Prehistory began over 2.5 million years ago with the emergence of the first humans and ended around 3500 BC with the development of writing systems. During this time, humans evolved from hunter-gatherers to early agricultural societies. Prehistory is divided into periods including the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic. In the Palaeolithic, humans lived nomadic lifestyles and created tools from stone, bone, and wood. The Neolithic period saw the development of farming and permanent settlements. Metals like copper, bronze, and iron were introduced and new technologies led to social changes and early trade networks and cities.

1. UNIT 1.- PREHISTORY

2. GETTING STARTED…
WHY WE STUDY HISTORY.
To explain the main developments and events that
took place in the past. This can also help us to
understand the political, social and economic situation
today.
History is a social science that studies mankind´s
past (pasado humanidad):
• what their society was like;
• what economic activities they had;
• what customs they held;
• how they though;
• and also how they expressed themselves artistically.

3. HISTORICAL SOURCES.
To study the past, historians obtain information from
a variety of sources:
• material sources (tools, buildings, weapons…)
• oral sources (oral or written description of an
event)
• written sources (books, inscriptions…)
• visual and audiovisual sources (photographs,
videos…).

4. What type of historical source can you see?

5. PUTTING HISTORICAL FACTS IN CONTEXT
Historians use different units of time to describe how long an event
occurred for. The most basic units are:
There are also different ways of calculating historical time:
– Before and after the birth of Christ. For example, the invention of writing in
3500 BC (before Christ) or the discovery of America in AD 1492 (Anno
Domini).
– Before the present (years ago). Sometimes historians choose to avoid using
BC or AD. They refer to how many years have passed since a historical event
took place. So, instead of saying “writing first appeared around 3500 BC”,
we can say “writing first appeared about 5519 years ago”
UNITS OF TIME
YEAR 365 DAYS
LUSTRUM 5 YEARS
DECADE 10 YEARS
CENTURY 100 YEARS
MILLENIUM 1.000 YEARS

6. PREHISTORY HISTORY
Before the
invention of
writing
After the
invention of
writing
PERIODS OF HISTORY
To make studying History easier, we divide it into different periods.
3.500 BC

7. PERIODS OF HISTORY: TIMELINE
1. Prehistory (2.5 million years ago-3500 BC)
2. Ancient History (3500 BC-476 AD)
3. Middle Ages (476 AD-1492 AD)
4. Modern Period (1492-1789)
5. Contemporary Age (1789-present day).

8. PREHISTORY
(2,5 million years ago - 3.500 BC)
Before the invention of writing

9. 1. PREHISTORY
Is an extremely long period of time.
It begins with the appearance of the first
humans (over 2.5 million years ago in Africa) and ends
when humans began to write (about 5.500 years
ago).
But… Do you know when can we talk about
the appearance of the first humans?
To answer the question, take a look to the
following slide.

10. HUMAN EVOLUTION
The appearance of genus homo = Start Prehistory

11.  Australopithecus is the first primate who began to stand upright
and walk on two feet (bipedalism), who had opposable thumbs
and increased brain size and capacity.
 This process by which these primates changed physically is called
human evolution (hominización in Spanish language): a very slow
process, during which some species coexisted. The only species that
survived was Homo sapiens (to which modern-day humans belong
to).
Bipedalism
Opposable thumbs
HUMAN EVOLUTION: CHARACTERISTICS

12. PERIODS OF PREHISTORY
Prehistory is divided into different periods of time depending on the advances in technology
PREHISTORY
STONE AGE
2.500.000 – 7.000 years ago
PALAEOLITHIC
2.500.000 – 10.000
years ago
LOWER MIDDLE UPPER
NEOLITHIC
9.000 – 7.000
years ago
MESOLITHIC
10.000 – 9.000 years
ago
METAL AGES
7.000 – 3.500 years ago
COOPER
7.000 – 5.000
years ago
BRONZE
5.000 – 3.500
years ago
IRON
3.500
years ago

