The prehistoric era predates writing. Human progress included primitive tools and weapons, clothing, fire, cave art and burial of the dead. During the Old Stone Age, human beings were learning, but they were learning slowly. Then around 10,000 years ago progress began to speed up, with developments like agriculture, the domestication of animals, the creation of permanent villages and cities, etc. Writing began to appear around 5,000 years ago (around 3,000 BC) and that may be the beginning of what we call history, since we begin to know what people were thinking as well as what they were doing.