DOCSLIB.ORG

Prehistory Timeline

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Prehistory Timeline Prehistory Timeline Palaeolithic - ‘Old Stone Age’ When: 1,000,000 BC Landscape: tundra Climate: changes between cold and warm Hunted animals: mammoth, aurochs, rhino, long tusk elephant, horses, reindeer, cave lion Local site: Bramford Road – prior to 40,000 years ago and is the most important site in Britain for this phase. o Britain connected to European continent by land bridge o Relatively few Upper Palaeolithic sites have been identified in East Anglia. The region lacks the cave sites which have proved to be so important for the preservation of sites o People not like us following herds of animals across the land bridge for hunting in groups of 25-30. Survival depended on teamwork. How did they communicate without language? Mesolithic – ‘Middle Stone Age’ When: 9,600 BC Landscape: becomes woodland Climate: becoming warmer Hunted animals: fish, horse, deer and wild pig Local site: Constantine Road – Mesolithic fint found Tools: hand axe, bow and arrow, microliths, axes on handles (to clear small areas of land) o Britain still connected to European continent by land bridge. Britain becomes an island between 6,500 – 6,000BC. o East Anglia is quite rich in Mesolithic sites. However, although there have been numerous surface finds there have been very few excavations of sites with material in primary context. o Humans living a nomadic hunter-gather lifestyle. o Humans start to manager very small areas f land, clearing brambles to create an area to lure their prey. Neolithic – ‘New Stone Age’ When: 4,000 BC Landscape: woodland Climate: similar to today Farming: Sheep, goats, cows and pigs are kept and crops were grown Local site: River Orwell – polished axe found Tools: Mace heads and polished axes (making them beautiful as well as functional). Tools are given to gods as a sacrifice or used as trade. o Farming on a small scale and people clear areas of land for this purpose. It is possible that farming allowed people to have larger families. o People live in long houses. o Pottery starts to be used, making storage possible. o Communal monuments are developed. o People live close to other groups as a consequence of staying in one place. This could cause tensions and disease. Bronze Age When: 2,200 BC Landscape: woodland Climate: similar to today Farming: Sheep, goats, cows and pigs are kept and crops were grown Local site: River Gipping (near Sproughton) - bronze rapier cleared from bed Tools: Tools are made of bronze o Settlements made up of round houses, and a sense of boundaries are developed (people become territorial) o Weapons become more prominent and a warrior class rises o People make sacrificial offerings in water, important people are buried in Barrows and cremation urns are used. Iron Age When: 800 BC Landscape: woodland Climate: similar to today Farming: Sheep, goats, cows and pigs are kept and crops were grown. Local site: Princes Street - Red deer antler weaving comb found Tools: tools are made of iron o Farming intensifies o Greatly increased population (51,000 people in Mesolithic period, between 1 – 3 million in Iron Age) and people are living in tribes o Evidence from written Roman accounts o Druids o Places become defended and hill forts are used to retreat to in times of trouble o A clear hierarchy and coins are used as a form of propaganda Romans Prehistory finishes in Britain when the Romans invaded in AD 43. The Romans recorded their history and we can use documents when studying this period. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • From the Mesolithic to the Chalcolithic in the South Caucasus: New Data from the Bavra Ablari Rock Shelter
    Book Chapter From the Mesolithic to the Chalcolithic in the South Caucasus: New data from the Bavra Ablari rock shelter VAROUTSIKOS, Bastien, et al. Abstract The site of Bavra-Ablari is a Mesolithic-Chalcolithic rock shelter, located on the Javakheti plateau in the valley of a tributary of the Kura River, in southern Georgia. Excavations have been carried out by a Georgian-French team since 2012 and have shed light on processes that took place during the Early Holocene. The Mesolithic layer of the site shows an occupation, not yet fully excavated, which will provide important chrono-cultural information about the exploitation of the mountainous areas during the ninth millennium BCE. The Neolithic occupation chronologically matches the first evidence of agricultural society in the Near East during the sixth millennium BCE, and is characterised by a combination of Neolithic and Mesolithic features. The Chalcolithic layer produced a significant collection of material that supports a re-occupation of the highlands during the fifth millennium, as well as the development of subsistence strategies adapted to this environment. Reference VAROUTSIKOS, Bastien, et al. From the Mesolithic to the Chalcolithic in the South Caucasus: New data from the Bavra Ablari rock shelter. In: Batmaz A., Bedianashvili G., Michalewicz A., Robinson A. Context and Connection: Essays on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East in Honour of Antonio Sagona. Leuven : Peeters, 2017. Available at: http://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:91771 Disclaimer: layout of this document
