UNIT 9. THE PREHISTORY TIRSO DE MOLINA 2019-2020.

1. SOURCES OF PREHISTORY: ARCHAEOLOGY.

1. 1. Time and the science of history.

History: the science that studies humanity's past. 

Prehistory: is the period of time from the apparition of the first human beigns (2,3 million years ago) to the invention of writting (3.500 B.C.).

1. 2.  Archaeology: the sources for prehistory.

There are no written records about Prehistory, because of this we use archaeological evidence to study it.
Archeology is a sceince that recovers and analyses objects and momuments from distant past:

• the remains left behind by primitive human beings: humans (bones) and material (tools, pottery).
• the remains of animal or plants of their time.

Archaeological site is a place where people lived in the past and where there are material remains of their activities. The remains are found underground in layers of soil called strata. Each stata corresponds to a differente period. The deepest srtata are the oldest.

Arqueolocial site stratigrafy. Modified image. Original image: By Giovanni Dall'Orto - Own work, Attribution, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15663407

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Division of history.

To facilitate its study, we divided History into periods of variable lengths, separated by key events. The most importan are:

• eras. There are two of them:

1. Prehistory, the period of time from the apparition of the first human beings (2, 3 million years ago) to the invention of writing (3.500 B. C.)
2. History, from the invention of writing to present day.

• We divide eras into shorter periods of time, known as ages.

-Prehistory is divided into two ages:

1. Stone Age, from the apparition of the first hominids (2, 3 million years ago) to the invention of metal tools (4.500 B. C.).
2. Metal Age, from the invention of metal tools (5.000 B. C.) to the invention of writing (3.500 B. C.).

-History is divided into four ages:

1. Ancient, from the invention of writing (3. 250 B. C.) to the fall of the Roman Empire (476 A. D.).
2. Middle, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the discovery of America (476 A. D.-1492 A. D.)
3. Modern, from the discovery of America to the French Revolution (1492 A. D.-1789 A. D.)
4. Contemporary, from the French Revolution to the present day (1789 A. D.-?).

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The division of prehistory.

Prehistory is the period of time from the apparition of the first human beings (4,4 million years) to the invention of writing (3.250 B.C). We can divide it into two ages:

• Stone Age, tools were made of stone. We can distinguish:

1. Paleolithic (literally, Old Stone) from 4,4 million years ago to 10.000 B. C. Tools were carved from stone.
2. Neolithic (literally, New Stone) from 10.000 B. C. to 5.000 B. C. Tools were made of polished stone.

• Metal Age, tools were made of metal, from 5.000 B. C. to between 3. 250 B. C. (in the Fertile Crescent) and 1. 000 B. C. (in other parts of the World). We can distinguish three periods according to the metal used:

1. Copper Age (5. 000 B. C.-3.000 B. C.)
2. Bronze Age. (3.000 B. C.-2.000 B. C.)
3. Iron Age. (2.000 B. C.-1. 000 B. C.)

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 2. HUMAN EVOLUTION.

1. 1.  Homonisation.

Homonisation is a long evolutive process that lasted millions of years and results in the apparition of the hominids (human-like specis) and later the human species.
Causes: the need to adapt to new climatic conditions (rising temperatures and the disappearance of forests). The primates were forced to leave the trees and descend to the ground.

There were several biological changes that made hominids different from the rest of the large simians:

• Biped mode of walking. Our ancestors began walikng upright on two legs. This change had two consequences:

1. Gave them a wider field of vision.
2. Left hands free to use tools.

• Jaws and teeth got smaller due to the use of tools and fire to prepare food.
• Increase of the cranial capacity and brain development because the head is hold above the skeleton.
• Apparition of a flat forehead and chin. 

 Consequences.

This change had the following consequences:

• Developement of the ability to communicate through language.
• Increase of the human intelligence allowed them to create tools.
• Ability to pass their knowledge on the next generation.

1. 2. The different human species.

We can distinguish several stages in this process:

• First, in Africa, the oldest hominids, which were very similar to the other primates, appeared:

1. Australophitecus, about 4, 5 million years ago. The first hominid that walked upright on two legs and used tools but did not make them. He lived in East Africa

•  Later, appeared the Homo genus: hominid classified as humans due to their appearance and toolmaking skills. We can distinguish:

1. Homo Habilis, appeared 2,3 million years ago. Considered the first human beign. First hominid who can make tools and speak. He lived in Africa.
2. Homo Erectus, appeared 1,6 million yeas ago. First hominid to leave Africa, he lived in Africa, Asia and Europe (the oldest european remains appeared 800.000 years ago). First hominid to use fire.
3. Homo Neanderthalensis. Lived between 300.000 years ago and 40.000 . He lived in Europe and the Middle East during the glacial period. He took refugee in caves and was the first hominid to bury their deads.
4. Homo Sapiens, appeared in Africa 195.000 years ago. They made tools from stone and bone and created the firsts art forms. They also extended across almost all the continents.

