2. • It is the dicipline that studies the past of human beings. A person
who writes history is called historian.
History helps us to understand more about ourselves. It tells us where we
come from, and explains our culture and traditions.
3. When we talk about the past we need to say when things happened.
Our calendar starts with the birth of Christ in year 1. We count
backwards from his birth to say things that happened before Christ
was born.
For things that happened before Christ was born, we add BC
to the number
For things that happened after Christ we add AD (AnnoDomini)
Attention
If the date doesn´t say AD or BC, it is always AD
5. Grouping dates
Historians like to put events that happened at around the same time into groups:
Decade: 10 years
Century 100 years
Millenium 1000 years
An era or age is a long period of time but isn´t a particular number of years
Talking about dates
To say a year we normally split it into two numbers
Example: 1492 Fourteen ninety-two
6. To study the past it is necessary to observe, interpret and read the
remains that human beings have left. These remains are the sources
that historians study to reconstruct the history. A source is anything
that gives us information about the past.
Not written
• Monuments
• Buildings
• Human or
physical remains
• Tools
• Oral testimonies
• Photographs
• Art
Written
• Newspapers
• Books
• Documents(
letters, treaties..)
• Inscriptions
• Coins
7.
8.
9. Prehistory:
- Starts with the appearance of the first human beings
- Ends with the invention of writing around 3500 BC
-It is divided into stages:
Palaeolithic Age Neolithic Age Metal Age
History
- Starts with the invention of writing and leads up to
present time
- It is divided into four stages:
Ancient history : goes up to the fall of the Roman Empire
The Middle Ages: goes up to the discovery of America
The Modern Age: goes up to the French Revolution
The Contemporary Age: is the age in which we live.
10. DEFINITION: Long period of time that starts with the appearance of the first
human beings ( 4 million?? years ago) and ended with the invention of writing
around 3000 BC.
The only data we have about Prehistory are obtained through archaeology and art.
It is divided into stages
THE STONE AGE
Palaeolithic
4 million B.C to 10.000 B.C
Neolithic
THE METAL AGE
10ooo B.C -3500 BC
Copper Age
Bronze Age
Iron Age
12. 2. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF HUMAN BEINGS
Characteristics that distinguish hominids from apes are:
More developed brain: think, speak, make tools
Bipedalism: long legs, shorter arms, curve spine
Cranial Changes: chin, vertical forehead, smaller jaw and teeth
Changes in hands: opposable thumb
17. Which of these hominids used tools?
Which of these hominids knew about fire?
18. AUSTRALOPITHECUS
Brain not very developed- small
Biped-erect walk but still climbed trees
They used tools but did not make them
Location: Africa
22. HOMO HABILIS
• Small brain, but bigger than
Australopithecus
• Biped- better adapted to walking upright
• First hominid to make tool- very simple
• Location: Africa
26. •Bigger Brain
•Mix of physical features:
Some similar to humans ( fine jaw)
and other from an older time
( protruding eyebrows)
•More developed tools
•Location: Europe Atapuerca Burgos
HOMO ANTECESSOR
28. Bigger Brain- similar to our brain
Strong complexion
Big face, protruding eyebrow,
sunken forehead, No chin
Buried their dead
Location: Africa, Europe , Asia
HOMO NEANDERTHALENSIS
29.
30.
31. HOMO SAPIENS
Spherical skull, straight forehead
Prominent chin
Developed intelligence
Tools made of stone, bone and
animal horns
Art
Location: all the continents
32.
33.
34. 3. LIFE IN THE PALEOLITHIC AGE : Economy and society
Climate
There were very cold periods
and milder periods
Food
They were predators: they
live from hunting, fishing and
gathering
Where did the live?
They were nomads and lived in
caves or shelters.
They lived in groups:
hordes tribe
Society
There was a hierarchy: some
people were more important
Task were shared: women and
men had different tasks.
Beliefs
They had
religious beliefs:
-buried their dead
-deified forces of nature
35. 3. LIFE IN THE PALEOLITHIC AGE : Skills
• First: they didn´t know how to make tools , so they used
stones and sticks
• Later: they made very simple tools hitting one stone against
another . Tools: Bifaces: (stone axes) and chips
Working with
stone
• First: they didn't know how to make fire. They got it from nature.
• Later: They learnt to make it hitting stones
• rubbing two sticks
• Important for cooking, light, heat, chasing away or trapping
animals
Making and
controlling
fire
• Hides were used as: clothes, shoes, bags,, to sleep on,
vessels…
• It was important to look after them to keep them flexible.
Animal hides
38. 3. LIFE IN THE PALEOLITHIC AGE : Art
Where did they paint?
Why did they paint? 2 theories:
1-They would be able to hunt them( magic effects)
2.They wanted to paint what they had seen ( a way of
entertainment)
Characteristics:
1.Painted individually
´2. Realistic paintings
Examples:
Altamira cave ( Cantabria)
Lascaux cave ( Francia)
3. They used: fingers, brushes
4.Painted on protruding rocks to
give impression of relief.
Walls
Ceilings
a) CAVE PAINTINGS
44. b) PORTABLE ART
PORTABLE ART
VENUS STATUES
Symbols of fertility
Feminine features
very exaggerated
Made of:
Ivory Stone Bone
Examples:
Willendorf Venus
BATONS
Pieces of bone or
horn
Shape: head of a
horse or deer