    [Show full text]
  • Persistence of Middle Stone Age Technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene Transition Supports a Complex Hominin Evolutionary Scenario in West Africa
    This is a repository copy of Persistence of Middle Stone Age technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition supports a complex hominin evolutionary scenario in West Africa. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/129212/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Scerri, E.M.L., Blinkhorn, J., Niang, K. et al. (2 more authors) (2017) Persistence of Middle Stone Age technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition supports a complex hominin evolutionary scenario in West Africa. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 11. pp. 639-646. ISSN 2352-409X https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2017.01.003 Reuse This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC-ND) licence. This licence only allows you to download this work and share it with others as long as you credit the authors, but you can’t change the article in any way or use it commercially. More information and the full terms of the licence here: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Persistence of Middle Stone Age technology to the Pleistocene/Holocene transition supports a complex hominin evolutionary scenario in West Africa Eleanor M.L. Scerria*, James Blinkhornb, Khady Niangc, Mark D. Batemand, Huw S. Groucutta a Research
    [Show full text]
  • New Dates for the Late Neolithic Corded Ware Culture Burials and Early Husbandry in the East Baltic Region
    Archaeofauna 16 (2007): 21-31 New dates for the Late Neolithic Corded Ware Culture burials and early husbandry in the East Baltic region LEMBI LÕUGAS1, AIVAR KRIISKA2 & LIINA MALDRE3 1 Institute of History, Tallinn University, Rüütli 6, EE10130 Tallinn, Estonia. e-mail: [email protected] 2 Department of History, Tartu University, Ülikooli 18, EE50090 Tartu, Estonia. 3 Institute of History, Tallinn University, Rüütli 6, EE10130 Tallinn, Estonia. (Received December 18, 2006; Revised April 10, 2007; Accepted April 16, 2007) ABSTRACT: The appearance of the Corded Ware Culture in the eastern Baltic area has been associated with the beginning of animal husbandry in this region. The culture is quite well re- presented by artefacts around the Baltic Sea basin, whereas its animal bone material seems to have been partly mixed with either that of the Combed Ware Culture, whose economy was based on hunting, fishing and gathering, or with later material. Radiocarbon dates have placed the beginning of the Corded Ware Culture in the eastern Baltic region in the time interval 3000- 2700 cal BC. New dates from Estonia confirm that the phenomenon appeared here at that time. The beginning of animal husbandry in the East Baltic is discussed on the basis of the new dates and the animal bone finds from Corded Ware Culture settlement sites and burials. Important fac- tors in the spreading of early farming in addition to climate, were geographical and environ- mental conditions. KEYWORDS: EAST BALTIC, ESTONIA, LATE NEOLITHIC, CORDED WARE CUL- TURE, DOMESTIC ANIMALS RESUMEN: La cultura de las cerámicas cordadas en el Báltico oriental se asocia con el inicio de la ganadería en la zona.
    [Show full text]
  • Timeline from Ice Ages to European Arrival in New England
    TIMELINE FROM ICE AGES TO EUROPEAN ARRIVAL IN NEW ENGLAND Mitchell T. Mulholland & Kit Curran Department of Anthropology, University of Massachusetts Amherst 500 Years Before Present CONTACT Europeans Arrive PERIOD 3,000 YBP WOODLAND Semi-permanent villages in which cultivated food crops are stored. Mixed-oak forest, chestnut. Slash and burn agriculture changes appearance of landscape. Cultivated plants: corn, beans, and squash. Bows and arrows, spears used along with more wood, bone tools. 6,000 YBP LATE Larger base camps; small groups move seasonally ARCHAIC through mixed-oak forest, including some tropical plants. Abundant fish and game; seeds and nuts. 9,000 YBP EARLY & Hunter/gatherers using seasonal camping sites for MIDDLE several months duration to hunt deer, turkey, ARCHAIC and fish with spears as well as gathering plants. 12,000 YBP PALEOINDIAN Small nomadic hunting groups using spears to hunt caribou and mammoth in the tundra Traditional discussions of the occupation of New England by prehistoric peoples divide prehistory into three major periods: Paleoindian, Archaic and Woodland. Paleoindian Period (12,000-9,000 BP) The Paleoindian Period extended from approximately 12,000 years before present (BP) until 9,000 BP. During this era, people manufactured fluted projectile points. They hunted caribou as well as smaller animals found in the sparse, tundra-like environment. In other parts of the country, Paleoindian groups hunted larger Pleistocene mammals such as mastodon or mammoth. In New England there is no evidence that these mammals were utilized by humans as a food source. People moved into New England after deglaciation of the region concluded around 14,000 BP.