Australophitecus afarensis.

Homo Habilis

Chopper, the first type of tool made by the an hominid.

Homo Erectus.

Hand axe.

Neanderthal.

Animation of the levallois flintknapping technique, developed by the Homo Neanderthalensis.

Levallois points.

Homo Sapiens.

Bone harpoons made by Homo Sapiens.

EXTRAS.

Monkeys using tools:

Bonobo laughing:

Monkey fairness experiment:

3. Hunter-gatherer communities.

Paleolitic (Old Stone) age started 2.3 million years ago with the apparition of the first human beigns and ended in 10.000  B.C.

Lives of early humans.

Early humans lived from hunting animals, gathering food and fishing. They didn't produce food, because of that they were predators.
They hunted in groups and obtained from the animals:

• meat to eat.
• skins (hides) to make clothes.
• bones to make tools.
• tendons to make rope.

They were nomads, because they moved in search of food and shelter.

 

 

The control of fire.

• Homo Erectus discovered fire 400.000 years ago, probably by accident.
• Homo Neanderthal was the first to learn how light fires.

The control of fire allowed humans to:

• keep warm.
• light their caves.
• frighten away wild animals.
• cook food.

Fire was made by hitting to stons togheter, or by rapidly rotating a wooden stick on a log.

  The production of tools.

• The first tools were stones carved to make an edge for cutting. They used flint, a hard mineral that breaks into sharp pieces. They used stone tools to cut wood and meat, dig and vegetables and to shape bones.
• Later, they started to use new materials (bone an antler) that allowed them to make specialised tools such as hooks, harpoons, needles and bows.
• They made clothes from animal skins (hides). The different parts were sewn together with bone needles and thread made of animal sinew or leather.

Harpoons made of bone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Habitat.

People lived in caves and natural shelters and also in tents made with branches and hides.
Camps were located near a source of water.

Paleolithic tent.

4. The Neolithic: the farming settlements.

The Neolithic (means New Stone) started 10.000 years ago (8.000 B.C.) with the discovery of farming.

Location and expansion: 

• The Neolithic appeared in the Middle East in an area called the Fertile Crescent that includes the valleys of the rivers Tigris, Euphrates and Nile.
• From the 7th millenium B. C., agriculture started to spread into Europe trhough the Mediterranean Sea and the European rivers.
• Simultaneosly agriculture was discovered in other areas of Asia and the Americas.

The Fertile Crescent.

3. 1. Food production and sedentary life.

People in the Neolithic Age learnt from nature that new plants grew from buried seeds, developing agriculture. The first crops were:

• cereals: wheat (in spanish, trigo), barley (in spanish, cebada) and rye (in spanish, centeno)
• pulses: lentils (in spanish, lentejas) and peas (in spanish, guisantes).

Also people started to breed animals in captivity, starting livestock farming. The first domesticated animals were dogs, goats, sheep and pig.

In order to look after their crops and animals, people settled in villages and became sedentary.

3. 2. New tasks and new tools.

• People developed the technique of polished stone. The stone was rubbed agains a hard surface to make it smooth.
• New specialised tools weere developed to undertake agricultural tasks: hoe, sickle.
• Development of pottery to store, transport and cook food. Was made from mud that was dried in the sun or baked in a kiln or oven (in spanish, horno).
• Development of weaving to make clothes and blankets out of natural fibres using:

1. spindle (in spanish, huso) to create thread.
2. loom (in spanish, telar) to create material.

• Development of mining to obtain semi-precious stones.  

Neolithic polished stones.

Stone hoe with wooden handle.

Neolithic pottery

3. 3. Habitat.

• Villages were located in high ground next to rivers and protected by walls.
• Homes were built of adobe (mud and straw) and roofs wre made of branches and straw. 
• Villages were self-sufficient (they consumed what they produced), but trade appeared to obtain valuable objetcs like shells and pottery.

 

Reconstrucion of a neolithic house. File:Archodrom Beaune 10.jpg https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilisateur:Christophe.Finot
Attribution ShareAlike 2.5

Archeodrome Beaune 10.jpg

5. THE METAL AGES.

5. 1. The discovery of metals.

