Prehistoric Europe

Prehistoric Europe refers to the time in Europe before people started writing down their history, beginning in the Lower Paleolithic. During this time, early humans lived across the continent. They hunted animals and gathered plants for food. They used simple tools made from stone and bone. Over time, these tools became more advanced.

As time passed, different parts of Europe grew in their own special ways. The eastern Mediterranean area was close to early civilizations in the Middle East. This area was the first in Europe to develop organized communities and systems for writing.

One of the oldest known writings from Europe is the Histories by Herodotus, written around 440 BC. This book tries to record traditions and important events. It helps us learn about early European history. Studying prehistoric Europe teaches us about our ancestors and how human societies began.

Overview

See also: History of Europe

During the Lower Paleolithic, from about 3 million to 300,000 years ago, early humans in Europe left behind fossils and stone tools. The Atapuerca Mountains in Spain show some of the oldest known places where groups of people lived together for many generations.

Homo neanderthalensis lived in Europe between 600,000 and 350,000 years ago, leaving many fossils and tools behind. Modern humans arrived later, around 56,800 to 51,700 years ago. Over time, people spread across Europe, moving north as the ice sheets retreated. By about 8,000 years ago, farmers from the Near East brought new ways of living to Europe during the Neolithic period.

Important early settlements like Lepenski Vir in Serbia show that some communities lived in permanent homes long before farming began. The Vinča culture in Serbia was also one of the first to work with copper, a big step in making tools and other objects. Later, around 3200 BC, people in Europe learned to make bronze, which brought even more changes to their lives.

By the European Iron Age, which started around 1200 BC, Europe began to see the rise of more complex societies and the spread of writing, thanks to influences from places like the Hittites and later the Greeks and Romans.

Stone Age

Paleolithic (Old Stone Age)

Further information: Paleolithic Europe

The Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age, was when early humans lived in Europe during a cold time called the Pleistocene. The weather changed often between warmer and colder times, which changed where people could live. Tools made from stone, like simple pebble tools and hand axes, show how early humans, such as Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis, survived.

Later, Homo neanderthalensis lived across Europe and made tools called Mousterian tools. Around this time, Homo sapiens arrived in Europe, bringing new tools and art. They lived near Neanderthals for a while, and evidence shows they may have mixed together.

Upper Paleolithic

Main articles: European early modern humans and Paleolithic Europe

Homo sapiens reached Europe about 46,000 years ago, coming through a route called the Danubian corridor. They brought new tools and art, like bone points and cave paintings. This time saw the rise of cultures such as the Aurignacian, known for its fine tools and early art. Neanderthals also changed their ways, adopting some of the new cultures, but eventually disappeared around 40,000 years ago.

New cultures like the Gravettian and Solutrean appeared, known for their advanced tools and art, including sculptures and cave paintings. By about 12,500 years ago, the Magdalenian culture emerged, bringing more advanced art and tools. As the climate warmed, new cultures like the Azilian and Sauveterrian developed, using small stone tools called microliths.

Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)

Main article: Mesolithic Europe

Further information: Balkan Mesolithic, British Mesolithic, Irish Mesolithic, Azilian, Fosna–Hensbacka culture, and Kunda culture

The Mesolithic period was a time of change between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic. It began around 15,000 years ago in the Balkans and about 14,000 years ago in Western Europe. People lived off the land, using tools and hunting in areas that had more food because of warmer weather.

As farming began to spread into Europe, the Mesolithic way of life slowly ended. This change happened at different times in different places, from about 8,500 to 5,500 years ago. During this time, people created beautiful art and tools, showing their skill and creativity.

Neolithic (New Stone Age)

Main article: Neolithic Europe

Further information: Old Europe (archaeology)

The Neolithic, or New Stone Age, in Europe began when farming came from the Near East. It spread through places like Asia Minor, the Mediterranean, and the Caucasus. Some believe farming spread fast as people moved, while others think it was a slower sharing of ideas.

