Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period of human history prior to the advent of writing (which marks the beginning of recorded history). The word Greek has a number of meanings relating to Greece, including: Architecture of Ancient Greece Art in Ancient Greece Greek alphabet Greek colonies Cuisine of Greece Greek salad Ethnic Greek Greco-Turkish relations Greece The Greek People Greek-Americans History of Greece History of Mycenaean Greece History of Ancient... History is often used as a generic term for information about the past, such as in geologic history of the Earth. When used as the name of a field of study, history refers to the study and interpretation of the record of human societies. ... Writing is the process of inscribing characters on a medium, with the intention of forming words and other larger language constructs. ... Ancient history is from the period of time when writing and historical records first appear, roughly 5,500 years before the Common Era. ...

Eras

Prehistory, more precisely, is the period from which no known written records (including later copies) have been preserved. When did prehistory begin? People disagree. If human prehistory is defined, as presumably it should be, as the pre-literate history of Homo sapiens then at least the matter can be resolved in principle. The recent pace of progress in understanding the evolution of Homo sapiens suggests in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 years ago. Some would begin it with the first known tools, c. 2.5 million years ago at Olduvai Gorge. The first Homo erectus, around 1.5 million years ago is another possibility. Others would begin it around 40,000 BC, with the Cro-Magnons. Human evolution is a multidisciplinary scientific inquiry which seeks to understand and describe the origin and development of humanity. ... The Olduvai Gorge is a 30 mile long, steep-sided ravine, part of the Great Rift Valley which stretches along eastern Africa. ... Binomial name Homo erectus Dubois, 1894 Homo erectus (upright man) is a hominid species that is believed to be an ancestor of modern humans. ... The Cro-Magnons form the earliest known European examples of Homo sapiens sapiens, the subspecies to which modern humans belong. ...

The end of prehistory varies according to location in the world. In Egypt, it is generally accepted that prehistory would end around 3500 BC. In New Guinea, it is generally accepted that prehistory would end around 1900. Still earlier periods of time are usually known as geological history. The Arab Republic of Egypt, commonly known as Egypt, (in Arabic: مصر, romanized Miṣr or Maṣr, in Egyptian dialect) is a republic mostly located in north-eastern Africa. ... (36th century BC - 35th century BC - 34th century BC - other centuries) (5th millennium BC - 4th millennium BC - 3rd millennium BC) Events ? - Formation of the Sahara Desert 3450 (?) - Stage IId of the Naqada culture in Egypt Significant persons Inventions, discoveries, introductions ? _ Irrigation in Egypt ? - First use of Cuneiform (script) Categories... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... Geological history describes geological events that account for the straitigraphy, petrology and structure (see structural geology) seen in rocks or earth materials. ...

Since there are no written records of this time, much of the information we know about prehistory today is contributed by archaeologists and anthropologists who study skeletons and artifacts to determine what may have happened.

Age system

Prehistory is often subdivided by a three-age system. This system of classifying human prehistory creates three consecutive time periods, named for their respective predominant tool-making technologies. It should be noted that 'stone age' people were no more trying to become 'iron age' people than we are trying to become 'plastic age' people. The three-age system is a system of classifying human prehistory into three consecutive time periods, named for their respective predominant tool-making technologies: The Stone Age The Bronze Age The Iron Age It was introduced by the Dane Christian J rgensen Thomsen in the 1820s in order to classify...

Stone Age

The Stone Age is the time period during which humans created tools from stone. Wood, bone and other materials were also used, but stone (in particular flint) was more durable and was increasingly easily shaped for use as cutting tools and weapons. The date range of this period is ambiguous, disputed, and variable according to the region in question. It includes: Stone Age fishing hook. ... This page discusses common devices known as tools, for other meanings see Tool (disambiguation) Modern hammer A tool is, among other things, a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a task. ... Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North America. ... This article describes the wood that comprises trees and boards. ... Grays illustration of a human femur, a typically recognized bone. ... material is the substance or matter from which something is or can be made, or also items needed for doing or creating something. ... Pebble beach made up of flint nodules eroded out of the nearby chalk cliffs, Cape Arkona, Rügen Flint (or flintstone) is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline silica rock with a glassy appearance. ... A weapon is a tool used to kill or incapacitate a person or animal, or destroy a military target. ...