Chronology and location: Metalworking began in the Middle East around the 5.000 B. C.

The first metal used was gold, that was hammered into flat sheets and used to make jewellery and ornaments.

Later, other metals: cooper (in spanish, cobre), bronze (in spanish, bronce) and iron (in spanish, hierro); were used and gave their name to the three metal ages;

• The Cooper Age (5.000 B. C.). Two techniques were developed to work with metal:

1. Forging (in spanish, forjado): to heat the metal to make it easier to shape, using a hammer (in spanish, martillo) and an anvil (in spanish, yunque).
   
2. Casting (in spanish, fundicion): to pour molten metal into a mould to make an object.

 Cooper was used to make:

1. Jewellery: necklage, bracelets, pins
2. Weapons: arrows, daggers, axes.

• The Bronze Age (3.000 BC). They started to use bronze, a mixture of cooper an tin (in spanish, estaño). 

In order to produce bronze, a new technique was used: smelting. They heated cooper and tin until they melted and mixed, using a bellow (in spanish, fuelle) to raise the temperature.

• Bronze had two advantages:

1. Was harder than cooper.
2. Could be sharpened (in spanish, afilado) and polished (in spanish, pulido).

 Bronze was used to make:

• Ornaments: brooches (in spanish, broche), neck rings.
• Weapons for the elite: knives, armour, swords.

• The Iron Age (2.000 BC). They started to use iron that had two important advantages:

1. It is very hard and resistant.
2. Allowed most of the people to have access to metal tools.

Iron was used to make:

• Farming tools: scythes (in spanish, guadaña) 
• Stronger weapons.

 Apart from metalworking there were another important advances:

• Apparition of sailing (in spanish, navegación). They used boats powered by oars and a square sail.
• Apparition of the wheel (in spanish, rueda) made of wood and used for transport.
• Water wheels (in spanish, molino de agua) that made posible to take water from the rivers to water the fields.

Copper axe.

Bronze Age swords. File: Apa Schwerter.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Dbachmann. CC BY-SA 3.0

Casting iron.

Forging.

Cart of the metal age.

5. 2. Society. 

Metalworking led to several social transformations:

• Apparition of specialised tasks,  such as metalworking, that led to the appareance of artisans
• Growing of trade, using boats and carts (in spanish, carros) with wheels to transport goods over long distances.
• Due to the specialisation of skills, some groups started to accumulate wealth and power:

1. Warriors to defend land, livestock and possessions.
2. A king, who governed the community.

5. 3. Habitat

Bronze Age settlements were located on hills and surrounded by defensive walls fortified with stones and wooden stakes.
Homes were either circular of rectangular with walls made adobe on a stone base and roofs made of stra supported by logs of wood.

Reconstruction of an Iron Age house.

EXTRAS.

In 1991, the mummy of a bronze age man, was discovered in the Alps. The autopshy of the body has allowed us to know about how he lived, what he ate and what tools he used, but about his personal story we can only imagine.

6. MEGALITHS.

Megaliths are monuments made out of very big stones (megalith comes from Greek and means "big stone"). They began to appear in Europe in the 5th millenium.
Main charateristics:

• Its construction required a society with a high level of organization and the work of many people and specialised workers.
• Were built with simple stone and metal tools, logs, ropes, and using simple devices such as ramps and leavers (in spanish, palanca).
• Probably had a spiritual fuction.

The main three types of megaliths:

• Menhir: a large standing stones used to mark territory or as a conmemorative monument.
• Dolmen: large standing stones with a stone roof. Some had a covered gallery with flat stones.
•  Stone circle: upright stones and horizontal stones arranged in a circle. Its function could be related to agriculture of Sun worship.

Menhir

Dolmen

Stone circle.

7. Art and magic.

About 30. 000 years ago, during the Paleolithic period, appeared the first works of art. We can distinguish two types:

• cave painting (painting)
• portable art (sculpture)

7. 1. Cave painting.

Paintings that are found deep inside the caves.Their main characteristics are:

• Naturalistic techniques are used (they tried to reproduce reality as precisely as possible)
• Usually depicted animals and used rock ledges to give a sense of depth.
• Sometimes also appeared scenes with human figures and geometric symbols.
•  The most common colours were red, ochre and black and figures were outlined wih a black line.
• The colours were made of natural pgiments (charcoal, iron oxide, etc) mixed with animal fat to help the paint to stick to the walls, using their fingers or bird feathers.

7. 2. Portable art.

