Gourt > Science > Social Sciences > Archaeology > Periods and Cultures > Prehistory (14)
Prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is a term often used to describe the period before written history became available. Paul Tournal originally coined the term Pré-historique in describing the finds he had made in the caves of southern France, and the term was used in French since the 1830s to describe the time before writing, then introduced into English by Daniel Wilson in 1851.
The term became less meaningful in the 20th century as the boundary between history (strictly the written record) and other disciplines became less rigid and defined. Indeed today most historians rely on evidence from multiple sources, and the notion of limiting historical study to a 5000-year span (out of possibly millions of years of human existence) of only those few world cultures that left written records is no longer taken seriously. For example historians study the Celts, African civilizations, and North American civilizations, whose histories were, until recently, mainly oral--"prehistoric".
Prehistory can be said to date back to the beginning 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.
More on [ Prehistory ]
Paleontology :: Earth Sciences
Ancient :: By Time Period
RT @tweeterism: The prehistory of stress http://bit.ly/7YF5tM
WebForging (Keith Klein) Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:02:53 -0000
RT @tweeterism: The prehistory of stress http://bit.ly/7YF5tM
It seems to me that Scott Jennings writes things that belong to prehistory. I wonder why. Maybe because they pay him.
MrSkimpole (HRose) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:21:10 -0000
It seems to me that Scott Jennings writes things that belong to prehistory. I wonder why. Maybe because they pay him.
@wellymedia it was v cool. 2 of my fav things, prehistory and stars in one perfect setting! :)
bird42 (beccy ) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:28:56 -0000
@wellymedia it was v cool. 2 of my fav things, prehistory and stars in one perfect setting! :)
The prehistory of stress: Researchers use hair from remains of people living in pre-Colombian Peru to discover .. http://bit.ly/6hkDTY
TheWorldNews (The World News) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:27:49 -0000
The prehistory of stress: Researchers use hair from remains of people living in pre-Colombian Peru to discover .. http://bit.ly/6hkDTY
The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry By Ewart Oakeshott Pub.. http://bit.ly/6Y8UyA #GKiA
gkia (cSuper GKiAi+;,) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:11:41 -0000
The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry By Ewart Oakeshott Pub.. http://bit.ly/6Y8UyA #GKiA
The prehistory of stress -> http://bit.ly/5Tobdh
lefrosch (lefrosch) Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:49:02 -0000
The prehistory of stress -> http://bit.ly/5Tobdh
Ancient Greece and Early America - Early West and Native/Colonial America: artifacts, music, film clips, maps/time-lines, plus contributions from visual artists and historians.
Ancient Man - A collection of resources and links, categorized by continent, for exploring prehistoric people and early civilizations.
Meta Description: [ A collection of resources and links, categorized by continent, for exploring ancient, prehistoric and early people of the world. Study Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece and other ancients from around the world; or look into the world of our early human ancestors from each continent. We... ]
404
Archaeology and Language: The Puzzle of Indo-European Origins - Norman Berdichevsky finds that this book by Colin Renfrew upsets established ideas. From Contemporary Review.
Ecological Role of Prehistoric Humans - An overview of how populations altered ecosystems and extinguished species prior to developing advanced technology.
Edge 3rd Culture - A talk by Jared Diamond, Ph.D. from UCLA that addresses the question of why human history unfolded differently on different continents for the last 13,000 years.
Human Prehistory: An Exhibition - Offers an overview of human evolution and prehistory with a particular emphasis on early human developments in the Old World. The graphically enhanced tours open with a discussion of the origins of the study of hominid evolution
Prehistoric Man by History Link 101 - Offers links categorized in five areas: art, daily life, maps, pictures, and research on early man.
Meta Description: [ Links to Art, Daily Life, Maps, Pictures and Research on Prehistoric Man. ]
404
Prehistory Objectives - Portion of World History course, which provides an overview of both the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods as well as a section on different theoretical models used to conceptualize prehistory.
404
Prehistory site of Berkay Dincer - Site is mostly concerning with Anatolian prehistory, Paleolithic archaeology, and human evolution.
Prehistory.org - A portal offering prehistory news, research and conference information.
Meta Description: [ Issues and links to current news, books, conferences and research in the field of prehistory. ]
Reflections on Prehistory - Offers an overview of prehistory ranging from topics on early hominids to regional discussions of prehistory in the Near East and the American Southwest.
Meta Description: [ A variety of essays on human prehistory, from our earliest ancestors to various Old and New World civilizations. Terminology chapter follows. ]
404
Stone Age Habitats - Overview of construction by early humans. Includes a summary of environmental alteration by prehistoric peoples.
Meta Description: [ Stone Age Habitats ]
The Long Foreground: Human Prehistory - An interactive tutorial produced by the Learning Commons of Washington State University.
The Prehistoric Society - Concerned with prehistory world-wide, its membership is drawn from many countries. Newsletters online, lectures, events, grants, merchandise.
Meta Description: [ Founded in 1935, the Prehistoric Society's interests are world wide and extend from the earliest human origins to the emergence of written records. ]
| Prehistory | |
| Next Video | |
