A prehistoric petroglyph at a Bronze Age site in Tanum, Bohuslan, Sweden, depicting three figures wielding axes.

This ice age-era painting in the Chauvet Cave in southern France dates to around 32,000-30,000 B.C.

Excavated ruins of ancient city of Babylon in Mesopotamia, Iraq

The excavation of Homo naledi in South Africa, 2015.

Chukotka coast, the snowy landscape of the Arctic Ocean.

Giant Short-Faced Bear in North American during Ice Age

A sculptor's rendering of the hominid Australopithecus afarensis ("Lucy").

Prehistory, the vast period of time before written records or human documentation, includes the Neolithic Revolution, Neanderthals and Denisovans, Stonehenge, the Ice Age and more.

Pre-History

Prehistory refers to the period before written records or documentation. Learn more about dinosaurs, the Neolithic Revolution, Stonehenge, the Ice Age and more.

Prehistory: Definition and Timeline | - HISTORY

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HISTORY

Jesse Greenspan is a Bay Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and the environment.

Jesse Greenspan

<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__msbeckylittle.tumblr.com_&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=bHpC9irXhivtSwyVyKc43lLt4-cAwmmH7TeQLPqTb5E&amp;r=DnM91hJ18gcNL3QDGSFbaxqDKqUNYha-dXU1EFEqguU&amp;m=G-7sCRahZ4NeqUBMRIzpVYF_SWJZdHf6oZ3GZnosXWc&amp;s=zmyoc9Pijw9wmJOCBZEXDORhhj0TxUZKXRRMCwVGaTI&amp;e=">Becky Little</a> is a journalist based in Washington, D.C. Follow her at <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_MsBeckyLittle&amp;d=DwMFaQ&amp;c=bHpC9irXhivtSwyVyKc43lLt4-cAwmmH7TeQLPqTb5E&amp;r=DnM91hJ18gcNL3QDGSFbaxqDKqUNYha-dXU1EFEqguU&amp;m=G-7sCRahZ4NeqUBMRIzpVYF_SWJZdHf6oZ3GZnosXWc&amp;s=vkbwVD5s79Na0AuPtG5PY8OTUvwTHP3BjHLGApztU4w&amp;e=">@MsBeckyLittle</a>.

Becky Little

Dave Roos is a journalist and podcaster based in the U.S. and Mexico. He's the co-host of <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biblical-time-machine/id1648738323__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WOj0eb3mc$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biblical-time-machine/id1648738323__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WOj0eb3mc$">Biblical Time Machine</a>, a history podcast, and a writer for the popular podcast <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WORJo2DiQ$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stuff-you-should-know/id278981407__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WORJo2DiQ$">Stuff You Should Know</a>. Learn more at <a title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.daveroos.com/__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WO_YrhCB4$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.daveroos.com/__;!!CyZMqN24eIU!HXBYfsRrBo7N5os-y_lSq05ShV3dCj9JEctYUd9Gok5iCyZHx7Gw2tqSCGiGSqkIqI2JpY9mKkYaNAhA-3WO_YrhCB4$">daveroos.com</a>.

Dave Roos

Ratha Tep, based in Dublin, is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. She also writes books for children.

Ratha Tep

Elizabeth Yuko, Ph.D., is a bioethicist and journalist, as well as an adjunct professor of ethics at Fordham University. She has written for numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Atlantic.

Pre‑History ‑ Stories

How the ‘Lucy’ Fossil Rewrote the Story of Human Origins

Sue the T. rex: 6 Facts About the Famous Dinosaur Fossil

When Did Humans Start Waging Wars?

Did Our Human Ancestors Come Close to Extinction?

8 Massive Ice Age Animals That Roamed North America

How Early Humans First Reached the Americas: 3 Theories

When Did Human Ancestors Start Burying Their Dead?

What Was Life Like in Ancient Babylon?

What Prehistoric Cave Paintings Reveal About Early Human Life

5 Iron Age Tools and Innovations

8 Bronze Age Weapons

What Caused the Bronze Age Collapse?