Prehistoric Times: Paleolithic, Neolithic, and the Three-Age System

Definition of Prehistory

• Prehistory = before the written word by humans; "pre" means before the first evidence of written language.
• There may be evidence not yet found about written language.

Paleolithic (Old Stone Age)

• Timeframe: approximately 2.6 million years ago to 12,000 BCE.
• Characterized by climate and geographic changes that affected all human societies.
• Part of the broader progression toward more complex tools and cultures.

Neolithic (New Stone Age)

• Timeframe: approximately 12,000 BCE to 4500 BCE.
• Marked by shifts in lifestyle, including beginnings of farming and settled communities.

The Three-Age System (Stone, Bronze, Iron)

• Final era of prehistoric time categorized by predominant material/tools used.
• Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age are sequential phases.
• Basis for dating and understanding technological and cultural progress; defined in part by archaeological stratigraphy.

Archaeology as a Method

• Collects artifacts and examines their context to reconstruct past cultures.
• Studies architecture and building practices to imagine how structures were designed and built without today’s technology.

Key Questions in Archaeology

• How were the great pyramids constructed?
• How were the stones moved to build Stonehenge?

Quick Takeaway

• Prehistory spans from early human existence to just before written records; understanding relies on material evidence and architectural study across Paleolithic, Neolithic, and the Three-Age framework.