prehistory

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prehistory

prehistory period of human evolution before writing was invented and records kept. The term was coined by Daniel Wilson in 1851. It is followed by protohistory, the period for which we have some records but must still rely largely on archaeological evidence to provide a coherent account. The study of prehistory is concerned with the activities of a society or culture, not of the individual, and is limited to the material evidence that has survived.

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prehistory

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

prehistory Period of human cultural development before the invention of writing. See Bronze Age; Iron Age; Mesolithic; Neolithic; Palaeolithic; Stone Age

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A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | Â© A Dictionary of World History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

prehistory The history of the time before written records were kept. The only source of evidence concerning early societies is archaeological. It thus covers an immense period that begins with the study of early hominids and the emergence of Homo sapiens. It is divided into the STONE AGE (PALAEOLITHIC, MESOLITHIC, and NEOLITHIC), the BRONZE AGE, and the IRON AGE. History, based on written records began c.3000 BC in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition entry for antiquity and prehistory of the Americas

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