Ages of History .- EASY

Do you want to know what the ages of history are? Scholars have divided all knowledge about humanity into different stages that cover broad periods of time and change when an important or determining event for the course of history takes place. The historical stages that are part of the history of humanity are: Prehistory, the Ancient Age, the Middle Ages, the Modern Age and the Contemporary Age.

Five periods in which people have evolved from when we lived in caves and caves to the present day, living in large cities, using a means of communication like the Internet and living an average of 80 years. In this lesson from a Teacher we are going to give you an easy summary of the ages of history and we will also indicate the characteristics of each of these stages.

What are the five stages of history?

To know what the ages of history are , first, we must understand what we mean when we talk about history because, in this way, we will understand why the human being has had to divide all the time lived as a species and that it is organized according to They are making some advances or progress.

To define what history is, we will say that it is the study of past events and the evolution of human life on the planet. History aims to study where we come from, who were the first humans and the life forms that populated the planet long before our generation.

The history of humanity is very extensive and, in fact, we must go back in time for several million years to be able to find the first traces of humans on the planet. The organization of history is always carried out in a chronological order, that is, it begins from the oldest to the most recent in order to understand all of life in its magnitude and understand the origins of our reality.

The way Western culture has divided history has religious roots: the birth of Christ is our starting point . Therefore, any date we refer to that is after this event is indicated with the addition BC (before Christ) and if it occurred later, AD (after Christ) is added.

The stages of universal history

Thus, Western historians determined that our history is divided into different periods that are differentiated or that have entailed a significant change in the way of life or conception of reality.

As a summary, the ages of history are as follows:

Prehistory : from the origin of humanity (that is, about 2 or 3 million years ago BC) until writing was invented (four thousand years ago BC)

PALEOLITIC, NEOLITIC, METAL AGES

Ancient Age : begins with the appearance of writing and ends with the fall of the Roman Empire (in the 5th century AD)
Middle Ages : from the 5th century until the Spanish discovered America, in the 15th century (specifically, in the year 1492).
Modern Age : from the 15th century until the French Revolution begins.
Contemporary Age : from the 19th century to the present.

ACTIV.- Find information about these periods

Prehistory: stages and characteristics

Below we are going to analyze the ages of history in a characteristic way so that you have a slight idea of what took place in each stage and, thus, understand where we come from as a species but also as a civilization. And the beginning of all this is found in Prehistory, that is, the events that are located furthest from our present day and that coincide with the appearance of the first hominids 2 or 3 million years ago, the precise date is unknown. .

Since the appearance of the first hominid and until that of Homo Sapiens (the first ancestor of the human being), the species evolved and perfected itself, both by building more precise tools and by organizing itself to live in a community.

What is Prehistory

The time that we gather under the label of "Prehistory" is the longest of any other historical stage since it covers from the time the first hominid appeared until writing was invented. An evolution that took many years and that, for this reason, researchers have had to divide in order to better understand the events and improvements that took place at this time; Thus, the stages of Prehistory are the following:

The Paleolithic

At this historical moment we find the first humans who fed on hunting, fishing and fruit gathering. They created tools manually with everyday materials found in their environment (such as bones, stones, wood, etc.) to be able to hunt and thus feed themselves. They gathered in small groups and had no fixed residence, so they were nomads who took shelter inside the caves.

In this period they managed to master fire, one of the most notable achievements since it allowed them to cook food, get warm and light up at night. One of the most notable aspects of this period of history is Paleolithic art, that is, the cave paintings with which they left evidence of their way of life.

ACTIV.- Investigate characteristics of Prehistory in the Paleolithic so that you can delve even deeper into this topic.

The Neolithic

The passage from one stage to another is given because humans begin to produce their own food , that is, agriculture and livestock farming begin, something that led to great changes in the way of life of the groups. First of all, they had to figure out how to create new tools that could be used in the countryside. In the same way, now they began to store food, which is why ceramics began.

Another of the most notable changes of this period is that people stopped being nomads and became sedentary groups because, now, they no longer had to move to look for their food but rather they were capable of producing it themselves. With this, the first towns began to be created in which families and members of the same tribe lived together.

ACTIV.- Find info about the Neolithic and write a short summary so that it is easy for you to study and delve deeper into this stage of Prehistory.

The Metal Ages:

The Metal Ages in history refer to periods characterized by the widespread use of metal tools and weapons, particularly bronze and iron, to various degrees of technological advancement. These ages mark significant milestones in human history and are named after the predominant metal used during the period. The three main Metal Ages are:

0 The Stone Age: While not technically a metal age, the Stone Age is the precursor to the Metal Ages. It is divided into the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age), Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age), and Neolithic (New Stone Age) periods, during which humans primarily used stone tools and weapons for hunting and gathering. The transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age was a pivotal moment in history.

