1. Prehistory recap

2. Prehistory
History from the first hominids (5,000,000) to the invention of writing (3,000 BCE).
A long period: significant cultural developments are only 30,000 years old.

3. Timeline Stone Age: Landmarks: Paleolithic (2,500,000- 10,000 BCE)
Mesolithic (10,000 – 8,000 BCE)
Neolithic (8,000 BCE- 3,000 BCE)
Landmarks:
2,500,000: first stone implements
8,000 BCE: agriculture and animal husbandry
3,000 BCE: writing and metallurgy

4. Paleolithic Stone implements Hunter gatherers Nomadic
Cave paintings (ritual?: descriptive, realistic)
Female statuettes (fertility goddesses?)

5. Neolithic Agriculture Permanent settlements
Paintings: human figures, interaction, narrative.
Metallurgy and writing at the end.
Middle East: first towns
West: Megalithic monuments (slower development)