sheep, the dogs, the goat, the pig and the ox. At the end of this period the wheel appeared, revolutionizing exchange and communication with them.
- He became sedentary , thanks to agricultural and livestock activity. From then on he ceased to be a wanderer because agriculture and livestock required a lot of care and vigilance in the countryside. Naturally, this change was initially carried out in small groups and would gradually spread to others.
- Socially a greater organization emerged . The men who lived off the land were concentrated in ever larger groups. An authority was created within the group. This is how the leaders were born, supported by a warrior class and the producers, who worked the land for the benefit of all.
- Ceramics were invented by hardening the clay, by heat action of fire.
2. The age of metals in prehistory
The need to have materials harder than stone and the search for precious metals led man to discover other metals, around the year 4000 BC. This new moment of humanity has been divided into three ages:copper age, bronze age and iron age .
2.1 The Copper Age (4000 BC)
Copper is the first metal to replace stone. Its use spread rapidly due to its easy obtaining and its great malleability; that is, it could be worked and modeled without much difficulty. In addition, it could be found in a pure state, that is, separated from other minerals.
As the demand for copper increased, it had to be searched in the deposits. There it was mixed with other minerals. To separate it, fire was used. This is how metallurgy was born.
2.2 The Bronze Age (3000 BC)
The need to harden copper led to a series of tests of alloys with other metals. Mixing 90% copper with 10% tin, bronze was obtained. With this new alloy began to manufacture new weapons, ornaments and utensils.
2.3 The Iron Age (1500 BC)
With the knowledge of iron man greatly improved his tools and weapons. The domain of nature was made with less effort and culture reached a remarkable development. It was precisely the Hittites the first to use it. Later it was known in Asia Minor and Europe.
The use of this metal had a double effect on humanity. On the one hand, industries such as pottery and the manufacture of metal instruments began to be created. Thus the trade was born. Dense populations form cities and culture expands.