Borcelle Zoo
Ancient Age: Three Age
System
By Biasca, Elaiza May A.
Introduction
The three-age system was introduced in
the early 19th century by Christian
Jurgensen Thomsen, an archaeologist and
a curator of the National Museum of
Denmark, Copenhagen, through his book
entitled Guide to Scandinavian Antiquity.
This system was originally formulated to
classify artifacts in the possesion of the
museum based on the materials to which
they were made of
Stone Age(2.5 mya-300 BC)
As defined by Thomsen, Stone Age is the
period of weapons made of
stone,wood,bone or some other materials
aside from metals. It was further
subdivided by John Lubbock into
Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, as
presented in his 1865 book Prehistoric
Times, representing the cultural evolution
of tools from chipped to polished stones,
respectively.
Paleolithic(Old Stone) Period
The Paleolithic period is known to be the
longest phase of human history which
began approximately two million years
ago and ended between 40,000 to 10,000
years ago. It was during this period when
humans were suggested to evolve from an
ape-like creature to a true Homo sapiens.
They were hunter-gatherers who used to
hunt wild animals and harvest wild plants
for survival.
A.Lower Paleolithic Period
This earliest Paleolithic period marked
the age of human evolution and was
characterized by the development of
simple tools. This included stone
choppers believed to be made more than
a million year ago by one of our earliest
ancestors
B.Middle Paleolithic Period
The Middle Paleolithic period
encompassed the cultural development
involving another early human
ancestor,the Neanderthal man, who
existed 40,000-100,000 years ago.
Neanderthals were caveman known to
use fire, stone tools of flake types for
hunting, and bone implements such as
needles for sewing body coverings made
of animal furs and skins.
C. Upper Paleolithic Period
A variety of cultures of Homo sapiens
groups (e.g Cro-Magnom man, Grimaldi
man etc.) dominated the Upper
Paleolithic period. This period was
known for communual hunting,extensive
fishing, supernatural beliefs, cloth
sewing, sculpture,painting, and making
personal ornaments out of bones, horns
and ivory The first manmade dewllings
called pit houses were also built during
this time.
Borcelle Zoo
MESOLITHIC “MIDDLE
STONE PERIOD
By Dedumo, Dhonmhel Anne Z.
Introduction
Occuring between the end of
Palaeolithic period and the beginning of
Neolithic period, Mesolithic period
involved the gradual change in the way
humans lived that could be attributed to
the retreat of glaciers and growth of
forests and deserts in different parts of
the world. People began to learn fishing
along rivers and lake shores, make
pottery and use bow.
During the Mesolithic period , humans
used small stone tools, now also
polished and sometimes crafted with
points and attached to antlers, bone or
wood to serve as spears and arrows.
They often lived nomadically in camps
near rivers and other bodies of water.
Agriculture was introduced during this
time, which led to more permanent
settlements in villages.
DUGOUT BOATS
WEAPONS Backed edge bladelet: Mesolithic tools were generally composite devices
manufactured with small chipped small stone tools called microliths and
retouched bladelets.
Microlith: A small stone tool.
Mesolithic: A prehistoric period that lasted between 10,000 and 8,000 BC.
Megalith: A construction involving one or several roughly hewn stone slabs of great size.
Transitioning to Neolithic Period
There wa s also a gradual tra nsition from food gathering to
agriculture or food production. Further, they made use of stone
tools known as microliths which we re comparative ly smalle r a nd
more delic ate than those of Pala eoliths.(The C olumbia
Encyclope dia, n.d.)
NEOLITHIC “NEW
STONE” PERIOD
This stage of cultural and technological
development was based primarily on
agriculture. It is characterized by wide
domestication of plants (e.g. rice, corn,
beans, etc.) and animals (e.g. goats, cattles,
sheeps, pigs, etc.), use of stone tools, and
pottery and weaving in numerous settled
villages. Agriculture continued to expand
across most of the inhabited regions of the
world giving rise to a variety of urban
civilizations. The end of this period is
marked by the introduction of metal tools in
these cultures.
Adzes
Hand Axes
The First W hee l was invente d.
M ade of c arved stone or wood,
these wheels were he avy a nd of
primitive design.
Bronze Age
3000 BC - 1200 BC
Bronze Age started when tools and weapons were already widely
made with copper or bronze. This was achieved through a process
known as smelting which was originally done with soft metals like
copper. Soon after, the Sumerians of Mesopotamia discovered that
there is something harder and stronger, the bronze (copper + tin). It
began in Southwest Asia to different parts of the world.
2500 BC
INDUS VALLEY 2400 BC
CHINA
3769 BC
NEAR & MIDDLE EAST
3500 BC
BRONZE AGE IN BOHEMIA
3700 BC
THE BRONZE AGE
1640 BC
EGYPT
1700 BC 1650 BC
YELLOW RIVER VALLEY MYCENAEAN CIVILIZATION
2300 BC
EUROPE
1000 BC
KOREA 300 BC
JAPAN
1250 BC
ALPS AND CENTRAL AND
1122 BC
EASTERN EUROPE
YELLOW RIVER AREA,
CHINA
1500BC
START OF THE MIDDLE
BRONZE AGE
Bronze Age:
Tools, Weapons
and Equipments
• Bronze Celts (axes)
• Bronze lur (trumpet)
• Swords and
Scabbards
• Shields
This began when smelting pits
made sufficients advancement
to produce higher temperatures
that could smelt iron ore.
Iron Age The widespread use of iron
1500 BC - 450 AD
implements brought about
unprecedented developments in
agriculture, warfar, trade, and
craftsmanship.
potter ’s wheel
plowshare
iron chisel
