Where does it begin?

[Deep Sea Isopod]

History?
At what point does prehistory end and history begin?

[Animavore]

Pre-history is the period right before any written records.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

History?
At what point does prehistory end and history begin?

Generally accepted line is written records. Prehistory was not recorded.

[Deep Sea Isopod]

So when does the written records begin?
And do Cave paintings or hieroglyphs counts as written records?

[Animavore]

So when does the written records begin?
And do Cave paintings or hieroglyphs counts as written records?

Hieroglyphs are. Not sure about cave painting. They usually are just pictures of animals and not actual accounts of people at the time.

[klr]

So when does the written records begin?
And do Cave paintings or hieroglyphs counts as written records?

Hieroglyphs are. Not sure about cave painting. They usually are just pictures of animals and not actual accounts of people at the time.

Some cultural relativist is going to crawl out of the woodwork and tell us otherwise.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

So when does the written records begin?
And do Cave paintings or hieroglyphs counts as written records?

Hieroglyphs are. Not sure about cave painting. They usually are just pictures of animals and not actual accounts of people at the time.

If you can sound it out to make sentences, it's a written language. Ideograms and pictograms counts. Painting of critters don't.

[Animavore]

The only thing a picture of a critter might tell you is what they hunted.

[wolfréalt]

To be pedantic ..if history is the study of the past then pre-history must be ......well .. pre big bang

[klr]

To be pedantic ..if history is the study of the past then pre-history must be ......well .. pre big bang

Whoa! Far too deep for a Sunday evening.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

To be pedantic ..if history is the study of the past then pre-history must be ......well .. pre big bang

Whoa! Far too deep for a Sunday evening.

History is the recorded stories of mankind. Simple and to the point.

[Animavore]

To be pedantic ..if history is the study of the past then pre-history must be ......well .. pre big bang

Whoa! Far too deep for a Sunday evening.

History is the recorded stories of mankind. Simple and to the point.

I'll just throw this can of worms in here and see what happens.

his·to·ry (hst-r)
n. pl. his·to·ries
1.
a. A usually chronological record of events, as of the life or development of a people or institution, often including an explanation of or commentary on those events: a history of the Vikings.
b. A formal written account of related natural phenomena: a history of volcanoes.
c. A record of a patient's medical background.
d. An established record or pattern of behavior: an inmate with a history of substance abuse.
2. The branch of knowledge that records and analyzes past events: "History has a long-range perspective" (Elizabeth Gurley Flynn).
3.
a. The past events relating to a particular thing: The history of their rivalry is full of intrigue.
b. The aggregate of past events or human affairs: basic tools used throughout history.
c. An interesting past: a house with history.
d. Something that belongs to the past: Their troubles are history now.
e. Slang One that is no longer worth consideration: Why should we worry about him? He's history!
4. A drama based on historical events: the histories of Shakespeare.

Pay particular attention to 1b.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

[
1.
b. A formal written account of related natural phenomena: a history of volcanoes.

Pay particular attention to 1b.

Good by me.

[Animavore]

[
1.
b. A formal written account of related natural phenomena: a history of volcanoes.

Pay particular attention to 1b.

Good by me.

But contradicts this

History is the recorded stories of mankind. Simple and to the point.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

[
1.
b. A formal written account of related natural phenomena: a history of volcanoes.

Pay particular attention to 1b.

Good by me.

But contradicts this

History is the recorded stories of mankind. Simple and to the point.

Not tricky. Men write history. (They even let women do it now.) Technical histories like the sequencing of volcanic eruptions are simple collections of datum points in a coherent order. Politeness allows the use of the term "history", but then I've never been bend-over-backwards about politeness.