The document provides an overview of history from prehistory through the Middle Ages in 3 parts: 1) Prehistory discusses the Paleolithic, Neolithic and Metal Ages, including the transition to farming and use of metals. 2) Ancient History summarizes ancient civilizations like Greece and Rome, including the rise of democracy and conquest of territories by Rome. 3) The Middle Ages describes this period in Western Europe and Spain, covering the spread of Christianity, rise of feudalism, and Muslim and Christian rule in Spain.

1. History
Prehistory, Ancient history
and The Middle Ages

2. History is the study of things that
happened in the past.
History tells us things about how our
ancestors lived: the food they ate, the
clothes they wore and the tools they
used.
History also tells us about important
events, like the discovery of a new land
or the invention of a new machine.
The things that happened in the past
affect our world today.
History helps us to understand the
present.

3. PREHISTORY
PALEOTITHIC NEOLITHIC METAL
AGES

4. PREHISTORY
Prehistory is the oldest and longest
period of human history.
It began more than one million years
ago with the origins of the human race.
It ended about 5,500 years ago, with
the invention of writing.

5. Paleolithic (hunters)
Human prehistory began with the
Paleolithic Period.
•During this time, human beings were
nomads who moved from place to
place.
•They lived by hunting and fishing,
and by gathering plant products, like
fruits, seeds, nuts and roots.
•They also learned to use fire and to
make tools.

7. Neolithic (farmers)
The Neolithic Period began about
10,000 years ago.
•During this period, human beings
learned to cultivate plants and
raise animals.
•They became more sedentary
because they didn’t need to move
around to find food.

8. •Neolithic peoples built villages and towns.
•They also manufactured products, like
cloth, baskets and pottery.

9. The Metal Ages
The Metal Ages began about 6,000
years ago.
•During the Metal Ages people
started using metals, like copper, tin,
bronze and iron, to make tools and
weapons.
•People often used precious metals,
like gold and silver, to make jewellery.

10. • They also used wheels to create new
forms of land transport.
• People started building the first
cities.

11. SPAIN IN PREHISTORIC
TIMES

12. Paleolithic period
Some of the most important discoveries
from the Paleolithic Period are cave
paintings.
These paintings can tell us many things:
_ Paleolithic people hunted large
mammals, such as bison, mammoths and
horses.
_ They camped along large rivers and
near seacoasts.
Some of the most famous cave paintings
in the world are in the Altamira caves in
Santillana del Mar (Cantabria).

13. Paleolithic human remains

14. Neolithic period
Neolithic people built the first villages
and towns on the peninsula.
They cultivated wheat, oats and other
grains. They also raised herds of goats
and sheep.
People learned to weave natural fibres to
make cloth.
They also baked clay pots in kilns to make
them stronger.

15. Neolithic is the birth of arable
and livestock farming

16. Neolithic
Revolution
birth of arable farming birth of livestock
They realize
that from animals
temperature migrate to
seeds of
increases cooler places
trees grow
new ones
They start Men keep
to grow and raise
plants the animals
Wheat, First goat, sheep,
rice and first
domestic ox, horse
maize crops
animals and dog
sedentary

17. Metal ages
During the Metal Ages, people started
using large blocks of stone called
megaliths to build monuments. The most
important megalithic monuments in
Spain are called dolmens.

18. ANCIENT HISTORY
Ancient Greece The Roman
Empire

19. ANCIENT HISTORY
Ancient history began with the invention of
writing, about 5,500 years ago (the first
writing system was inventing in Mesopotamia).
It ended with the fall of the Roman
Empire, about 4,000 years later.
In ancient times, major civilizations developed
along large rivers in
Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China.
Later, the ancient civilizations of Greece and
Rome developed along the coasts of the
Mediterranean Sea.

20. Ancient Greece
Greek civilization began to develop
about 3,000 years ago.
The ancient Greeks were farmers, but
they also founded prosperous cities, like
Athens and Sparta.
Ancient Greeks invented democracy as a
new form of government. They were
famous for their interest in philosophy,
science and art.

21. The Roman Empire
The city of Rome was founded in 753
B.C.E.
Rome had a powerful army. They
conquered many territories in Europe,
Asia and North Africa.
The Romans spoken a language called
Latin. Many modern languages, like
Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese,
come from Latin.
The Romans built many cities with
impressive monuments, like temples,
amphitheatres, circuses, bridges and
aqueducts.

23. SPAIN IN ANCIENT TIMES
Iberians
and Celts Roman Hispania
Phoenicians, Greeks and
Carthaginians

24. Iberians and Celts
Two groups of people lived on the Iberian
Peninsula: Iberians and Celts.
The Iberians lived along the
Mediterranean coast. The Celts occupied
the northern and central areas of the
peninsula.

25. Both groups lived in small towns and
cities that were built on hills, with walls
around them for protection.
Most Iberian and Celtic people lived by
growing crops and raising animals, but
there were also many merchants and
artisans.

26. Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians
The Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians
established colonies along the eastern and
southern coasts of the Iberian
Peninsula, places like Ampurias, Cartagena
and Cádiz.
They were especially interested in buying
metals, such as silver, tin and copper.
They introduced the Iberians the use of
money.

27. Roman Hispania
The Romans invaded the Iberian
Peninsula and conquered the Iberians,
Celts and Carthaginians. Then they
named their new territory Hispania.
• Hispania was part of the Roman Empire
for more than 500 years. During that
time, people in Hispania spoke Latin and
followed Roman laws and customs.
• Today, we can see many Roman
monuments all over Spain, such as the
aqueduct in Segovia, the theatre in
Mérida .

28. Aqueduct of Segovia

29. Theatre of Mérida

30. THE MIDDLE AGES
The Middle Ages began in the 5th
century C.E. and ended in the 15th
century. During this time, Christianity
became the main religion in the old
Roman territories. A new religion, Islam,
also appeared during the Middle Ages.

31. The Middle Ages in Western
Europe
• In the beginning of the Middle Ages, there were many
wars in Western Europe. This made it difficult for
merchants to travel, so commerce decreased. Cities
became smaller and poorer and many people moved to
the countryside
• The Catholic religion became important in all aspects
of daily life.
• Society was divided into three main groups: knights,
clergy and peasants.
• A new social and economic system developed, called
feudalism.
• In the 13th century, medieval cities started growing
and becoming prosperous again.
• Beautiful new palaces, cathedrals, town halls and
other public buildings were also built.

33. The Middle Ages in Spain
Muslim Spain Christian Spain
Inside the Great Mosque of Córdoba. Romanesque church (San Martín de Frómista)
Palencia

34. Muslim Spain
In 711 C.E., Muslim armies conquered a
big part of the Spanish territory. It
was called Al-Andalus.

35. Al-Andalus was one of the most advanced
societies in Europe.
The Muslims of Al-Andalus built many
beautiful monuments, such as the
Alhambra in Granada and the Great
Mosque of Córdoba.

37. Christian Spain
• Muslims didn’t conquer the mountainous
areas in the north of the Iberian
Peninsula. In those areas, many Christians
lived and established independent
kingdoms.
• Between the 9th and the 15th centuries,
the Christian kingdoms expanded to the
south. Eventually, they reconquered the
Iberian Peninsula.
• Granada was the last Muslim kingdom on
the peninsula. It fell to the Christians in
1492.

38. • In the Christian kingdoms of the north, most
people lived in the countryside, in small towns
and villages. There weren’t many big cities.
• They built many castles, cathedrals, churches
and monasteries that we can see today. A
good example is the Gothic Cathedral of
Burgos.

39. THE END