The history of mankind: a little about the first centuries of existence

According to various testimonies and studies, about three million years ago (although alternative history of mankind calls other figures), a man emerged from the animal world. About 35 thousand years ago, the formation of modern people began. Thirty thousand years later, civilizations began to take shape in different parts of the world.

If the history of mankind were equated to days, then from the moment of formation of classes and states to our time, according to scientists, only 4 minutes would pass.

Primitive communal system was the longest stage. It lasted about a million years. It should be noted that the exact time when the history of mankind began, it is very difficult to name. The upper boundary (the final stage) of the primitive communal system varies within different limits, depending on the continent. For example, classes in Africa and Asia began to form at the turn of the 4-3 century. BC. E., In America - 1 in. BC. E.

How the history of mankind began, why the first people appeared , where and when it happened, remains a mystery. Unfortunately, there are no monuments of those eras.

Periodization of the history of mankind by different scientists is carried out in different ways.

Even ancient Roman and ancient Chinese philosophers knew about the existence of three centuries: bronze (copper), stone and iron. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, this archaeological periodization was scientifically developed. As a result, scientists typologized the stages and epochs of these periods.

The Stone Age lasted several times longer than the whole subsequent history of mankind. The division into stages within this epoch is based on the complication and change in the forms of stone tools.

The stone age began with the Paleolithic (ancient stone), in which, in turn, scientists distinguish the stage of the lower (early), middle and upper (late) Paleolithic.

Then begins the Middle Stone Age (the transition period of the Mesolithic). This period is also called epipaleolitis (post-paleolithic) or protoneolith (pre-neolith). Some authors do not mention it at all.

The stone age of the Neolithic (new stone age) is coming to an end. At the end of this period, the first copper tools appear. This indicates the formation of a special stage - the Eneolithic (chalcolithic).

The structure of the internal periodization of the subsequent centuries (new stone, iron and bronze) is represented differently by different researchers. The cultures within the stages themselves are also quite different.

Archaeological periodization is based entirely on technological aspects and at the same time does not give an idea of the formation of production as a whole. At present, the system of separation at the stage is not so much global as regional.

Some limited goals are present in the paleoanthropological periodization of the primitive system. It is based on the principle of biological evolution of people. According to this system of separation at the stage of development, researchers talk about the existence of the oldest (archanthropus), the ancient (paleanthropic), and also the fossil modern (neanthropine) human being. Despite some controversial points, the paleoanthropological system of dividing people's development into stages closely resembles the archaeological system.

At the same time, these special periodizations of human history will not equal the importance of the general system of separation of past people. The development of the direction of the historical material understanding of human development was first seriously begun by Morgan (an American ethnographer). In accordance with the division of the whole process established in the 18th century into the epochs of civilization, barbarism and savagery, taking into account the indicators of the level of development of the production of "means of life," the American ethnographer singled out in each of these epochs the highest, middle and lower levels. Subsequently, Engels, praising this periodization, summarized it.