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Both history and prehistory act as ways for helping us learn more about the world that we are a part of. Our past can be called our history. Prehistory, on the other hand, can be explained as the time which was before history. In this section, we will be focusing on both history as well as prehistory along with focusing on the significant differences between the two.
History
When one studies the past, one can say one is studying history, especially if the past is focusing on human beings. The time which can be proven by the written records can be called history. In simple words, one can say that history is the period when writing had been discovered.
The records that we are discussing here can be in various forms such as those manuscripts which might be written on some leaves, some papers or dried animal skins. Apart from these, printed material and inscriptions on rocks can also be there.
These records are regarding a lot of topics. The topics might include glories of the royalties, ancient lifestyles etcetera.
Prehistory
In simple terms, the period before history can be called prehistory. Thus, in other words, the period wherein the written records did not exist, or even before when writing was also introduced can be called prehistory. Thus, that time when on Earth the human-like-beings had initially appeared till the period when writing had been introduced can be called the prehistoric time.
Although, one might not be able to find some records in writing regarding this time still with the help of ancient artefacts, carvings, drawings etcetera one can collect more information about the same.
Stone age, Bronze age and the Iron age can be three different periods in which prehistory can be divided. This division is based mainly on technology related to tool making.
Difference between History and Prehistory
There are a lot of differences between History and Prehistory in a lot of aspects. Firstly, History is that period in which there were recorded events. On the other hand, Prehistoric time refers to the period which comes prior to the development of writing systems. As observed from the first point itself, for collecting information about the Historic time one can refer to the written records whereas for collecting information regarding the Prehistoric times, one can refer to the artefacts, ancient carvings etcetera. Prehistoric archaeologists as well as physical anthropologists research about Prehistory. Historians are the ones who mainly research History. Lastly, one can say that history is that time that comes after prehistory whereas prehistory is the time that comes before history.
Conclusion
Thus, as observed from the above discussion, one has learnt a lot about History as well as Prehistory. Along with this, the various differences between History and Prehistory have also been discussed. Prehistory is the period that came before the Historic times. In several aspects, differences can be found between both these periods. One primary difference between these two times is regarding the written records. History is that period in which there were recorded events. On the other hand, Prehistoric time refers to the period which comes prior to the development of writing systems. Apart from this main difference, the difference in terms of the ways for learning more about these times, the individuals who study these times etcetera also help in learning more about the both of them. Thus, it can be concluded that with this, there is clarity regarding both Historic times and Prehistoric times.
