Pre-history

Related Topics:
Pre-Columbian_History :: Prehistory

The word pre-history comes from the Ancient Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history. Someone called Paul Tournal first used the French word Pré-historique. He found some things from pre-history in some caves in France. The word was used in France since the 1830s to talk about the time before writing. Daniel Wilson used it in English in 1851.

It means the time before people made writing. Things from pre-history are called pre-historic. Pre-history can start at the start of the universe but the word more often means a time when there was life on Earth; dinosaurs are called prehistoric animals and cavemen are called prehistoric people. A very small amount is known about pre-history because it was not written down by the people who lived then. What we do know about pre-history we know because of things like tools, bones, and pictures in caves. Pre-history ends at different times in different places when people make writing.

In pre-history people lived in groups called tribes and lived in caves or tents (houses made from animal skin). They had simple tools made from bones and sticks that they used to hunt and to make simple things. they made fire from stones and they used fire to cook food and to keep warm. they made clothes out of animal skins that they used to keep warm. Society started when people started to do individual jobs. This is called the division of labor. The division of labor made people to depend on one another and led to advanced civilizations.

Some important sciences that are used to find out things about pre-history are palaeontology, astronomy, biology, geology, anthropology, and archaeology.

Timeline

4,500 million years ago – creation of the Earth
350 million years ago – living thing are in the seas
225 million years ago – living things are on the land
200 million years ago – dinosaurs are alive
64 million years ago – dinosaurs disappear
65 million years ago – a type of person appears
1.5 million years ago – early types of humans
30, 000 BC – modern types of people
7, 500 BC – stone age people

Timeline of People

2.5 million years ago – lower Palaeolithic age. People made tools out of bones and stones and made shelters out branches. A type of early human called an australopithicus lived.
1 million years ago – A type of early human called Homo erectus lived. People made hand axes and wooden spears.
250, 000 years ago – First Homo sapiens (modern people). People make fire. People use bolas. People hunt elephants.
100, 000 years ago – middle Palaeolithic age. People make cave bear shrines. People bury dead people. People make huts (little houses) in caves. Neanderthal people (a type of homo sapiens) lived.
40, 000 years ago – Upper Palaeolithic age. People called cro-magnon people lived. People make spears out of antlers. People make housed out of hide (animal skin). People paint pictures in caves and make things out of clay. People make needles out of antlers. People make jewellery.
16, 000 years ago – Ice age ends in Britain. People make bows and arrows. People use dogs.
10, 000 - 4, 500 BC - Mesolithic age.
8, 000 years BC – People in the Near East grow crops. People use farm animals.
7, 000 BC – People use copper to make tools.
6, 000 BC – Britain becomes detached from Europe.

4, 500 - 2, 300 - Neolithic age.

2, 580 BC – The Egyptians build the Great Pyramids in Giza. People in the Middle East use iron. People use plows.
2, 400 BC – People make Stonehenge
2, 300 - 700BC - Bronze age
700BC - 43AD - Iron age

Important Things

Stonehenge in England. It was made by Neolithic peoples ca. 4500-4000 years ago

Important Groups of People

The tribes of Britain

History

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Timeline

Timeline of People

Important Things

Important Groups of People