There are records about the origins of man and what the lifestyle was like in the prehistoric stage. During this evolutionary process, it is incorporated into history key tools of the learning that man could acquire, such as the creation of the hammer, the discovery of fire, the cooking of meat.
It should be noted that each of these contributions from prehistoric man to modern man, arose from a basic need and to be able to survive these precarious times
Characteristics of prehistory
In very general lines, prehistory had many characteristics. During all the time periods that prehistoric man went through, some common characteristics were experienced:
- The man was nomadic: he did not have a fixed place to live since the main need at this time was to be able to eat, so moved from place to place frequently In order to obtain the best food, they could well be gathered from trees or hunted animals. The main reason for man's nomadism was hunting, large groups of nomads chased the herds to their final destination in order to facilitate hunting.
- Some cultures had the family as their main pillar: they lived in tribes and communities. The oldest lead the youngest and they are the heads of families.
- Tools: building tools made man have great developments at the brain level, thinking became much more complex thanks to the needs that had to be solved. The first tools created by man were made with animal bones, stones and some strong branches to later evolve in the period of metals. The main use of tools was protection against predatory animals, then fire became the perfect ally for their protection.
- Domestic animals: humans learned to tame animals By studying their behavior, sometimes animals that were locked up to be eaten became a domestic animal.
The prehistoric man
The first man was the Neanderthal, still possessing primate features and later evolved to Homo sapiens. These two are the origins of what we know today as history, since since these times man has made contributions to culture and science.
The prehistoric fossil is considered human when the skeleton's spine gives indications that it was able to stand upright, its cranial capacity can house a much larger brain similar to that of homo sapiens, and the arms and hands are elongated. On the other hand, the also called primitive man, is considered this way until the appearance of the writing in ancient cultures.
Prehistoric man is anyone who has lived through the different periods of it, both in the stone age and the age of metals.
Despite being called primitive man, they were capable of thinking and solving survival problems, even if they did not know how to write, they could have other skills of discernment.
Among the physical features and characteristics that prehistoric man possesses, we find that they are of short stature, very muscular thanks to hunting and nomadism activitiesThey had very strong jaws and walked hunched over.
In the same vein, communication was emitted through body movements and by emitting sounds. In turn, the discovery of fire conditioned man's life, making him dependent on the red flame. This element became indispensable when the game began to be cooked, it could regulate many diseases that were caused by the consumption of raw meat.
The occupations that prehistoric man acquired were changing according to the hierarchical orders that were maintained in the tribes and communities, little by little a certain leadership evolved in each group: the men hunted, the women gathered fruits and the children branches for the fire and heating.
In the prehistoric period, man made great contributions to the arts in general, the main method of communication was painting in caves made with some natural dust such as oxides and some that were extracted from stones.
Visual communication was part of a record of man and his daily life, of how they hunted and what each animal represented in the scenes.
Prehistoric society
This society is built by hierarchy and social roles granted to each member of the communities.
Although in its origins man did not distinguish between society, but his needs were very primitive, prehistoric society is gaining strength as the human brain becomes more and more complex.
Some social customs that we know today have been adapted to man since prehistoric times. Among the characteristics of prehistoric society we find:
- Obligations: each member of the community had a responsibility in your name; That is to say, the children gathered branches, the women fruits and the men hunted, the older people little by little became the leaders of the tribes.
- The man, despite living with others in society, does not leave until the final stages of the prehistoric period to be nomadic. The temporary dwellings were the caves and caverns where they spent time, later with the arrival of the fire, the human being wanted to be attached to a fixed place where he felt safe.
Stages of prehistory:
Although we speak of prehistory as a period of time in which many evolutionary processes take place around man, this context is much broader and lasted approximately 3.5 million years, which are divided by main stages or break points in the timeline. :
Stone age:
This stage of man is characterized by primitive survival where man makes use of hunting utensils and weapons made mainly with stones, this period is divided into three main stages:
Paleolithic
This period covers the early years of Homo sapiens, up to 9000 BC, and developed in parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Among the most outstanding characteristics of the Palaeolithic period we find the invention of the bow, the dog in the process of domestication and the appearance of the arts as the main means of communication.
Music for its part becomes part of man's life, imitate animal sounds and of the natures are coupled to the beginning of the polytheistic beliefs of the primitive being.
Mesolithic
This period does not have a specific date, since it varies depending on the dates and locations, all based on fossils of the time. The Mesolithic can be referred to as a period of time between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic.
In the Mesolithic, fishing appears as a secondary survival activity, agriculture takes center stage in this period, and communities grow according to social distinction: hunters, fishermen and community leaders.
The communal leader fulfills several functions: priest or shaman and doctor. Certain rituals appear around death and the mystery of life beyond.
In this period, man becomes much more aware of his sensory experiences related to death.
Neolithic
It covers the years 5000 and 2500 BC throughout various parts of the planet. This is the period of the polished stone. Trade originates in the form of barter, property becomes private and activities such as agriculture, fishing, livestock and hunting become part of man's daily life as main jobs.
Mining was born as the first signs of the age of metals, already towards the last years of this time period.
Age of metals:
In this second stage of prehistory the first tools made with metals are observed, he begins to make use of copper, iron and bronze, sometimes he uses gold as an ornament or small parts of the tools but it is not the main metal. . This period is between 4000 and 1200 BC.
Copper age
It includes the years 4000 to 3000 BC The domestication of other animals such as the ass and ox is seen in the copper age. This metal served a great help to advance in the manufacture of weaponsHowever, it was very weak and did not meet the expectations of prehistoric man, thanks to this, the need arose to look for other metals such as bronze and iron for the manufacture of weapons and therefore the following ages were born.
Bronze Age
It includes the years 3000 to 1200 BC. In this period, barter becomes part of man's life thanks to the value that metals are beginning to be given. Bronze had much more resistance than copper, and yet it still did not meet the needs of a lethal weapon.
On the other hand, the direct commercialization of metal is influenced by the levels and cultural development that man achieves thanks to barter.
Iron age
It has been of great importance since 1400 BC. Man has experimented with metallurgy in order to shape the first tools made of iron.
El iron discovery made man fully couple to it and adopt this metal as the main one for the realization of hunting weapons and protection of communities.
In turn, the implementation of iron in the daily life of prehistory, made fishing, livestock and agriculture activities much more pleasant for man; thanks to the manufacture of specialized tools for this type of activity.