We have found small pieces of slate of calcite engraved or painted with animals. Another type of portable art were small figures known as Venus with the folowing characteristics:

• Were made of stone, bone or antler.
• Show women with few facial features.
• The body parts related to fertility are exagerated.

7. 3. Meaning.

There are different theories about the meaning of the paleolithic art:

• Hunting magic. They painted the animals they wanted to hunt.
• Sanctuaries. The paintings are found in the deepest parts of the caves and it is though that magic rituals were held there.
• Fertility cults. This works are related to reproduction and fertility.

Iron oxide.

Charcoal

Painting of a horse, Lascaux (France.

Drawings of rhinos, Chauvet Cave (France).

Bsions, cave of La Covaciella (Asturias).

Difference between naturalistic and schematic. These two paintings represent a man, but whereas the  first figure represent the person without any detail or facial features (schematic), the second one try to appear him as close as possible to the reality (naturalistic). When we say that cave paintings were naturalistic is because they tried to represent things as close as possible to the reality.










 THE FIRSt VIDEO IS A 360º VIDEO, IN ORDER TO SEE IT, YOU HAVE TO TOUCH THE SCREEN WITH THE MOUSE AND MOVE IT TO SEE THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CAVE.

PREHISTORY IN SPAIN.

Paleolithic (800.000-5.000  B.C.)

The first human beigns appeared in the Iberian Peninsula 800.000 years ago during the Lower Palaeolithic Period). They have been found in the Atapuerca site (Burgos). The remains belonged to an erectus-type human species, called Homo Antecesssor. They were:

1. Hunter-gatherers and made stone tools.
2. Practised cannibalism.

Homo Antecessor.

During the Upper Palaeolithic Period, the Peninsula was inhabited by Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. The Homo Sapiens left us important examples of cave painting. We can distinguish two varieties:

• Cantabrian area (Altamira) with two main characteristics:

1. Appeared inside caves.
2. Represented animals in a naturalistic manner.

   

   Bison, Altamira Cave

• Eastern Spain (Cogull, Valltorta). Two characteristics:
  

1. Located in rock shelters.
2. Represented schematic human beigns involved in scenes of hunting war, and rituals.

Neolithic (5.000 b. c.-2.500 b.c.)

• The Neolithic reached the Iberian Peninsula through two routes:

1. the Mediterranean
2. the North of Africa.

• The most important cultures appeared in Catalonia and Andalucia, and the main art form was Cardium pottery.

 Copper, Bronze and Iron ages.

Metalworking was introduced in the Iberian Peninsula from the Eastern Mediterranean by people looking for metal. We can distinguish three stages:

• Copper age (2.500-2.000 b.c.). The most important culture was "Los Millares" (Almeria) with two characteristics:

1. Apparition of walled settlements.
2. Megalithic architecture: dolmens and large corridor tombs, called "caves".

•  Bronze Age (2.000 b.c.-1.000 b.c.). The most important cultures were:

1. El Argar extended from Almeria to Granada and characterised by individuals burials in earthenware vessels.
   
2. Balearic islands characterised by its megalithic constructions: taulas, talaiot (use as defensive watchtower) and naveta (collective tomb). 

   

   Taula.

Talaiot.

Naveta.

• Iron Age (1.000-Roman colonization). Iron was introduced by:

1.  the Celtic people who entered through the Pyrenees
2. Phoenic and Greek colonists.

ACTIVITIES.

