Prehistory
Prehistory (GGreek 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.
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. The Biblical account of creation in Genesis can be understood as 'pre-history'. Most cultures and religions have myths and stories about how creation began, which belong to pre-history in that no human claims to have witnessed and recorded the events, although such accounts may be described as of divine origin. While there is much that we do not know about the early history of humanity, we do know that a general pattern characterized this period that saw smaller population units merge with others to form larger units, so that cultures emerged that covered larger territories. Providentially, this can be understood as part of the process by which 'lesser cultural spheres' are 'absorbed by, or emrged with, the more advanced spheres' (Exposition of the Divine Principle: 85). Thus, the tendency is towards unification of cultures, so that the original ideal of a 'single' people under God can be restored.
The Pre-Historical Record
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, including the cave paintings of Lascaux [1], such constructions as Stone Henge in Southern England and the huge earthworks at Silbury Hill. There is much that we still do not know about the purpose of these 'artifacts' but the caves show an early ability to create art while Stone Henge demonstrates knowledge of astronomy. It is also possible that religious beliefs and practices were associated with these pre-historical monuments.
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. Pre-history thus ends when we are able to name individual actors in history, such as Snofru of Egypt, whose reign began circa 2620, and who founded the 1V dynasty.
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 B.C.E. whereas in New Guinea the end of the prehistoric era is set much more recently, at around 1900C.E.
Age systems
Until the arrival of humans, a geologic time scale defines periods in prehistory. Archaeology has augmented this record and provided more precise divisions during later, human, prehistory.
Human prehistory in the Old World (Europe, Asia) is often subdivided by the three-age system. This system of classifying human prehistory creates three consecutive time periods, named for their respective predominant tool-making technologies. In the New World (the Americas, Australiasia) other naming schemes have been devised.
These very general systems of dividing up prehistory are being found to be increasingly inapplicable as archaeological discoveries suggest a much more complex view of prehistory.
Pre-Historical Acheievements
While we are unable to credit named individuals with varius critical inventions or developments, we do know that by the end of the pre-historic period and the start of the historical period, many essential steps towards organizing human life socially had been taken. Basic tools for hunting, gathering, planting, cooking and even art and cultural artifacts had been produced. Religious practices, often associated with the attempt to control the environment or to attract good fortune and to ward off bad fortune, had developed, together with religious art. Throughout much of the world, a basic developmental pattern emerged; hunting-gathering nomadic life-style gave way to a settled, agrarian life-style often alongside rivers. Many scholars believe that human life originated in Africa. Some contend that the human race had a single African forebear, who is symbolically called 'Eve' but this theory is rejected by those who content that there were multiple sites at which humans emerged, in Africa, Eurasia and Australasia [2]. Smaller towns evolved into larger settlements. Technology and industry developed, enabling trade between different communities.Historical accounts and religious accounts of the origins of human life and culture differ. The early settlements were probably family or small tribal units. The Neolithic Revolution (10,000 B.C.E.) saw the domestication of animals, such as pigs in China and cattle and pigs in Eastern Asia and sheep in the Middle East. Early evidence of this is found at Shanidar in Northern Iraq. Metal tools now replaced the stone implements of the Paleolithic Age. From 4,000 B.C.E. oxen are put to work. The earliest cultivation of crops is associated with Jericho, which may also have been the first human city (possibly from 8,000B.C.E.). Other great river civilizations flourished in China (the Yellow River) in India (the Indus Valley Civilization and in Mersopatamia along the Tigris and Euphrates. Trade, which led to pioneer caravans across the Sahara, developed circa 4000 C.E. with salt as the main commodity. Later, Roman Soldiers would be paid a salt (sala) allowance. We still draw salaries today. Burial emerges as a major concern, later leading to such huge monumental constructs as the Egyptian Pyramids. Often, the dead were buried underneath places of residence. Catal Huyuk to the south of the great salt depression in Anatolia built between 6500 and 5700 dates from this period. This well organized city had a developed religious cultus, dedicated to the mother goddess with a focus on fertility. Artifacts found include votive statuettes made of pottery with reliefs of the mother goddess, bulls heads and horns, womens breasts and leopards. A high degree of artistic skill is evidenced. Many early religious cults had a concern for fertility with goddesses playing central roles. This was also true in the Indus Valley[3]. The growth of the city saw major changes in human governance - no longer was the head of the settlement the senior male from one family but tended to be concilliar with representatives of leading families possibly selecting an overall head. It would be in a City-State, Athens in Ancient Greece that democracy emerged in the form of all adult, free males participating in the formulation of public policy. With the emergence of [[Ancient Egypt|the Egyptian civilization] circa 3,000B.C.E. the pre-historical period began to give way to 'history', since written records and named actors now emerge. It was the amalgamation of settlements into empires or 'kingdoms' that saw primitive democracy give way to more totalitarian forms of governance. Hereditary kings, often claiming to be representatives or or related to the Gods, assumed authority. This development saw on the one hand more unity among disperate people, who came together to form recognizable cultural units characterized by a common language and religion but governance tended to become more authoritarian.
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