13. PALAEOLITHIC PERIOD
Is the largest (2500000-10000 years ago) and oldest period of Prehistory.
The term Paleolithic means old stone (carved stone)
• People lived in small tribes. Cooperation was essential to their survival. They
protected each other, developed hunting strategies and passed on
knowledge. These activities contributed to the development of language.
• They were nomads. They did not have permanent settlements
(asentaminetos) and travelled around in search of food. They sheltered
(refugiaban) in caves and built temporary huts (refugios).
• They were hunter-gatherers (cazodores-recolectores). They did not know
how to produce their own food. They gathered fruit, consumed carrion and
hunted or fished.
• They performed tasks as a group. Labor division between men and women.
• They mastered fire. They used it for heat and light, cooking, sending smoke
signals, hunting and defending themselves against wild animals. Gathering
around a fire helped build relationships and encouraged communication.

14. PALAEOLITHIC TOOLS
• Made of wood, bone or stone. The most used stone was chert
(sílex), who was beaten to carve.

16. PALAEOLITHIC ART
 CAVE PAINTINGS (arte rupestre), such as the Altamira cave
paintings (Cantabria, Spain)
 PORTABLE ART (arte mobiliar), consisted of carvings (tallas) and
sculptures made of stone, bone or clay. Two types of figurines:
The figures were paintings in several
colours (especially ochre, red and black).
The most common subjects were
animals such as bison, horses or
mammoths.
It is believed the paintings had a
religious meaning: by painting the animal,
the artist may have believed they would
be easier to hunt.
 Female
figurines or
Venus.
Symbolised fertility.
 Animal
figurines:
horses and
bison.

17.  Activity (05/03/2108)
This is a video in which you can observe the beauty of the old Altamira
caves modelated and painted in their interior during the Paleolithic.
(Note: This is the replica in the museum , but you can perfectly figure out
how the pictures were)
http://almusociales.blogspot.com.es/p/1-eso.html
• 1. Where is the cave of Altamira located?
• 2. Is the museum far away from the original cave?
• 3. Why was the original cave closed for some years?
• 4. When were they painted?
• 5. Who actually discovered these paintings?
• 6. Why are these figures considered three-dimensional?
• 7. What kind of animal is frequently represented?
• 8. Are there any other paintings apart from animals?
• 9. Why are these caves so important?

18. NEOLITHIC PERIOD
9000-7000 years ago
The term Neolithic means new stone (polished stone)
• The Neolithic period began about 9 000 years ago
(following a short transition period called the Mesolithic period) with
the appearance of agriculture and livestock farming.
• During the Neolithic period, humans went from being nomadic
hunter-gatherers to sedentary producers. This change is also
known as the Neolithic Revolution.
• Although we are going to study with detail the characteristics of
this period of time, the most important changes in Neolithic
were:
• People lived in permanent settlements = appearance of the first
villages.
• They were sedentary.
• They were able to produce their own food = agriculture and livestock
farming.

19.  Humans learned to produce their own food by farming the land and
domesticating animals.
 This important change allowed humans to settle in one place and to
abandon nomadic life: sedentary style of life.
 The result was the appearance of the first villages. These settlements were
usually composed of huts and were located near rivers.
 People began to store and exchange surplus food, so trade developed.
 Societies became more complex and hierarchical. Some settlements had
leaders and other important people who managed resources.
 There was a division of labour, as different people performed
different tasks. Tasks were probably divided up between men and
women. Women were responsible for arable farming and making cloth
and pottery. Men were responsible for livestock farming and
manufacturing tools.
 Neolithic people had two main religious practices. They
worshipped (veneraban o adoraban) the dead and buried (enterraban) them
with their possessions. They also worshipped the forces of nature in order
to improve their harvests (cosechas).
HOW LIFE CHANGED IN NEOLITHIC PERIOD

20. NEOLITHIC TOOLS
• Stones was not only carved, but also polished.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWEuoyNsfzA
• New tools were developed:
Sickles (hoz) to cut crops and hoes (azada) to turn the earth
Pots to transport food and drinkBaskets to transport and store objects
Loom (telar) to make cloths