• Paleolithic – Old Stone Age. This period is the oldest part of the stone age, dating from the first use of stone tools by hominids (maybe 2,000,000 years ago) to the end of the Pleistocene epoch.
• Epipalaeolithic – characterised by the use of microliths, not distinguished by all scholars. It is the last period of the Palaeolithic according to some of the classification schemes used in archaeology.
• Mesolithic – Middle Stone Age. It began at the end of the Pleistocene epoch around 10,000 years ago and ended with the introduction of farming, the date of which varied in each geographical region.
• Neolithic – Late Stone Age, usually referring to the beginnings of agriculture. It is traditionally the last part of the stone age. It followed Pleistocene epipalaeolithic and early Holocene Mesolithic cultures with the start of farming and ended when metal tools came into widespread use in the Copper Age
• Chalcolithic or Eneolithic (also "the Copper Age") – mixed stone and metal tools, not a period distinguished by all scholars. It is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools.

The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic – lit. ... Genera Subfamily Ponginae Pongo - Orangutans Gigantopithecus (extinct) Sivapithecus (extinct) Subfamily Homininae Gorilla - Gorillas Pan - Chimpanzees Homo - Humans Paranthropus (extinct) Australopithecus (extinct) Sahelanthropus (extinct) Ardipithecus (extinct) Kenyanthropus (extinct) Pierolapithecus (extinct) (tentative) The Hominids (Hominidae) are a biological family which includes humans, extinct species of humanlike creatures and the other great apes... The Pleistocene epoch is part of the geologic timescale, usually dated as 1. ... The word epoch can mean either an interval of time, or a particular point in time used as a reference point. ... The Epipalaeolithic (or Epi-Palaeolithic, Epipaleolithic, or Epi-Paleolithic) was a period in the development of human technology that immediately precedes the neolithic period, as an alternative to mesolithic. ... A microlith is a small stone tool, typically knapped of flint or chert. ... Classification may refer to: Taxonomic classification Statistical classification Hint: Language use may refer to a taxonomic classification that is used for statistical purposes also as a statistical classification (like International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems). ... Archaeology or archæology or sometimes in American English archeology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of cultural and environmental data, including architecture, artefacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... The Mesolithic (Greek mesos=middle and lithos=stone or the Middle Stone Age) is the period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. ... The Pleistocene epoch is part of the geologic timescale, usually dated as 1. ... The word epoch can mean either an interval of time, or a particular point in time used as a reference point. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... The Neolithic, (Greek neos=new, lithos=stone, or New Stone Age) is traditionally the last part of the stone age. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... The Pleistocene epoch is part of the geologic timescale, usually dated as 1. ... The Holocene Epoch is a geologic period that extends from the present back about 10,000 radiocarbon years. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms ions (cations) and has metallic bonds, and it is sometimes said that it is similar to a cation in a cloud of electrons. ... The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos copper stone) period, also known as the Eneolithic or Copper Age period, is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 , 4, d Density, Hardness 8920 kg/m3, 3. ... Sedimentary, volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic rock types of North America. ... In chemistry, a metal (Greek: Metallon) is an element that readily forms ions (cations) and has metallic bonds, and it is sometimes said that it is similar to a cation in a cloud of electrons. ... This page discusses common devices known as tools, for other meanings see Tool (disambiguation) Modern hammer A tool is, among other things, a device that provides a mechanical or mental advantage in accomplishing a task. ... Culture refers to the customs, arts, attitudes, institutions, and other traits that characterize a particular society or nation. ...

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age began with the use of copper and bronze tools. It was a period in a civilization's development when the most advanced metalworkers developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and creating alloys such as bronze, which was much harder than any other metal naturally found at that time. The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 , 4, d Density, Hardness 8920 kg/m3, 3. ... Bronze figurine, found at Öland Bronze is the traditional name for a broad range of alloys of copper. ...

Iron Age

The Iron Age is the period in a civilisation's development at which time iron working was the most sophisticated form of metalworking achieved. It began around 1203 BC in Turkey and the Caucasus Mountains. It came later to other areas. It didn't come to Polynesia until the coming of the Europeans, between 1500 and 1750 CE. The end of the Iron age is normally defined by the appearance of written records. Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... The Republic of Turkey is a country located in Southwest Asia with a small part of its territory (3%) in southeastern Europe. ... The Caucasus is a region in West Asia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes the Caucasus mountains and surrounding lowlands. ... Polynesia (from Greek, poly = many and nesi = island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean. ... This article is about the continent. ... Events Europes population was ~60 million. ... Events March 2 - Small earthquake in London April 4 - Small earthquake in Warrington, England August 23 - Small earthquake in Spalding, England September 30 - Small earthquake in Northampton, England November 16 – Westminster Bridge officially opened Jonas Hanway is the first Englishman to use an umbrella James Gray reveals her sex to...

See also

• Prehistoric art
  • Prehistoric music
• Prehistoric warfare