    [Show full text]
  • 293 Radiocarbon and Stable
    RADIOCARBON, Vol 46, Nr 1, 2004, p 293–300 © 2004 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona RADIOCARBON AND STABLE ISOTOPE EVIDENCE OF DIETARY CHANGE FROM THE MESOLITHIC TO THE MIDDLE AGES IN THE IRON GATES: NEW RESULTS FROM LEPENSKI VIR C Bonsall1,2 • G T Cook3 • R E M Hedges4 • T F G Higham4 • C Pickard1 • I RadovanoviÊ5 ABSTRACT. A previous radiocarbon dating and stable isotope study of directly associated ungulate and human bone samples from Late Mesolithic burials at Schela Cladovei in Romania established that there is a freshwater reservoir effect of approximately 500 yr in the Iron Gates reach of the Danube River valley in southeast Europe. Using the δ15N values as an indicator of the percentage of freshwater protein in the human diet, the 14C data for 24 skeletons from the site of Lepenski Vir were corrected for this reservoir effect. The results of the paired 14C and stable isotope measurements provide evidence of substantial dietary change over the period from about 9000 BP to about 300 BP. The data from the Early Mesolithic to the Chalcolithic are consistent with a 2-component dietary system, where the linear plot of isotopic values reflects mixing between the 2 end-members to differing degrees. Typically, the individuals of Mesolithic age have much heavier δ15N signals and slightly heavier δ13C, while individuals of Early Neolithic and Chalcolithic age have lighter δ15N and δ13C values. Contrary to our earlier suggestion, there is no evidence of a substantial population that had a transitional diet midway between those that were characteristic of the Mesolithic and Neolithic.
    [Show full text]
  • On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution
    On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Bar-Yosef, Ofer. 1998. “On the Nature of Transitions: The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution.” Cam. Arch. Jnl 8 (02) (October): 141. Published Version doi:10.1017/S0959774300000986 Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:12211496 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Cambridge Archaeological Journal 8:2 (1998), 141-63 On the Nature of Transitions: the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic and the Neolithic Revolution Ofer Bar-Yosef This article discusses two major revolutions in the history of humankind, namely, the Neolithic and the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic revolutions. The course of the first one is used as a general analogy to study the second, and the older one. This approach puts aside the issue of biological differences among the human fossils, and concentrates solely on the cultural and technological innovations. It also demonstrates that issues that are common- place to the study of the trajisition from foraging to cultivation and animal husbandry can be employed as an overarching model for the study of the transition from the Middle to the Upper Palaeolithic. The advantage of this approach is that it focuses on the core areas where each of these revolutions began, the ensuing dispersals and their geographic contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • A Critical Review of “The Mesolithic” in Relation to Siberian Archaeology ALEXANDER B
    ARCTIC VOL. 38, NO. 3 (SEPTEMBER 1985) P. 178-187 A Critical Review of “the Mesolithic” in Relation to Siberian Archaeology ALEXANDER B. DOLITSKY’ ABSTRACT. This paperexplores the potentialof the economic-ecqlogical method basedon the exploitation of fishresources for Mesolithic site iden- tification, as compared to the recently popular yet indecisive technological-typologicalmethod, to predict the existence of “Mesolithic-like” sub- sistence activities in Siberia during the Sartan-Holocene“transition” period. The article is an attempt toestablish, or at least topropose, new criteria that can lead toa higher level of understandingof Mesolithic economies insubarctic and arctic regions. Also, decision-making processes that operate to achieve behavioralgoals based on efficiency of human beingsare suggested. The model, designed with respectto geographical regions identified as interbiotic zones, has the advantage of offering specific alternative hypotheses enabling the definition of both environmental properties and predicted human behavior. Key words: Mesolithic, Siberia, interbiotic zone RÉSUMÉ. L’article &die le potentiel de la méthode économique-écologique fondte sur l’exploitation de poissons en guise de ressources pour l’identification desites mtsolithiques, en comparison avecla mdthode technologique-typologique populaire maisindécise, afin de prddire l’existence d’activitds de subsistencede genre mésolithique en Sibdrie durant la périodede transition Sartan-Holoctne. On tente d’établir ou au moins de pro- poser de nouveaux crittres qui pourraient permettre une meilleure comprdhension des économies mdsolithiques dans les rdgions arctiques et sub- arctiques. De plus, on suggkre des processus de prise de ddcisions qui visent21 établir des buts de comportement fondéssur l’efficacité de I’être hu- main.Conçu par rapport 21 des rdgionsgéographiques nommées zones interbiotiques, le modele a l’avantage d’offrir des choix particuliers d’hypothtses permettant la ddfinition des propridtés environnementales et du comportement humain prévu.
