Acheulean hand axes from Kent. The types shown are (clockwise from top) cordate, ficron and ovate. It was the longest-used tool of human history.

Prehistoric technology is technology that predates recorded history. History is the study of the past using written records. Anything prior to the first written accounts of history is prehistoric, including earlier technologies. About 2.5 million years before writing was developed, technology began with the earliest hominids who used stone tools, which they may have used to start fires, hunt, and bury their dead.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to prehistoric technology.

Old World[link]

Stone Age[link]

• Stone Age – broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used in the manufacture of implements with a sharp edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted roughly 2.5 million years, from the time of early hominds to homo sapiens in the later Pleistocene era, and largely ended between 6000 and 2000 BCE with the advent of metalworking.
  • Stone Age lifestyle – initially, the lifestyle was that of hunter-gatherers who traveled to hunt game and gather wild plants, with minimal changes in technology. As the last glacial period of the current ice age neared its end (about 12,500 years ago), large animals like the mammoth and bison antiquus became extinct and the climate changed. Humans adapted by maximizing the resources in local environments, gathering and eating a wider range of wild plants and hunting or catching smaller game. Domestication of plants and animals with early stages in the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) Mesolithic and New World (American continent) Archaic periods led to significant changes and reliance on agriculture in the Old World Neolithic and New World Formative stage. The agricultural life led to more settled existences and significant technological advancements.^[1]

Lower Paleolithic[link]

• Lower Paleolithic – the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 2.5 million years ago when the first evidence of craft and use of stone tools by hominids appears in the current archaeological record, until around 300,000 years ago, spanning the Oldowan ("mode 1") and Acheulean ("mode 2") lithic technology.
  • Stone tools – early human (hominid) use of stone tool technology, such as the hand axe, was similar to that of primates, which is found to be limited to the intelligence levels of modern children aged 3 to 5 years. The first "homo" species began with homo habilis about 2.4 to 1.5 million years ago. Intelligence and use of technology did not change much for millions of years.^[2]
    • Homo habilis ("handy man') – lived from approximately 2.3 to 1.4 million years ago in Africa and created stone tools called Oldowan tools.^[3][4][5]
    • Homo ergaster – lived in eastern and southern Africa about 2.5 to 1.7 million years ago and used more diverse and sophisticated stone tools than its predecessor, Homo habilis, including having refined the inherited Oldowan tools and developed the first Acheulean bifacial axes.^[6]
    • Homo erectus ("upright man") – lived about 1.8 to 1.3 million years ago in West Asia and Africa and is thought to be the first hominid to hunt in coordinated groups, use complex tools, and care for infirm or weaker companions.^[7][8]
    • Homo antecessor – the earliest hominid in Northern Europe lived from 1.2 million to 800,000 years ago and used stone tools.^[9][10]
    • Homo heidelbergensis – lived between 600,000 and 400,000 years ago and used stone tool technology similar the Acheulean tools used by Homo erectus.^[11]
  • Control of fire by early humans – European and Asian sites dating back 1.5 million years ago seem to indicate controlled use of fire by H. erectus. A northern Israel site from about 690,000 to 790,000 years ago suggests that man could light fires.^[12]
  • Burial – the act of placing a deceased person into the ground.
    • Homo heidelbergensis – may have been the first species to bury their dead about 500,000 years ago.^[13]

Middle Paleolithic[link]

• Middle Paleolithic period – in Europe and the Near East during which the Neanderthals lived (c. 300,000–28,000 years ago). Their technology is mainly the Mousterian. The earliest evidence (Mungo Man) of settlement in Australia dates to around 40,000 years ago when modern humans likely crossed from Asia by island-hopping. The Bhimbetka rock shelters exhibit the earliest traces of human life in India, some of which are approximately 30,000 years old.
  • Homo neanderthalensis
    • Stone tools – homo neanderthalensis used Mousterian stone tools that date back to around 300,000 years ago^[14] and include smaller, knife-like and scraper tools.
    • Burials – homo neanderthalensis buried their dead, doing so in shallow graves along with stone tools and animal bones, although the reasons and significance of the burials are disputed.^[15][16]
  • Homo sapien – the only living species in the Homo genus originated in Africa about 200,000 years ago. Greater mental capability and ability to walk erect provided freed hands for manipulating objects, which allowed for far greater use of tools.^[17]
    • Art of the Middle Paleolithic –
    • Burial – intentional burial, particularly with grave goods, may be one of the earliest detectable forms of religious practice since it may signify a "concern for the dead that transcends daily life."^[18] The earliest undisputed human burial so far dates back 130,000 years. Human skeletal remains stained with red ochre were discovered in the Skhul cave at Qafzeh, Israel with a variety of grave goods.^[19]

Upper Paleolithic Revolution[link]

