STONE AGE COPPER AGE BRONZE AGE IRON AGE TIMELINE

 

ANCIENT HISTORY AGES TIMELINE

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Stone Age also known as pre-History is subdivided into Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods & our knowledge of this period comes from work of archaeologists because of absence of any written records from the period. All periods had transition period of 500 to 1000 years, which varied from region to region.

• The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic, also called the Old Stone Age, is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehistoric technology. Crude rough or chipped stone, wood & bone tools were used.

 

• Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. This is the last stage of the hunter gatherer practice

 

• Neolithic or new stone age began about 12,000 years ago when farming appeared in the Epipalaeolithic Near East, and later in other parts of the world. It lasted until the transitional period of the Chalcolithic(Copper Age) from about 6,500 years ago (10,000 - 4500 BCE). Polished stone tools & slash and burn techniques were in use.

Proto - history refers to the period when writing was known to people but proper historical record have not been found to create a proper timeline.

Proto - history – 1 - The Chalcolithic  was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper from about 6,500 years ago (5000-3000 BCE). Writing developed separately in five different locations in human history: Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and Mesoamerica.

Proto - history – 2 - The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting from approximately 3300 BC to 1200 BC. It is characterized by the use of bronze, the use of writing in some areas, and other features of early urban civilization.

Proto - history – 3 - The Iron Age has also been considered as the final Age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progressing to protohistory (before written history).

• Beginning of settled agriculture & community practice.
• In India the founding of Magadha states or Mahajanapadas coincides with this period.
• This was also partially beginning of Written History.