Pre History Paragraph
Although many things are still unknown about human development during pre-history because of a lack of a writing system, historians have identified a few important phases. A few of the vital phases of pre-history were the Paleolithic Era, Neolithic Era, and The Early Dynastic Period. The first phase was the Paleolithic Era. Our text states “Hominids in Africa were kindling and controlling fire as early as 164,000 years ago, using it to make tools.”(4) This was a huge achievement because it allowed the nomads to make arrowheads and fish hooks, which helped them survive. During this time period, humans lived in small groups who traveled together in search of food. All of the travel was completed on foot because there were no domestic animals, which made it impossible to transport any surplus of food. Another key characteristic of this phase was they had no social rank. The Neolithic Era was “a momentous transformation in human history: a switch from food-gathering for subsistence to food production.”(6) A few of the key characteristics of the Neolithic Era were, the domestication of animals to help their farming, increased population and the ability to store grains or surplus food. Within the Neolithic Era was another phase called the Early Dynastic Period. According to the text, “Competition for resources intensified and warfare became more frequent” (12). Since war fare was becoming more prevalent, stronger weapons were needed which led to the Bronze Age. Even though historians currently do not have many records available, the Paleolithic Era, Neolithic Era, and The Early Dynastic Period provide valuable information to life during pre-history.