The document provides an overview of prehistory from the Palaeolithic era to the Metal Ages. It describes key developments in early human evolution like bipedalism and tool use. Prehistoric life involved nomadic hunting and gathering, with religious beliefs emerging. The Neolithic introduced agriculture, pottery, weaving, and sedentary societies. The Metal Ages brought metal tools and weapons, long distance trade, the wheel, and the first cities, armies and monarchs. Specific to Iberia, the earliest hominid was Homo Antecessor, followed by Neanderthals and modern humans. The Neolithic saw cardium pottery and domestication. Metalworking began with copper at Los Millares,

1. PREHISTORY
1º E.S.O.
Ana María de Pablo Campos

2. Prehistory is the period in
human history before
recorded events.
To investigate Prehistory
scholars use auxiliary
sciences such as
Paleontology, Archeology
and Chronology.

3. Some common errors about Prehistory…

4. The continents did
not exist as they are
today.
In fact, the continents
are similar to what they
were 20 million years
ago.

5. Dinosaurs and hominids
coexisted during Prehistory.
In fact, dinosaurs became
extinct 65 million years ago.
The earliest hominids
appeared about 4.5 million
years ago.

6. The monkeys are the
ancestors of modern
human beings.
In fact, apes and humans
share a common ancestor
which is yet to be
determined.

7. Human evolution is a linear
process in which one
species of hominid
substitutes another.
In fact, remains of different
species of hominids have
been found, and several
coexisted in the same time
and space.

8. Stages in Prehistory
Palaeolithic (4,500,000 - 8,000 BC /BCE)
Neolithic (8,000 BC/BCE - 4,000 BC/BCE)
Metal Ages (4,000 - 1,100 BC/BCE)

9. Palaeolithic

10. Hominization process
• Bipedalism
• Release of the hands
• Opposable thumb
• Head balanced in line with back
• Transformation of the larynx
• Use of fire and tools to prepare and cook food

11. Bipedalism

12. Release of the hands
It made possible for
hominids to grasp
objects and make tools.

13. Opposable thumb
It facilitated the accurate
manipulation of objects.

14. Head in line with spine
This contributed to the
increase of cranial capacity
and the power to think.

15. Transformation
of the larynx
This contributed
to the
development of
spoken language.

16. Fire and tools used to cook
food
This led to smaller jaws
and teeth, and the
appearance of the chin and
a flat forehead.

17. Some human ancestors

19. Australopithecus
Afarensis
(4,200,000 years ago)

22. Homo Habilis
(2,500,000 years ago)

24. Homo Ergaster
TURKANA BOY
(1,800,000 years ago)

26. Homo
Neanderthalensis
(300,000 years ago)

30. Homo Sapiens
(195,000 years ago)

33. Life in the Palaeolithic period
• Predatory economy
• Nomadic society
• Utensils made of carved stone and other materials
• Invention of fire
• Religious beliefs
• Invention of art

34. Predatory economy and
nomadic society
Based on hunting, gathering,
fishing.

35. Tools made of carved stone
Bone, antlers, wood…
were used too.

36. Invention of fire
It was useful to cook,
to ward off animals,
to provide light and heat,
to dry animal skins...

37. Religious beliefs
Homo Neanderthalensis
was the first species
to practice burial rites.

38. Art
Homo Sapiens is the
only species capable
of producing art.

39. Portable art
Venus

40. Portable art
Spear thrower (15,000-13,000 BCE)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHgUMUk3YwY

41. Cave art
Paintings in Altamira cave
(15,000 B.C.E)

42. Cave art
Paintings in the Cave
of the Hands, Argentina
(13,000-9,000 B.C.E.)

43. Neolithic

44. Origin of the Neolithic

45. Life in the Neolithic period
• Productive economy
• Sedentary society
• Utensils made of polished stone
• Invention of pottery, textiles and trade
• First political or religious leaders
• Religion based on astrology, the mother goddess and
veneration of the dead

46. Productive economy
and sedentary society
Beginning of the agriculture
and the livestock farming.

47. Tools made of polished
stone
New utensils were invented.

48. Mill

49. Hoe

50. Axe

51. Scythe

52. Invention of pottery,
textiles (loom and spindle),
and barter.

53. Loom

54. Spindle

55. Pottery

56. Political and religious
leaders
They were responsible for
the defense, the
distribution of the
resources, and the
collective work.

57. Religion based on astrology,
the mother goddess,
and the deceased.

58. Art
Decorated pottery

59. Metal Ages

60. Life in the Metal Ages
• Utensils made of metal (copper, bronze and iron)
• Increase in artisan production, and agricultural surplus
• Development of long distance trade
• Inventions: wheel, plough and sail
• Emergence of cities, armies and monarchs
• First architecture (megaliths)

61. Utensils, tools and
weapons made of metal
The result was the
superiority of the societies
that understood the
metallurgical process.

62. Increase of artisan
production and
agricultural surplus

63. Development of long distance
trade
Because of the need to obtain
metals and exchange them
for other products.

64. New inventions:
the wheel,
the plough and the sail

65. First cities, armies
and monarchs

66. First forms of
architecture

67. Menhir

68. Stone
row

69. Dolmen

70. Cromlech

71. Corridor
tomb

72. Prehistory in the Iberian
Peninsula and the Balearic
Isles

73. Stages in Prehistory in the Iberian Peninsula
and Balearic Isles
Palaeolithic (1,000,000 - 5,000 BC /BCE)
Neolithic (5,000 BC/BCE - 2,500 BC/BCE)
Metal Ages (2,500 - 800 BC/BCE)

74. Life in the Palaeolithic
• The first hominid is the Homo Antecessor species (1,000,000
years ago)
• Numerous remains of Homo Neanderthalensis have been
found.
• Homo Sapiens (Man of Cromagnon) arrived 40,000 years ago.
• Cave paintings in Spain are included in the World Heritage List.

75. Homo Antecessor
is the oldest
hominid in the
Iberian Peninsula
Remains have
been found in the
Atapuerca
archeological site
(Burgos)

76. Homo Neanderthalensis
Possibly, the last members of
this species became exctint in
the Iberian Peninsula.

77. Homo Sapiens
(Man of Cromagnon)
They arrived in the
Iberian Peninsula
40,000 years ago.

78. Franco-Cantabrian
style cave paintings

79. Levantine style
paintings in rock
shelters

80. Life in the Neolithic
• The agriculture, the domestication of animals and the pottery
appeared as a result of contact with other people.
• Cardium pottery was the main art form.

81. Main Neolithic sites in
the Iberian Peninsula

82. Cardium pottery

83. Life in the Metal Ages
• Metalworking was introduced by people searching for metal, who came
from the Eastern Mediterranean region.
• Metalworking in copper was mainly focused in the culture of Los Millares
(Almería).
• Metalworking in bronze had two important focus: the culture of El Argar
and the Balearic Isles Culture.
• Metalworking in Iron was introduced by the Celtic people, and the
Phoenician and Greek colonists.

84. The
Copper
Age
Los
Millares

85. The Bronze Age
El Argar

86. The Bronze Age
Balearic Isles Culture
Taula

87. The Bronze Age
Balearic Isles
Culture
Talayot

88. The Bronze
Age
Balearic Isles
Culture
Naveta

89. The Iron
Age