1.- The Cooper Age

2.-The Bronze Age: This age was characterized by the widespread use of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. Bronze was more durable and had a sharper cutting edge than stone, making it a significant technological advancement. The Bronze Age varied in timing across different regions:

- Mesopotamian Bronze Age: This is considered one of the earliest centers of bronze production, dating back to around 3300 BCE.
- Minoan Bronze Age: On the island of Crete, the Minoan civilization thrived during the Bronze Age, from around 2000 BCE to 1450 BCE.
- Indus Valley Bronze Age: In the Indus Valley (present-day Pakistan and northwest India), a Bronze Age civilization existed from around 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE.
- European Bronze Age: In Europe, the Bronze Age spanned from around 2300 BCE to 800 BCE, with variations in timing among different regions.

3.- The Iron Age: Following the Bronze Age, the Iron Age marked a significant advancement with the use of iron, which was more abundant and cheaper than bronze. Ironworking technology allowed for the production of stronger tools and weapons. The Iron Age began at different times in various parts of the world:

- Near Eastern Iron Age: Ironworking emerged around 1200 BCE in the Near East and gradually spread.
- Classical Antiquity: In Greece and Rome, the Iron Age is often associated with the classical period, from around 800 BCE onwards.
- Celtic Iron Age: In Western and Central Europe, the Iron Age started around 800 BCE.
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Ironworking independently developed in various regions, such as Nubia and West Africa, around 500 BCE to 1000 CE.

These Metal Ages represent crucial periods in human history, as they reflect advancements in technology, metallurgy, and societal organization. The transition from one Metal Age to another often brought about significant changes in cultures and civilizations.

The Ancient Age: main characteristics

We continue with the ages of history to find the period that inaugurates History, that is, the period in which Christ will be born and which, therefore, we will begin to count from scratch. But the Ancient Age begins before Christ, in fact, 3300 years before his birth and the reason why the era changes is because writing arises. This is a crucial event in the history of humanity and, for this reason, experts marked the beginning of a new era here.

This historical period is when the first civilizations on the planet developed, the vast majority of which were dedicated to agriculture and livestock.

Mesopotamia

They settled in the north of the Arabian Peninsula and date back to 4000 BC and we owe them the invention of the agricultural irrigation system. The empire was divided hierarchically as a City-State in which the royal family and the clergy were at the highest parts of the pyramid and the artisans or peasants were at the bottom.

The religion they professed was polytheistic and from their culture we have left behind sciences as important as astronomy or the four arithmetic rules of mathematics. His writing method was pictographic and hieroglyphic and, from them, works such as "The Poem of Creation" or "The Epic of Gilgamesh" have come down to us.

Egypt

They lived in North Africa , near the Nile and their origins date back to 3300 BC . Egyptian society was also very hierarchical and the rulers of the people were known as "pharaohs", people who were considered divine and who had absolute control of power. administrative, judicial, military and religious. In this other lesson you will be able to discover the characteristics of the Egyptian civilization .

The religion of Ancient Egypt is a great cultural legacy that has come down to us today and, thanks to it, we can currently enjoy one of the seven wonders of the planet such as the pyramids. The Egyptians gave us very interesting knowledge such as mathematics, numbering, medicine and the arts, especially sculpture.

The end of the Ancient Age occurs when the Roman Empire falls , that is, in the 5th century AD

The Middle Ages: Short Summary

Now we are going to enter another of the ages of history that make up our life on the planet. We are talking about the Middle Ages, a period that covers the 5th and 15th centuries, that is, from the end of the Roman Empire to the discovery of America.

Important events in the Middle Ages

During this time , very important events took place on a historical, political and social level that we will summarize below so that you can get an idea of what happened:

In ancient times, a slave social model was followed and, when we moved into the Middle Ages, this was changed to a feudal system .
When the Roman Empire fell, many civilizations were able to be owners of their own structures, managing to establish their own language and modus vivendi , therefore, the Roman centralization that had existed until then was lost so that the people themselves could take the reins of their future.
On a religious level, in the Middle Ages classical conceptions (considered pagan) were persecuted and instead Christianity or Islam began to gain much more strength .
By many scholars, the Middle Ages is considered a dark period since it comes from the Ancient Age (with an explosion of art, culture and civilization) and precedes the Modern Age (with the explosion of Humanism and the Renaissance). The constant wars between peoples and the appearance of institutions such as the Inquisition make this period tinged with darkness and misery.
At this moment in universal history is when urban life flourishes and, therefore, the bourgeoisie , precursor of the capitalist system, appears. For this reason, the political and social system begins to lay the foundations for what we now have in our reality.