    [Show full text]
  • Behavioural Complexity and Modern Traits in the Philippine Upper Palaeolithic
    Behavioural Complexity and Modern Traits in the Philippine Upper Palaeolithic AlFred F. PAwlIk introduction The discussion of cultural, cognitive, and behavioral modernity has a long tradition in europe’s prehistoric archaeology ( Dibble 1989; Hahn 1986; Jelinek 1982; klein 1995, 1999; Mellars 1989a, 1989b). The appearance of specialized blade indus- tries, bone and antler tools, and especially figurative art, musical instruments, and personal ornaments are seen as significant indicators of the highly developed cultural and cognitive abilities of their makers (Clottes 2001; Conard 2003; Conard et al. 2004). The seemingly sudden appearance of expressive art and symbolism together with complex tool technologies in europe at around 40,000 years ago has been attributed to explosive cultural and cognitive advancement with the arrival of ana- tomically modern Homo sapiens ( Klein and Blake 2002; Mellars 1991; Mithen 1996). Whether this Upper Palaeolithic revolution in europe was due to social factors or genetic mutation, was related to changes in the ecosystem, or has a cultural expla- nation (such as competition with another human species, the Neanderthals) is still under debate ( Bar-Yossef 2002; Conard et al. 2004; d’errico 2003; Haidle 2006; McBrearty and Brooks 2000; Mellars 2005; Zilhão 2001). Yet, the “human revolu- tion” model is used to explain the success of the Homo sapiens immigrants over the Neanderthals ( Bräuer and Smith 1992; Conard 2006, 2008; Mellars 2005). On the other hand, potential indicators of an earlier and gradually developing cul- tural and cognitive modernity have been seen in African assemblages. The appearance of some modern cognitive traits (e.g., production of projectile points, shell-fishing, personal ornaments, notational or incised pieces, and pigment processing) in Africa has been dated back to the Middle Pleistocene, earlier than the first evidence of ana- tomically modern hominids 200,000 years ago (Henshilwood et al.
    [Show full text]
  • The Genomic Ancestry of the Scandinavian Battle Axe Culture People and Their Relation to the Broader Corded Ware Horizon
    Malmström, H., Günther, T., Svensson, E. M., Juras, A., Fraser, M., Munters, A. R., Pospieszny, Ł., Tõrv, M., Lindström, J., Götherström, A., Storå, J., & Jakobsson, M. (2019). The genomic ancestry of the Scandinavian Battle Axe Culture people and their relation to the broader Corded Ware horizon. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 286(1912), [20191528]. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1528 Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record License (if available): CC BY Link to published version (if available): 10.1098/rspb.2019.1528 Link to publication record in Explore Bristol Research PDF-document This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via The Royal Society at https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1528 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher. University of Bristol - Explore Bristol Research General rights This document is made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the reference above. Full terms of use are available: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/red/research-policy/pure/user-guides/ebr-terms/ The genomic ancestry of the Scandinavian royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rspb Battle Axe Culture people and their relation to the broader Corded Ware horizon Research Helena Malmström1,2,†, Torsten Günther1,†, Emma M. Svensson1, Anna Juras3, Cite this article: Malmström H et al. 2019 Magdalena Fraser1,4, Arielle R. Munters1, Łukasz Pospieszny5,6, Mari Tõrv7, The genomic ancestry of the Scandinavian 8 9 10 Battle Axe Culture people and their relation to Jonathan Lindström , Anders Götherström , Jan Storå the broader Corded Ware horizon.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring the Concept of Home at Hunter-Gatherer Sites in Upper Paleolithic Europe and Epipaleolithic Southwest Asia
