UNIT 8: PREHISTORY
1.
THE
ORIGINS OF HUMAN BEINGS
Prehistory is the earliest,
and longest, period of history. It covers all human history until writing
was invented, about 5,000 years ago. Prehistory includes the study of hominids, the early primates, who were the ancestors of modern human beings.
As there are no written records from Prehistory, we examine remains like bones,
tools and cave paintings.
THE ORIGINS OF HUMAN BEINGS
Human beings acquired their
present-day characteristics during their slow evolution over a long period of time.
This process is called hominisation:
- As hominids learned to
walk upright on two legs, their hands became free to use tools.
- After hominids discovered
fire, they learned to cook. Consequently, they ate softer food, and their
jawbones and teeth became smaller.
- The skulls of hominids
grew bigger and their brain size also increased. This helped them to think
creatively, to acquire language and to communicate.
2.
THE
FIRST HOMINIDS
The oldest remains of
hominids have been found in Africa. Scientists believe that the ancestors
of all human beings originally lived in Africa. Fossil remains of the earliest
hominids were found in several sites in
the Rift Valley in East Africa. Some
hominids lived in Africa more than 4 million years ago. Later, there were several waves of
migration from Africa into Europe and Asia. The remains of Homo antecesor found at Atapuerca in Burgos are the
oldest on the Iberian Peninsula. Hominids first appeared in East Africa and
from there they colonised the rest of the planet. During the process they
evolved into human beings we see today.
3.
THE
PALEOLITHIC AGE
The Paleolithic Age (or “old stone” age) lasted
from 2.5 million years ago to about 10,000 years ago. There were very cold
periods when many parts of the Earth were covered in ice, but there were also
milder periods. Early humans learned to adapt to the changes in their natural
environment.
LIFESTYLE IN THE PALEOLITHIC AGE
- Early humans hunted,
fished and gathered fruit.
- They were nomads who moved
around in groups to find food.
- They lived in simple
shelters and sometimes in caves.
- They used sticks and
stones as tools. Later they made stone tools.
Unit 8: Prehistory
BELIEFS AND ART
Early humans buried dead
people with funeral objects. This shows that they had religious beliefs.
- They practised rituals to
protect themselves against natural dangers like lightning.
- They painted animals on
caves using natural materials like coal, blood and plants. It is possible that
they believed that painting was magical and led to successful hunting.
- They also made statues of
women. These were so exaggerated that it is believed they were probably
fertility symbols.
Early humans made tools
called bifaces. They hit one stone against another to make them sharp.
Then they could use them as tools to cut meat or wood.
4.
THE
NEOLITHIC AGE
The neolithic Age (or “new stone” age) began
about 8000 BC, and lasted until about 4000 BC. At the beginning of this period, the Earth’s climate became warmer.
The ice that covered parts of the Earth’s surface melted, so people lived in new types of landscapes. This led to many changes:
- People started
cultivating plants, and developed agriculture. They domesticated animals. They
could now use livestock to have meat, milk and leather when they wanted.
- Pottery was invented. They
could now use pots to transport food and water.
- Textiles and baskets were
invented.
- People made much better
tools, like ploughs and weapons, like axes.
All these changes together
were so important that we call this period the neolithic Revolution.
LIFESTYLE IN THE NEOLITHIC AGE
The Neolithic revolution caused many changes in peoples’ lives:
- People did not need to move around to find food because they now
had livestock and agriculture. They therefore
became sedentary. At first, people lived in very small settlements, but
these later became bigger.
- Population increased because people ate better food.
- Society became more complex. Some people worked as artisans, and
others worked in agriculture.
- When settlements produced more than they needed, they exchanged products with other
settlements. This was the beginning of trade.
- Specialisation appears.
The craftsmen made tools and weapons. The farmers cultivated the fields and
rose livestock.
NEOLITHIC CULTURE
Neolithic culture developed
in different places, especially where there were great river plains:
- In the Fertile Crescent, between the Nile River in
Egypt and the mouths of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
- In Asia, along great
rivers like the Ganges in India and the Yangtze in China.
- In America, agriculture
developed in Mexico and the Andes.
- In Europe there were two
areas. The first one around the Rhine River and the Danube River
and the second one around the Mediterranean Sea. Agriculture and cattle
farming were developed in both areas.
5.
THE
METAL AGE
From 4000 BC, people in the
Middle East began to make metal objects. They used fire to heat metal and turn it
into tools and weapons. The three periods of the Metal Age are named after the metals that were
used: the Copper Age (from 4000 BC),
the Bronze Age (from 3000 BC) and the Iron Age (from 1000 BC). These
periods did not begin at the same time in all parts of the world.
LIFESTYLE IN THE METAL AGE
The use of metal led to
important changes:
- Metal working was
complex, so workers became more specialised.
- Metal tools, such as the
plough, improved techniques in agriculture.
- People who had metal
weapons, like swords and spears, acquired greater power. Settlements needed
walls for protection.
- Increased trade, and the
invention of money, led to greater social differences between the rich and
poor.
BELIEFS AND ART
Enormous stones were made
into megalithic monuments. These were religious sites and tombs.
- Menhirs were single, standing stones. They were
often aligned in long lines, or in circles called cromlechs.
- Dolmens were groups of vertical stones covered by
large horizontal stones. The space inside was used for burials. Passage dolmens
were longer and had entrance passages.
6.
PREHISTORY
OF THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
THE PALEOLITHIC AGE
The oldest remains of
hominids in Europe were found at Atapuerca in Burgos. Homo Antecessor lived
there 800,000 years ago. Later hominids included Homo sapiens neanderthalensis
and then Homo sapiens sapiens.
THE NEOLITHIC AGE
The earliest Neolithic
settlements were around 5000 BC. Agriculture, the domestication of animals, and
pottery first appeared on the Mediterranean coast.
THE METAL AGE
- The Copper Age began in
about 3000 BC. There was an important settlement at Millares in Almería.
- The Bronze Age began in
about 1800 BC. They made bronze weapons in El Argar culture. There were many megalithic
monuments on the Balearic Islands.
- The Iron Age began in
about 1000 BC. The Celts entered the north of Spain and mixed with the
Iberians.
Phoenicians and Greeks
settled on the east coast. They could read and write.
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