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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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