• Upper Paleolithic Revolution – advancements in human intelligence and technology changed radically with the advent of Behavioral modernity between 60,000 and 30,000 years ago.^[2]
  • Behavioral modernity – a set of traits that distinguish Homo sapiens from extinct hominid lineages. Homo sapiens reached full behavior modernity around 50,000 years ago due to a highly developed brain capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection, and problem solving.^[17][20]
  • Tools – included Aurignacian tools, such as stone bladed tools, tools made of antlers, and tools made of bones.^[21]
  • Clothing – evidence, such as possible sewing needles from around 40,000 years ago and^[22] dyed flax fibers dated 36,000 BP found in a prehistoric cave in the Republic of Georgia suggest that people were wearing clothes at this time.^[23][24] Human beings may have begun wearing clothing as far back as 190,000 years ago.^[25]
  • Art of the Upper Paleolithic – included cave painting, sculpture such as the Venus figurines, carvings and engravings of bone and ivory, and musical instruments such as flutes. The most common subject matter was large animals that were hunted by the people of the time.
    • Prehistoric music
      • Paleolithic flutes
    • Cave painting
      • Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain
      • Côa Valley Paleolithic Art

Mesolithic period[link]

• Mesolithic – the transitional period between the Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, beginning with the Holocene warm period around 11,660 BP and ending with the Neolithic introduction of farming, the date of which varied in each geographical region. Adaptation was required during this period due to climate changes that affected environment and the types of available food.
  • Stone tool changes – small stone tools called Microliths, including small bladelets and microburins, emerged during this period.^[26]
  • Weapons – spears or arrows were found at the earliest known Mesolithic battle site at Cemetery 117 in the Sudan.^[27] Holmegaard bows were found in the bogs of Northern Europe dating from the Mesolithic period.^[28]

Neolithic Revolution[link]

• Neolithic Revolution – was the first agricultural revolution, representing a transition from hunting and gathering nomadic life to an agriculture existence. It evolved independently in six separate locations worldwide circa 10,000–7000 years BP (8,000–5,000 BC). The earliest known evidence exists in the tropical and subtropical areas of southwestern/southern Asia, northern/central Africa and Central America.^[29]
  • Defining characteristics
    • Introduction of agriculture – a defining characteristic of Neolithic societies, which resulted in a swing from a nomadic lifestyle to one that was more sedentary,^[30] and the use of agricultural tools such as the plough, digging stick and hoe (tool).
    • Domestication – of animals, including dogs^[29][30]
    • Pottery – emerged as a defining characteristic of the Neolithic period.^[30]
  • Other
    • Architecture – included houses and villages built of mud-brick and wattle and daub and the construction of storage facilities, tombs and monuments.^[31]
    • Metalworking – copper use began as early as 9000 BC in the Middle East;^[32] and a copper pendant found in northern Iraq dated to 8700 BC.^[33]
    • Numeric counting – record keeping evolved from a system of counting using small clay tokens that began in Sumer about 8000 BC.^[34]
    • Stone tools – ground and polished tools were created during the Neolithic period.^[30]
    • Religious structures – such as the Göbekli Tepe built about 12,000 years ago.
    • Wheel – in the late Neolithic period, the wheel was introduced for making pottery.^[35]

Bronze Age[link]

• Bronze Age – characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons and of developing trade networks.

Iron Age[link]

• Iron Age – characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel, which coincided with other changes in society, including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles.
  • Tools – best tools and weapons were made from steel.^[36]
  • Development of written language – generally agreed that true written language was invented independently in at least two places: Mesopotamia (specifically, ancient Sumer) 3200 BC and Mesoamerica 600 BC. Twelve Mesoamerican scripts are known of, the oldest from Zapotec Mexico. It is debated whether writing developed independently in Egypt 3200 BC and China 1300 BC, or whether the appearance of writing in either or both places was due to cultural diffusion.

The next period following the introduction of written language is the Middle Ages.

New World[link]

The New World, or American, periods began with the crossing of the Paleo-Indians, Athabaskan, Aleuts and Eskimos along the Bering Land Bridge onto the North American continent.^[37] In their book, Method and Theory in American Archaeology, Gordon Willey and Philip Phillips defined five cultural stages for the Americas, including the three prehistoric Lithic, Archaic and Formative stages. The historic stages are the Classic and Post-Classic stages.^[38][39]

• Paleo-Indian period – the first people who entered, and subsequently inhabited, the American continent during the final glacial episodes of the late Pleistocene period. Evidence suggests big-game hunters crossed the Bering Strait from Asia into North America over a land and ice bridge (Beringia), that existed between 45,000 BCE – 12,000 BCE,^[40] following herds of large herbivores far into Alaska.^[41]
• Athabaskan –
• Aleuts –
• Eskimos –

Lithic[link]