21. NEOLITHIC ART
Paintings were done on stone surfaces
in shelters or in shallow caves (not inside deep
caves). This is known as rock painting.
The most common subjects: hunting,
gathering food and ceremonial dancing.
The figures were painted in a schematic style.
(less realistic than in Paleolithic period).
They were usually painted in only one colour,
normally black (unlike the paintings of the Paleolithic,
with several colours).
The largest concentration of Neolithic rock
paintings in the world are found in the east of the
Iberian Peninsula (places such as Albarracín, in
Teruel, or Alpera in Albacete).
ROCK PAINTING
A hunting scene from La Valltorta caves, Castellón
NEOLITHIC FEMALE FIGURINE
Catal Huyuk, Turkey
CERÁMICA CARDIAL
(Spanish language)

22. CERÁMICA CARDIAL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=494Ddh8E988

23. METAL AGES
7000-3500 years ago
• Periods during which people began to make tools from metal.
• This brought about (trajo consigo, dió lugar) many technological
advances which brought about many social and economic changes.
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=rwCM0eKlBRQ

24. As you know, the metal ages are divided into three stages:
 The COOPER AGE (began 5.000 BC in Fertile Crescent).
 Cooper is a soft metal, which is easy to work into shape
 The BRONZE AGE (began 3.000 BC in the Near East).
 Bronze is an alloy (aleación) of cooper and tin (estaño). It is harder
than cooper and it was used to make stronger tools.
 The IRON AGE (began 1.200 BC in Anatolia).
 It is a harder metal than the other ones. It was used to make stronger
weapons.

25. • New trade routes were created as people travelled to find
new sources of metal to make tools. This travelling helped
spread different cultures.
• Trade produced wealth and villages grew significantly,
giving rise to the first cities, which were often protected by
defensive walls.
• There was a specialization of labour. This meant that new
types of professions, such as merchants, metal workers and
warriors, began to appear.
• Metal became a symbol of wealth, as people who owned
metal weapons and tools were more powerful than those
who had stone weapons.
• War became a means of expanding and controlling territory.
• Private property and economic inequality between people
became more common. This meant that the structure of
society became even more hierarchical.
Economic and social changes

26. New tools: technological advances
Metal work
Metal plough
Wheel
Sailing sail

27. CURIOSITIES
Beautiful jewel
Rich man burialPoor man burial
Stronger weapons

28. MEGALITHIC ART
• Megaliths are monuments built using large stones. They are the first
known examples of architecture. They were created during the end of
Neolithic period and in the Metal Ages.
• Megalithic monuments can be classified as:
MENHIRS
Large vertical
stones embedded
in the ground.
They could stand
alone or in a line
with others.
They were used
for ceremonies.
DOLMENS
A large, flat,
horizontal stone
laid on
vertical stones.
They were used
as burial places.
STONE CIRCLES
(CRÓMLECH)
Several menhirs
placed in a circle
They were used
for ceremonies
PASSAGE
TOMBS
Similar to a
dolmen, but
with one or
more chambers
and a passage
at the entrance
They were used
for burials

29. SUMMARY WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME IN PREHISTORY
PALAEOLOTHIC NEOLITHIC METAL AGES
WHERE THEY
LIVED
In caves or huts Permanent settlement:
villages
Permanent settlement: cities
LIFESTYLE Nomad.
Labour division between
men and women.
Sedentary.
Complex society
and hierarchical.
Labour division
Sedentary.
Complex society and
hierarchical.
Specialization of labour: new
professions.
HOW THEY
OBTAINED FOOD
Hunting- gathering Agriculture
Livestock farming
Agriculture.
Livestock farming
Trade (from other places).
MAIN
INVENTIONS
Fire and stone tools. Agriculture, livestock farming,
new tools (sickles), new jobs,
pottery (ceramica cardial).
Metals, wheel, metal work,
metal plough.
ART Cave painting: several
colours, animals and
religious meaning
Portable art
Rock painting: one colour,
animals, ceremonial dancing
and schematic style.
Portable art
Megalithic art: menhir,
dolmen, stone circle, passage
tomb