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Archaeology Museum of Catalonia - Barcelona

Prehistory

Hunters and gatherers Neanderthal hunters established a number of camps in the rock shelter of Romaní de Capellades.

Hunters and gatherers Neanderthal hunters established a number of camps in the rock shelter of Romaní de Capellades.

The technological advances of prehistoric times were just as revolutionary as those of today, although they took place over a longer period. Mankind was transformed thanks to his mastery of fire, stone cutting and manufacture of the first tools. These advances consolidated communities and made it possible for them to progress materially.

Agriculture, stock-raising and ceramic manufacture all constituted genuine revolutions that led to sedentarisation, accumulation of surplus production and the first trade.

Finally, some groups were able to specialise in tasks unrelated with the search for food, such as metal working or making jewellery, which were truly theluxury itemsof the day. New needs led to new ideas and increasingly elaborate artistic and symbolic expressions. These societies evolved towards more complex models, with the emergence of the first hierarchies and the first urban planning.

Prehistoric cultures gradually came together to form the core of a definitive European spirit. We are the direct heirs of that world.

VIDEO

OBJECTS

<p>Polished stone axe dated between 4 200 and 3 200 BC. Necropolis of B&ograve;bila Bellsol&agrave; (Santa Perp&egrave;tua de Mogoda).&nbsp;Archaeology Museum of Catalonia. Barcelona.</p>

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Stone axe
Stone axe
<p>Flint nucleus from the Neolithic necropolis of B&ograve;bila d&#39;en Sallent (Cerdanyola del Vall&egrave;s, Vall&egrave;s Occidental, Barcelona). Dated between 4 200 and 3 200 BC. Archaeology Museum of Catalonia. Barcelona.</p>

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Flint nucleus
Flint nucleus
<p>Beaker-type vessel. Dated between 2 800 and 2 200 BC. From the chalcolithic burial site in Cova de la Ventosa (Piera).&nbsp;Archaeology Museum of Catalonia. Barcelona.</p>

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Bell-shaped beaker
Bell-shaped beaker
<p>Bell-shaped vessel. Dated between 2200 and 1800 BC. It comes from the site of La Riba (Sant Just Desvern).&nbsp;Archaeology Museum of Catalonia. Barcelona.</p>

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Bell-shaped cup
Bell-shaped cup
<p>Bronze axe dated to the early Bronze Age (between 2 300 and 1 800 BC) from the cave of Olopte (Is&ograve;vol).&nbsp;Archaeology Museum of Catalonia. Barcelona.</p>

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Bronze axe
Bronze axe
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