With an A	A slow and expensive digging to recover remains buried underground.	Archaelogical excavation
With an A	A cave famous because of its cave paintings located in Northern Spain.	Altamira.
With an A	A period of time in which History is divided. Is shorter than an Eea.	Age
With a B	A metal alloy made of copper and tin.	Bronze
With a C	One of the period in which is divided the age of metals.	Copper Age.
With a C	A megalitic monument formed of a number of menhirs placed in a circle.	Cromlech
With a D	A megalithic monument which consists in a chamber formed of a large vertical stones roofed over with horizontal stones.	Dolmen
With an E	One of the types of periods of variable lenght in which divided History	Eras
Contains an E	The first hominid to leave Africa. Also was the first hominid to use fire.	Homo Erectus
With a F	Hard, sedimentary rock from the mineral quartz used to create tools.	Flint
With a F	To shape a metal object by heating it in a fire or furnace and hammering it.	Forge
With a  G	A technique to make stone tools that consists to polish one stone using other to obtain a harder and sharper edge.	Grinding stone
With a G	One of the first animals which was domesticated.	Goat.
With a H	A science that studies humanity’s past.	History
With a H	The long evolutive process through which the hominids adquire their own unique features.	Hominisation
Contains a H	The first hominid that was able to make tools	Homo Habilis
With an M	A painting in which only one colour has been used.	Monochrome
With an M	A megalithic monument made of a large stone placed vertically in the ground.	Menhir
With an N	The period of time was goes from 10.000 B. C. to 4. 500 B. C.	Neolithic
Contains a N	The first hominid who bury their deads.	Homo Neanderthalensis
With a N	a painting in which forms, color and space appear as they are in Nature.
With  an O	One of the main characteristics that make hominids different from the rest of the large simians. Allow them to easy manipulate objects.	Opossable thumb.
With a P	The period of time that started 4. 4. Million years ago and ended 10.000 years B. C.	Paleolithic.
With a P	A way of life characterised by taking resources from Nature: other animals (hunting) or plants (gathering); without replacing them.	Predatory
Contains R	One of the first plants domesticated during the Neolithic period	Rice
Contains a R	way of life characterised by producing resources: agriculture and cattleraising.	Productive
With an S	A tool use to cut grain, grass, etc, consisting of a curved hooklike blade mounted in a short handle.	Sickle.
With an S	A technique to make Stone tools which consist in strike a Stone with another.	Stonecarving Stone
With an S	A megalithic monument made of a group of menhirs set out in a row	Stone row.
With a T	One of the rivers flowing through the land between two rivers.	Tigris
Contains V	A small statue of women which accentuated feminine attributes.	Venus
Contains a V	Paintings located on the walls of the caves that appeared during the Paleolithic period.	Cave Painting
With a W	A new trade appeared during the Neolithic period which consists into make woven textiles.	Weaver

PREHISTORY.

With an A	A slow and expensive digging to recover remains buried underground.	Archaelogical excavation
With an A	A cave famous because of its cave paintings located in Northern Spain.	Altamira.
With an A	A period of time in which History is divided. Is shorter than an Eea.	Age
With a B	A metal alloy made of copper and tin.	Bronze
With a C	One of the period in which is divided the age of metals.	Copper Age.
With a C	A megalitic monument formed of a number of menhirs placed in a circle.	Cromlech
With a D	A megalithic monument which consists in a chamber formed of a large vertical stones roofed over with horizontal stones.	Dolmen
With an E	One of the types of periods of variable lenght in which divided History	Eras
Contains an E	The first hominid to leave Africa. Also was the first hominid to use fire.	Homo Erectus
With a F	Hard, sedimentary rock from the mineral quartz used to create tools.	Flint
With a F	To shape a metal object by heating it in a fire or furnace and hammering it.	Forge
With a  G	A technique to make stone tools that consists to polish one stone using other to obtain a harder and sharper edge.	Grinding stone
With a G	One of the first animals which was domesticated.	Goat.
With a H	A science that studies humanity’s past.	History
With a H	The long evolutive process through which the hominids adquire their own unique features.	Hominisation
Contains a H	The firs hominid that was able to make tools	Homo Habilis
With an M	A painting in which only one colour has been used.	Monochrome
With an M	A megalithic monument made of a large stone placed vertically in the ground.	Menhir
With an N	The period of time was goes from 10.000 B. C. to 4. 500 B. C.	Neolithic
Contains a N	The first hominid who bury their deads.	Homo Neanderthalensis
With a N	a painting in which forms, color and space appear as they are in Nature.
With  an O	One of the main characteristics that make hominids different from the rest of the large simians. Allow them to easy manipulate objects.	Opossable thumb.
With a P	The period of time that started 4. 4. Million years ago and ended 10.000 years B. C.	Paleolithic.
With a P	A way of life characterised by taking resources from Nature: other animals (hunting) or plants (gathering); without replacing them.	Predatory
Contains R	One of the first plants domesticated during the Neolithic period	Rice
Contains a R	way of life characterised by producing resources: agriculture and cattleraising.	Productive
With an S	A tool use to cut grain, grass, etc, consisting of a curved hooklike blade mounted in a short handle.	Sickle.
With an S	A technique to make Stone tools which consist in strike a Stone with another.	Stonecarving Stone
With an S	A megalithic monument made of a group of menhirs set out in a row	Stone row.
With a T	One of the rivers flowing through the land between two rivers.	Tigris
Contains V	A small statue of women which accentuated feminine attributes.	Venus
Contains a V	Paintings located on the walls of the caves that appeared during the Paleolithic period.	Cave Painting
With a W	A new trade appeared during the Neolithic period which consists into make woven textiles.	Weaver

•