The Role of Climate

• Alternation between glacial and interglacial periods.
• Transformation of landscapes (forests, steppes, deserts).
• Constant adaptation of human populations.

Climate acts as an invisible driver, influencing migrations, resources, and ways of life.

Human Diversity

• Coexistence of multiple human species:
  • Neanderthals
  • Denisovans
  • Homo sapiens
• Interbreeding between populations.
• Gradual disappearance of certain species.

Humanity is not a single trajectory, but a diversity of forms and experiences.

Major Migrations

• Out of Africa around 60,000 to 70,000 years ago.
• Gradual expansion toward:
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Oceania
  • Americas
• Adaptation to diverse environments.

Humanity is fundamentally mobile, shaped by movement and exploration.

The Cognitive Revolution

• Development of complex language (hypothesis).
• Ability to imagine, narrate, and plan.
• Emergence of myths and symbolic narratives.

Humans become a narrative species, capable of transmitting abstract ideas.

Transformation of Diet

• Shift from scavenging to organized hunting.
• Importance of cooking food.
• Impact on brain development.

Diet deeply influences biological and social evolution.

Invisible Technologies

• Use of perishable materials:
  • wood
  • plant fibers
  • textiles
  • ropes
• Creation of objects not preserved archaeologically.

A large part of prehistoric knowledge has disappeared, making this period underestimated.

Deep Time

• Changes occurring over thousands or even millions of years.
• Slow and gradual transformations.
• Few abrupt breaks (except the Neolithic).

Prehistory introduces a different perception of time: slow, deep, and continuous.

Early Inequalities

• Emergence of food surplus (Neolithic).
• Development of social hierarchies.
• Differences in status and wealth.

The foundations of complex societies appear long before writing.

Synthesis

• Influence of climate and environment.
• Diversity of human species.
• Migrations on a global scale.
• Emergence of symbolic thought and language.
• Technical and social development.

Prehistory is a dynamic and complex period in which the biological, cultural, and social foundations of humanity are established.