Prehistory recap

Prehistory History from the first hominids (5,000,000) to the invention of writing (3,000 BCE). A long period: significant cultural developments are only 30,000 years old.

Timeline Stone Age: Landmarks: Paleolithic (2,500,000- 10,000 BCE) Mesolithic (10,000 – 8,000 BCE) Neolithic (8,000 BCE- 3,000 BCE) Landmarks: 2,500,000: first stone implements 8,000 BCE: agriculture and animal husbandry 3,000 BCE: writing and metallurgy

Paleolithic Stone implements Hunter gatherers Nomadic Cave paintings (ritual?: descriptive, realistic) Female statuettes (fertility goddesses?)

Neolithic Agriculture Permanent settlements Paintings: human figures, interaction, narrative. Metallurgy and writing at the end. Middle East: first towns West: Megalithic monuments (slower development)