History of Humanity, Unesco, 1994

- I vol (Prehistory and the Beginnings of Civilization), 1-2: The total duration of the existence of
humankind might also be compared to a 24-hour day, Homo habilis first appearing when the day
was only 1 second old and each century corresponding to 3.456 seconds. The invention of
writing and the beginning of the first states would then be situated less than 3 minutes before
midnight and Columbus`s first voyage to America just over 17 seconds before the end of the
day.
- Prehistory: a long time period before the invention of writing. As a term it was coined in the 19 th
century.
- Historians showed no interest in those periods for which written sources were lacking. Times
have changed, however. The concept of history itself has changed radically since the Ecole des
Annales. According to l. Febre (1953, p.428) history in the fullest sense is concerned with
`everything which, belonging to man, depends on man, serves man, express man, indicates the
presence, activity, tastes and manners of man`.
- The first systems of writing were invented in Egypt and Mesopotamia some five millennia ago.
Writing was unknown in China until a thousand years or so after it was invented in Egypt. In
Western Europe history based on written sources began only just before the Christian era, and
in Eastern and Northern Europe a thousand years later.
- Soil archive vs. document-based archive.
- Three broad subdivisions of the prehistoric period: 1-Homo habilis, 2-Homo erectus, 3-Homo
sapiens neanderthalensis, 4-Homo sapiens sapiens up to the beginnings of food production, 5-
First states
- Why and how the transition to food production occurred?
- Agriculture, animal husbandry and other means of subsistence.