prehistoric peoples
Before recorded history
Prehistoric peoples are human populations that existed before the development of writing systems, which marks the conventional boundary between prehistory and recorded history.
This threshold occurred at different times in different places, so groups remained "prehistoric" longer in some regions than others.
Archaeologists and anthropologists study prehistoric peoples through material remains—tools, bones, dwellings, art—rather than written records.
The prehistoric peoples of the Pacific Northwest left behind elaborate shell middens.
- cave paintingsPrehistoric artwork on stone
- stone toolsShaped rocks for tasks
- primitive toolsSimple early-era instruments
- hunting-gatheringPre-farming subsistence lifestyle
- shamansSpiritual healers and intermediaries
fire · pottery shards · foraging · hide · fishing techniques · domestication · figurines · oral traditions · sacred sites · bone · mammoth hunters · ceremonial masks · gather · animal skins · cave · burial mounds · early agriculture · seasonal migration
prehistoric peopleshistorical societies
Groups preserving local heritage
ancient historians · Sumerians · ancient Egyptians · ancient scribes
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