• Lithic – occurred from 12,000 to 6,000 years before present and included the Clovis culture, Folsom tradition and Plano culture.^[39] Clovis culture was considered the first culture to use projectile points to hunt on the North American continent. Since then, a pre-Clovis site was found in Manis, Washington that found use of projectile points to hunt mastodons.^[42]

Archaic[link]

• Archaic – was dated from 8,000 to 2,000 years before present.^[39] People were hunters of small game, such as deer, antelope and rabbits, and gatherers of wild plants, moving seasonally to hunting and gathering sites. Late in the Archaic period, about 200-500 A.D., corn was introduced into the diet and pottery-making became an occupation for storing and caring food.^[43]

Formative[link]

• Formative – followed the Archaic period and continued until the point of contact by European people. Cultures from that period include that of the Ancient Pueblo People, Mississippian culture and Olmec cultures.^[39]

Topics[link]

Art[link]

• List of prehistoric artworks
• Ideograms
• Japanese Prehistoric Art
• Petroglyphs
• Pictograms

Art / religion[link]

• Stone circle

Tools[link]

• Timeline of historic inventions#Paleolithic Era
• History of materials science#Prehistory
• Archaeological industry

Periods[link]

• Tool#History
• History of archery#Stone Age
• History of archery#Bronze Age

Types of tools[link]

• Prepared-core technique
• Blade (archaeology)
• Chopper (archaeology)
• Cleaver (tool)
• Tool stone
• Lithic flake
• Lithic core
• Lithic reduction
• Tranchet flake
• Langdale axe industry
• Bow and arrow#History
• Chopping tool
• Cupstone
• Bann flake
• Bare Island projectile point, just a few of many kinds of projectile points
• Canaanean blade
• Celt (tool)
• Adze#Europe
• Anvil#History
• Arrow#History
• Sewing needle#Needles in archaeology
• Basket#History
• Pigment#History
• Glue#History
• Rope#History
• Bow drill#History
• Woodworking#History

Weapons[link]

• Prehistoric warfare
  • Prehistoric weapons

Fishing[link]

• History of whaling#Prehistoric to medieval times
• History of fishing#Prehistory

Hunting[link]

• Hunting#Paleolithic
  • Hunting hypothesis

Mining[link]

• Mining#Prehistoric mining

Clothing[link]

• Shoe#History

Medicine[link]

• Prehistoric medicine
• Dentistry#History

Language / numbers[link]

• Prehistoric numerals

Gallery[link]

• 

  Reconstruction of how homo erectus may have looked

• 

  Model of a male homo antecessor of Atapuerca mountains (Ibeas Museum, Burgos, Spain)

• 

  Reconstruction of Homo heidelbergensis

• 

  A reconstruction of a Neanderthal male from the Neanderthal Museum

• 

  Fire started using a bow drill

• 

  Selection of prehistoric tools

• 

  Aurochs on a cave painting in Lascaux, France

See also[link]

• Outline of technology
  • Technology
  • History of technology
    • Timeline of historic inventions
• Paleolithic lifestyle
  • Paleolithic diet
• Timeline of human prehistory

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Fagan, Brian; Shermer, Michael; Wrangham, Richard. (2010). Science & Humanity: From Past to the Future. Los Angeles Times Festival of Books.
• Karlin, C.; Julien, M. Prehistoric technology: a cognitive science? University of Washington.
• Klein, Richard. (2009). The Human Career: Human Biological and Cultural Origins, Third Edition.
• Palmer, Douglas. (1999). Atlas of the Prehistoric World. Discovery Channel Books.
• Schick, Kathy Diane. (1994). Making Silent Stones Speak: Human Evolution and the Dawn of Technology.
• Tudge, Colin. (1997). The Time Before History: 5 Million Years of Human Impact. Touchstone.
• Wescott, David. (2001). Primitive Technology:A Book of Earth Skills.
• Wescott, David. (2001). Primitive Technology II: Ancestral Skill - From the Society of Primitive Technology.
• Wrangham, Richard. (2010). Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human. Basic Books; First Trade Paper Edition.
• Zimmer, Carl. (2007). Smithsonian Intimate Guide to Human Origins. Harper Perennial.

External links[link]

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• Ancient human occupation of Britain
• Department of Prehistory of Europe, British Museum
• Index of Ancient Sites and Monuments, Ancient Wisdom
• Online Exhibits, University of California Museum of Paleontology
• Prehistoric Science and Technology, Ancient Wisdom
• Prehistoric Technology, Ancient Arts
• Prehistoric Technology, Access Science
• Prehistoric Technology, Royal Alberta Museum, Canada
• Prehistory for Kids
• Show me: Prehistory, Interactive, educational site
• Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History
• Timeline: 2,500,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE, Jeremy Norman
• Quinson's Museum of Prehistory, France