Prehistoria: Edades de la Piedra y los Metales

Prehistoria

Paleolithic (Old Stone Age)

• Spanned from approximately 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 years ago
• Characterized by:
  • Nomadic hunter-gatherer societies
  • Use of stone tools, such as flint and obsidian
  • Limited social organization and small group sizes
  • No written records, only oral traditions
• Notable developments:
  • Control of fire
  • Creation of early stone tools
  • Development of early art, such as cave paintings

Neolithic (New Stone Age)

• Spanned from approximately 10,000 years ago to 4,000 years ago
• Characterized by:
  • Development of agriculture and settled communities
  • Emergence of more complex societies with social hierarchies
  • Use of polished stone tools and early ceramics
  • Beginnings of animal domestication
• Notable developments:
  • Invention of the wheel
  • Development of early writing systems
  • Construction of megalithic structures, such as Stonehenge

Edad de los Metales (Metal Age)

• Spanned from approximately 4,000 years ago to 1,000 years ago
• Characterized by:
  • Development of metalworking, particularly copper, bronze, and iron
  • Emergence of more complex societies with specialized labor and trade
  • Increased social stratification and rise of cities
  • Development of early states and empires
• Notable developments:
  • Invention of the sword and other metal weapons
  • Development of early coinage and trade systems
  • Construction of early monumental architecture, such as pyramids and ziggurats

Explore the characteristics and notable developments of the Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Metal Ages, from nomadic hunter-gatherers to complex societies and early states. Learn about the emergence of agriculture, metalworking, and early writing systems.