PREHISTORY

Historians have divided the time periods, or ages to explore, analyze and study
better. Prehistory covers more than 3 million years old and the oldest age. Preh
istory called because their study is not based on written sources, and is distin
guished history in that it does have written sources for the knowledge of human
activity. Then, to study this period, we use the analysis of the age of rocks an
d its relationship with human fossils found with the remains of utensils, weapon
s, paintings, etc. With these methods we know that the human species originated
in Africa around 5 million years, which at one time, chimpanzees and gorillas, h
ominids emerged, much like them but bipeds, and also, that Homo sapiens inhabite
d the Earth for 150,000 years.
Prehistory is divided into three periods: Paleolithic, Neolithic and Metal Age.
Paleolithic (nearly a million years). In the Paleolithic, man lived what gave hi
m the means: hunting, gathering fruit and fish. So were nomadic, ie they were fo
rced to move at the time that hunting, fishing or fruit scarce in a given area.
They lived in caves and huts and used fire for cooking and heating on cold days.
Polished and carved stones, wood and bone for making tools. Were organized into
clans, which were small family groups. The population was low because people's
lives was very close. Many children died at birth and adults lived a few years.
In our country, men and women lived in the Paleolithic Cantabrian Coast. Are tes
timony to this assertion the paintings and engravings have been found in caves i
n Cantabria and Asturias.
Neolithic (about 7,000 years ago). We went into the Neolithic at the time when m
an learns to produce their own food, that is, living from agriculture and livest
ock. Agriculture makes Paleolithic nomad in sedentary and built the first villag
es. Thus our ancestors learned how to raise and domesticate animals and cultivat
e the land. This caused the population to increase and people are organized into
tribes, groups were more numerous than the clan and where each member specializ
ing in a job. In Spain, they settled near the Mediterranean.
Metal Age (circa 4000 BC). Curiosity and the need led to the Neolithic to use me
tals, melt them and make alloys. At first melted copper but only used it to shap
e tiny ornaments and weapons because it was very soft. After the bronze used and
almost at the end of prehistory, man, so rudimentary, begins to use iron. The v
illages grew and became small cities, which were surrounded by walls to facilita
te their defense. The inhabitants of these cities were organized under the autho
rity of a chief.