As it is a period of history that is also quite broad, it is usually divided into two periods: the Early Middle Ages (from the 5th to the 10th century) and the Late Middle Ages (from the 11th to the crisis and the end of the stage).

The Modern Age: Main characteristics

The next historical era is the Modern Age , which is divided from the discovery of America in 1492 to the beginning of the French Revolution. This is a period in which a strong evolution begins to be witnessed as inventions such as the printing press appear but, also, on a political-social level, the discovery of America leads to a new way of seeing and understanding the world. During this time, the cultural period known as the Renaissance was experienced , that is, we turned our attention to the Classical era in order to follow its influence on an aesthetic and artistic level.

Since the end of the Middle Ages, cities had been growing and, therefore, presented strong logistical and urban development. This fact caused the economic system that prevailed until then (feudalism) to transform to give way to the capitalist system that is the one that governs until today.

Most important events of the Modern Age

So that you can understand this age of history, we are going to make a chronological summary of the most important events that took place in this period:

Expansion of the bourgeoisie : this social class is consolidated in the Modern Age because commerce and industrial activity grow but new buyers were needed and, therefore, cities and countries began to open up to the world to buy and sell products. In that other lesson we discover how the bourgeoisie arises .
Expansion of business at sea : the Turks had blocked trade in the Mediterranean and, for this reason, commercial expansion had to be done through raids at sea. This was the reason why Columbus discovered America because he was looking for a trade route to go to India.
Piracy: due to this commercial opening through the seas and oceans, piracy increases, that is, the presence of thieves who attack ships to loot them and take over the mutiny. Consider that many of these ships came from doing business with other countries and, therefore, were full of both monetary and material wealth.
New currents of thought : humanism and rationalism prevailed in the first part of the Modern Age, therefore, new philosophical currents emerged that were inspired by the classics and in which man once again became the center of thought and debate. philosophical. At the end of this historical period we find another current, the Enlightenment, an intellectual movement characterized by rationality.
Increase in slavery : due to the discovery of new lands, human slavery increases, designed to be able to build new cities in the discovered world. The slaves, coming from Africa, moved to the Spanish, French, Portuguese and English colonies in America, creating authentic depopulations of African areas.
Industrial revolution : thanks to the development of the industry sector, machines began to be created to improve industrial processes and, thus, be able to satisfy the growing demand in the market. The capitalist system is beginning to be deeply felt in a society in which there is an increasing number of middle classes with the capacity to buy and manage their own economy.

ACTIV: What are the more outstanding characteristics of the Modern Age .

The Contemporary Age: Main characteristics

And we now enter the last of the ages of history talking about the Contemporary Age, that is, the current moment in which we live. The starting point must be sought at the beginning of the French Revolution, that is, in 1789 and continues to this day.

In this period, humanity has experienced strong social changes that have achieved very significant improvements in the quality of life. Among the characteristics of the Contemporary Age we highlight the following:

A new system of government appears that had never appeared before: the republican system , that is, a form of government in which there is no king or sovereign who reigns over the country. The government is the people and their representative is established by popular vote; Currently, in the world there are republics like France, Italy, etc.
Consolidation of capitalism as an economic system: during the Contemporary Age, capitalism has been consolidated as the most popular form of economic and social organization among most countries in the world. In this other lesson we bring you a summary of the history of capitalism .
Loss of power of the Church : capitalism and new cultural currents (in which reason was the starting point) caused, little by little, the influence of the church and Western religions to decline.
Demographic increase : population increase has been a constant in the Contemporary Age and, currently, it is one of the greatest dangers we face. The reason is no longer that we have many children (which is not the case) but that, thanks to advances in medicine and science, we die much later.
Increase in demand : because there are more and more people in the world, more basic products are needed to live and, therefore, industries have grown and natural resources are being overexploited.
Appearance of great inventions that have revolutionized the world: the telephone, the steamboat, the light bulb, the cinema, the airplane, the Internet, etc.
Phenomenon of globalization : the world is opening up on a commercial and tourist level to be able to create relationships between other countries and, thus, large companies can create their pieces in underdeveloped countries (paying very little money for them) and sell them in First World countries, getting Thus, extensive benefits.

Timeline of the ages of history

As a conclusion, and so that the concepts presented in this summary of the ages of history are better preserved for you, we attach here a timeline. In it, you can find a complete temporal division of our history that starts from prehistory and reaches the present day.

With this timeline you will be able to visualize in an easier and more effective way how time develops in our history and the most notable events of each period.

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