Prehistoric archaeology is the
branch of archaeology that studies human societies before the existence of
written records. This field investigates the origins and evolution of
humankind, the development of tools, social organization, subsistence
strategies, art, and symbolic systems. It combines data from multiple
disciplines such as geology, paleoanthropology, paleobotany, and climatology to
reconstruct the lifeways of ancient human populations., including the evolution
of hominins, the use of tools, the control of fire, early art, and the
beginnings of agriculture. The term "prehistory" (from Latin prae
= before, and historia = history) highlights this chronological
distinction.