The word ​“prehistory”

is derived from the ​Greek words “pre” ​which means ​“before” and ​“historia” which ​means “history”

Prehistory is the period before humans started writing ​down their history.

It includes all the events and developments before we ​had written records.

Studies about the prehistoric era rely on archaeological ​evidence such as fossils, ruins, and cave paintings.

Prehistoric ​Age

The Stone Age or Paleolithic era lasted from 2.5 million ​years ago to 10,000 B.C.E.

The most popular prehistoric animal, the wooly ​mammoth lived during this period.

During this period, there were four different types of ​humans.

Homo Neanderthalensis

Homo Habilis

Homo Erectus

Homo Sapiens

Humans during this period never settled in one place. ​They migrated from one place to another for hunting ​and collecting edibles.

This lifestyle is called nomadic life.

They made tools ​like clubs, knives, ​and axes using ​stones to make ​their hunting easy.

The human species called ​Homo Erectus discovered ​fire during this stone age. ​After discovering fire, ​humans started to cook food.

The Agricultural Age, New Stone Age, or Neolithic Age ​existed from 10,000 B.C.E. to 3000 B.C.E.

Homo Sapiens are the only human species that ​survived during this era.

During this period, humans started cultivating crops ​such as maize, wheat, barley, etc. and started animal ​husbandry.

Due to their farming culture, they didn’t want to live a ​migrating life anymore and they started to settle near ​water sources by establishing villages.

The invention of weaving, pottery, and the invention of ​the wheel was another great development of mankind ​that happened during this era.

The Metal Age existed from 3000 BCE to 550 BCE.

Three Periods of Metal Age

People started to make tools, weapons, jewelry, etc. by ​heating metals during this age.

Various new transportation systems such as sailboats ​and wagons developed during this period. As a result, ​the exchange of culture and knowledge happened.

In the last phase of this age, people built towns and ​cities, making the foundation of well-known ​civilizations.

During the Metal Age, people started to make tools, ​weapons, and jewelry by melting and mixing metals ​such as copper, iron, gold, etc.

This process required lots of skills and intelligence.

Therefore some people produced metallic things while ​others continued farming, weaving, and pottery.

But they had to fulfill their needs with things they ​didn’t make.

Therefore they started to exchange things.

For example, if a farmer wanted to get a piece of cloth, ​they gave prior discussed harvest to the value of that ​cloth and took the piece of cloth. The weaver satisfied ​his necessity for food with this transaction.

This system was called the Barter System.

This was the beginning of trade. With the expansion of ​villages and cities and with the invention of basic ​transportation modes trade expanded further.

With the development of trade, people with strength, ​skills, and intention started to produce things ​exceeding their consumption and exchanged them to ​buy their daily needs and valuables. They became rich.

But weak people didn’t go with this system and they ​became poor. Therefore at the end of the Metal Age, ​two social classes were born as rich and poor.

The pre-historic era ended with the invention of ​writing around 5,500 years ago.

• In the beginning, four different types of humans ​were there; Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, Homo ​Neanderthalensis, and Homo Sapiens.

• The only human species that survived till the end of ​the Prehistoric era was Homo Sapiens.

• The most popular prehistoric animal, the wooly ​mammoth lived during the prehistoric era.

• The wheel was invented in this period.
  

• Trade was started during this period.
  

• The birth of rich and poor social classes happened ​during the prehistoric era.
  

• Basic transportation systems like sailboats and ​wagons were invented during this period.

• Fire was invented during this period.

• Farming, weaving, pottery, blacksmith, and ​goldsmith originated during this period.
  

• The Stone Age, which was one part of the ​prehistoric era is the longest period of human ​history.