prehistoric cultures
Before written history
Prehistoric cultures are human societies that existed before the development of writing systems, known only through archaeological evidence—tools, art, burial sites, and settlement patterns.
The term spans from the earliest hominids through the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages, varying by region since writing emerged at different times across the world.
The cave paintings reveal a prehistoric culture with sophisticated artistic traditions.
- PaleolithicEarliest archaeological era
- Ancestral PuebloansPre-Columbian Four Corners people
- fertility goddessDeity presiding over reproduction
- Bronze AgeEarly metalworking civilization period
- Iron AgePost-bronze historical period
ritual sacrifice · Göbekli Tepe · cave paintings · Beringia · land bridge · hunter-gatherers · ice age · stone tools · midden · oral traditions · rock art · Chalcolithic · Lower Paleolithic · cave dwellers · Mesolithic · burial mounds · Neolithic · oral tradition
prehistoric culturesrecorded history
Past preserved through documentation
ancient civilizations · historical societies · classical antiquity
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