Early farming towns started in places like Thessaly in Greece, where people grew crops and raised animals. From there, farming moved to other parts of Europe. Cultures such as the Sesklo culture and Karanovo culture helped spread farming. They brought new ways, like growing crops and making pottery, to many areas.

Over time, Neolithic societies became more complex. New cultures appeared, and people kept spreading farming and ideas across Europe. By the late Neolithic, Europe had many different groups, each with their own traditions. One big achievement was building large stone tombs called megaliths, showing their growing skills and organization.

Chalcolithic (Copper Age)

Main article: Chalcolithic Europe

Further information: Old Europe (archaeology)

The Chalcolithic, or Copper Age, was a time of big changes in Europe. People learned to work with copper, which began in the Vinca culture about 6,000 years ago. The Balkans became a key place for finding copper and making things from it. Copper items were traded across Europe, even to eastern Europe.

During this time, some areas began to have richer people and leaders, especially in the Balkans. For example, the Varna culture in Bulgaria around 4,500 BC made the first gold items we know of. People also started to mine metals and stones in some places and send them to others to make valuable goods.

This period saw the growth of big settlements and the first wheeled vehicles. Cultures like the Cucuteni-Trypillia in Ukraine built some of the largest towns of that time. In western Europe, huge stone buildings called megaliths were built, stretching from Sweden to Spain. Different cultures grew in various parts of Europe, each with their own special ways of living and building.

Bronze Age

Main article: Bronze Age Europe

The Bronze Age in Europe began around 3200 BC in the Aegean region with the use of bronze. During this time, new cultures grew and spread across Europe. The Catacomb culture moved into areas north and east of the Black Sea. The Corded Ware culture expanded into western Germany and Scandinavia.

The Beaker people appeared in Europe, known for their special pottery and burial ways. They traveled from central Europe to places as far west as Portugal and as far north as Sweden. Other important cultures were the Minoan civilization on Crete and the Mycenaean Greeks. The Bronze Age brought new technologies, like working with bronze and using chariots, which changed many cultures across Europe.

Iron Age

Main article: Iron Age Europe

Further information: Hallstatt culture, La Tène culture, and Archaeology of Northern Europe

The Iron Age in Europe began around 800 BC when iron became more common. It started in a place called the Aegean and then spread to Central Europe. This time is known as the Hallstatt culture.

During this time, people called the Phoenicians set up places to trade, like a town called Gadir, which is now Cádiz. Later, the Greeks started their own towns, such as Massalia, which is now Marseille.

Later in the Iron Age, the Celtic people developed what is called the La Tène culture around 400 BC. They lived in many parts of Europe. Eventually, new groups of people called the Germanic tribes moved into areas where Celts lived. Around this time, the Roman Empire also began, marking the end of prehistoric Europe.

Genetic history

Main article: Genetic history of Europe

The genetic history of Europe helps us learn where early Europeans came from by studying their DNA. Scientists look at DNA from both modern and ancient people to understand the past. They found that early humans first entered Europe from the Near East and then spread across the whole continent.

Studies show that today’s Europeans come from three main groups: hunter-gatherers who lived in Europe long ago, early farmers who arrived during the Neolithic Revolution, and people from northern Eurasia. Over time, new groups moved into Europe, mixing with local people and changing the genetic makeup of the continent. Recent research suggests that people in prehistoric Europe had darker skin, with lighter skin developing later in different places.

Linguistic history

Main articles: Paleo-European languages and Pre-Indo-European languages

The story of languages in Europe began with early Greek writing from the Mycenaean time in the Late Bronze Age. Before this, many languages were spoken but not written down. Scientists study these old languages by looking at later ones.

One big language family, the Indo-European linguistics languages, spread from the Pontic steppe to Western Europe around the same time as the Beaker culture.

There are ideas about even older languages in Europe, like the "Pelasgian" or "Tyrsenian" languages, but these are guesses since they were never written down. Some think early forms of Indo-European linguistics or other language families like Finno-Ugric languages might have been spoken too. Experts believe Europe had many different languages spoken by small groups of people before larger societies formed.