Prehistory

Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is the period before written history became available to assist our understanding of the past. The term was introduced into English by Daniel Wilson in 1851. The term Pré-historique had been used in French since the 1830s to describe the time before writing. Paul Tournal originally coined the term in describing the finds he had made in the caves of southern France.

Related Topics:
Greek - History - Daniel Wilson - 1851 - French - Paul Tournal

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Prehistory can be said to date back to the creation of the universe itself, although the term is most often used to describe periods when there was life on Earth; dinosaurs can be described as prehistoric animals and cavemen are described as prehistoric people.

Related Topics:
Universe - Life - Earth - Dinosaur - Cavemen

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Because, by definition, there are no written records from prehistoric times, much of the information we know about the time period is informed by the fields of palaeontology and archaeology- the study of ancient life through fossils and the study of the material left behind by ancient peoples

Related Topics:
Palaeontology - Archaeology - Fossil

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Human prehistory differs from history not only in terms of chronology but in the way it deals with the activities of archaeological cultures rather than named nations or individuals. Restricted to material remains rather than written records (and indeed only those remains that have survived), prehistory is anonymous. Because of this, the cultural terms used by prehistorians such as Neanderthal or Iron Age are modern, arbitrary labels, the precise definition of which are often subject to discussion and argument.

Related Topics:
History - Chronology - Archaeological culture - Nation - Individual - Neanderthal - Iron Age

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The date marking the end of prehistory, that is the date when written historical records become a useful academic resource, varies from region to region. In Egypt it is generally accepted that prehistory ended around 3500 BC whereas in New Guinea the end of the prehistoric era is set much more recently, AD 1900.

Related Topics:
Egypt - 3500 BC - New Guinea - AD 1900

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