Prehistory
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The time of archaeology
Prehistory is the first period of humanity’s development, extending from the appearance of the human being, dated the in the Iberian Peninsula at 1,200,000 years ago (Homo antecessor), to the first cultures which developed writing (first millennium BC). So it covers a very long period and a complex list of cultural manifestations, knowledge of which can only be through archaeology, by study of the material remains connected with prehistoric Man and, therefore, under continuous revision with every new discovery.
On the slow, thrilling road of their evolution, human beings changed from being a species immersed in nature, living together with other animal and vegetable species, some extinct today, to gradually become the dominant element, first as hunter-gatherers, then as herdsmen and farmers, and finally through the development of more complex activities such as mining which began to alter their ecosystem decisively.
In parallel, we can follow the constant evolution and expansion of their thinking, more abstract and complex at each stage, and with it the appearance of art, belief in the supernatural, complex social and funerary constructions, and finally the increasing differentiation of some individuals within the community.
