Prehistory and the Development of Human Civilization

Posted on Oct 19, 2024 in Geography

Prehistory: A Journey into the Past

Concept

Prehistory encompasses the vast period before written records emerged, dating back approximately 6 million years. This era, preceding the advent of writing, is dedicated to reconstructing human life before historical documentation.

Sources

Our understanding of prehistory relies on various sources:

  • Human Remains: Bones, teeth, and other bodily remains offer insights into diet, cause of death, and certain customs.
  • Artifacts: Utensils, tools, and dwellings reveal technological advancements and lifestyles.
  • Environmental Elements: Caves and other environmental features reflect the surroundings in which humans lived.

Disciplines

  • Archeology: Studies artifacts, art, and remains to understand past societies.
  • Anthropology: Analyzes the biological and social aspects of humanity.
  • Ethnography: Examines customs and traditions of different cultures.
  • Paleontology: Studies fossils to determine the age of remains and understand past life forms.

Dating Methods

Paleontology utilizes various techniques, including carbon-14 dating, to estimate the age of remains, allowing us to trace events up to 50 million years ago.

The Origin of Mankind

Scientists believe that apes and humans share a common ancestor. This ancestor diverged into two branches: apes and hominids. One hominid lineage eventually evolved into Homo sapiens, modern humans. While Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis were once considered direct ancestors, they are now recognized as distinct species.

Culture and Civilization

13th Century

Culture was associated with art, science, and knowledge refinement, while civilization represented a socially advanced state.

20th Century

Culture and civilization became intertwined with the concept of progress, often used synonymously. European societies were considered civilized due to their developed cities and industries.

Present Day

Culture encompasses all human creations, while civilization refers to a broader cultural unity that can encompass multiple nations.

Theories of Human Origin

Unique African Origin

This theory posits that Homo sapiens originated in Africa around 200,000 years ago and subsequently migrated to Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas.

Regional Continuity

This theory suggests that Homo sapiens evolved from Homo erectus simultaneously on multiple continents.

Monogenist-Asiatic Theory (Alex Hrdlička)

This theory proposes that the first Americans migrated from Mongolia in Asia approximately 14 million years ago.

Oceanic Theory (Paul Rivet)

This theory suggests that the Americas were populated by migrants from Australia, Polynesia, Melanesia, Mongolia, and the Ural Mountains at different times, with the initial migration from Oceania occurring around 25,000 years ago.

Paleoindian Period (11,500-10,000 BP)

  • Lifestyle: Hunting megafauna
  • Tools: Bifacial points, Clovis points

Pre-Early Period (10,700 BP)

  • Lifestyle: Incipient agriculture
  • Tools: Arrow points, small grinding stones

Pre-Late Period (7,500 BP)

  • Lifestyle: Slash-and-burn agriculture, harvesting
  • Tools: Side-worked projectile points

Early Ceramic Period (5,000-2,500 BP)

  • Technology: Polished stone tools, simple ceramics

Late Ceramic Period (2,500-450 BP)

  • Agriculture: Crops in Las Vegas region
  • Crafts: Polychrome ceramics, metalwork

The Stone Age

Paleolithic (2.1 million – 50,000 BP)

  • Tools: Rough stone tools, use of intestines and tendons for yarn and fibers
  • Features: Cave shelters, hunting, fishing, and gathering, high infant mortality, short lifespans (rarely exceeding 35 years)

Mesolithic (50,000 – 10,000 BP)

  • Tools: Hooks and nets
  • Features: Fish and shellfish diet, beginnings of sedentary lifestyle near rivers, transitional period between Paleolithic and Neolithic

Neolithic (10,000 – 4,000 BP)

  • Tools: Polished stone, wood, and bone tools, invention of ceramics
  • Features: Emergence of tribes, agricultural revolution, social division of labor, megalithic monuments

The Metal Age

Copper Age (4,000 – 3,500 BC)

  • Technology: Copper worked by cold hammering, discovery of melting and molding
  • Locations: Anatolia (modern Turkey), Middle East
  • Objects: Rings, axes, bowls

Bronze Age (3,500 – 1,200 BC)

  • Technology: Bronze (alloy of copper and tin)
  • Objects: Weapons, farming tools, religious objects
  • Locations: Far East and Middle East

Iron Age (2,000 – 1,500 BC)

  • Technology: Iron (abundant and heat-resistant)
  • Objects: Household items, weapons, agricultural tools
  • Locations: Near East and ancient Greece

Artistic Legacy

  • Metalwork: Zoomorphic gold figures, earrings, breastplates
  • Sculpture: Metates, anthropomorphic and animal figures
  • Glyptics: Stone, pearl, or ivory ornaments
  • Pottery: Fine ceramics with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic motifs
  • Textiles: Decorated cotton blankets (precursors to molas)

Timeline of Human Development

  • 2.3-1.8 million years ago: Homo habilis makes tools.
  • 1.5 million – 50,000 years ago: Homo erectus migrates out of Africa.
  • 230,000 – 28,000 years ago: Homo neanderthalensis populates Europe.
  • 200,000 years ago: Anatomically modern Homo sapiens appears.
  • 50,000 years ago: First signs of culture in Homo sapiens.
  • 30,000 years ago: Oldest cave paintings found.
  • 11,500 years ago: Evidence of the oldest settlements in Panama.
  • 9,000 years ago: Beginning of the Neolithic revolution.
  • 7,000 years ago: First domestication of plants.
  • 6,000-5,000 years ago: Copper Age, the first part of the Metal Age.
  • 5,500-3,200 years ago: Bronze Age, significant advancements in casting.
  • 4,000-3,500 years ago: Iron Age, development of iron tools and weapons.
  • 2,000 years ago: Formation of farming villages in the central region.
  • 1,250 years ago: Beginning of the chiefdom period.
  • 900 years ago: Peak of metallurgy in Panama.