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Previously Published Works Title Homes for hunters?: Exploring the concept of home at hunter-gatherer sites in upper paleolithic Europe and epipaleolithic Southwest Asia Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9nt6f73n Journal Current Anthropology, 60(1) ISSN 0011-3204 Authors Maher, LA Conkey, M Publication Date 2019-02-01 DOI 10.1086/701523 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Current Anthropology Volume 60, Number 1, February 2019 91 Homes for Hunters? Exploring the Concept of Home at Hunter-Gatherer Sites in Upper Paleolithic Europe and Epipaleolithic Southwest Asia by Lisa A. Maher and Margaret Conkey In both Southwest Asia and Europe, only a handful of known Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic sites attest to aggregation or gatherings of hunter-gatherer groups, sometimes including evidence of hut structures and highly structured use of space. Interpretation of these structures ranges greatly, from mere ephemeral shelters to places “built” into a landscape with meanings beyond refuge from the elements. One might argue that this ambiguity stems from a largely functional interpretation of shelters that is embodied in the very terminology we use to describe them in comparison to the homes of later farming communities: mobile hunter-gatherers build and occupy huts that can form campsites, whereas sedentary farmers occupy houses or homes that form communities. Here we examine some of the evidence for Upper Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic structures in Europe and Southwest Asia, offering insights into their complex “functions” and examining perceptions of space among hunter-gatherer communities. We do this through examination of two contemporary, yet geographically and culturally distinct, examples: Upper Paleolithic (especially Magdalenian) evidence in Western Europe and the Epipaleolithic record (especially Early and Middle phases) in Southwest Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Foods and the Dietary Ecology of Neanderthals and Early Modern Humans
    Journal of Human Evolution xxx (2014) 1e11 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Human Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhevol Plant foods and the dietary ecology of Neanderthals and early modern humans Amanda G. Henry a,*, Alison S. Brooks b, Dolores R. Piperno c,d a Plant Foods in Hominin Dietary Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany b Department of Anthropology, Center for Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 2110 G St NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA c Program in Human Ecology and Archaeobiology, Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20013- 7012, USA d Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancon, Panama article info abstract Article history: One of the most important challenges in anthropology is understanding the disappearance of Nean- Received 3 February 2012 derthals. Previous research suggests that Neanderthals had a narrower diet than early modern humans, Accepted 22 December 2013 in part because they lacked various social and technological advances that lead to greater dietary variety, Available online xxx such as a sexual division of labor and the use of complex projectile weapons. The wider diet of early modern humans would have provided more calories and nutrients, increasing fertility, decreasing Keywords: mortality and supporting large population sizes, allowing them to out-compete Neanderthals. However, Phytolith this model for Neanderthal dietary behavior is based on analysis of animal remains, stable isotopes, and Starch grain Microfossil other methods that provide evidence only of animal food in the diet.
    [Show full text]
  • Glaciation (Oakley, 1950). Variations in the Proposed Beginning Dates
    EVOLUTION OF THE HUMAN HAND AMD THE GREAT HAND-AXE TRADITION Grover S. Krantz The hand-axe is both the earliest and the longest persisting of standar- dized stone tools. They present a continuous history of one tool type from the first to the third interglacial periods, a span.of at least 200,000 years and perhaps as many as half a million. Equally remarkable is their geographical range which covers all of Africa, western Europe and southern Asia--fully half of-the then habitable Old Vorld. Aside from differences in the local stone that was utilized, hand-axes from this whole area are constructed on the same plan and show no clear regional typology. Other tool types occur with hand-axes: utilized flakes are found at all levels, and in the later half of the sequence there-are cleavers, ovates, trimmed flakes and spherical stone balls. Throughout the sequence, however, the basic design of the hand-axe continues with its intended formnapparently unchanged. We thus have a continuous record of man's attempts to produce a single type of 'implement over mst of his tool making history. (See Figure 1.) Recent discoveries of fossil man have made it increasingly evident that biological evolution of the human body was also in progress coincident with the development of ancient stone tool types. 'While the exact time of appearance of Homo siens is still in some dispute (see Stewart, 1950 and Oakley., 1957), it is no nowseriously maintained that the earliest tool makers necessarily approximated the modern or even the neanderthal morphologies.
    [Show full text]