In introducing the story of humankind, Gombrich begins by describing the discovery of the first skull fragments of Neanderthals, an early species of human, in Germany. They had strong jaws, a heavy brow, and very little forehead. He explains that, because these ancient, different humans lived before we began to write things down, we know very little about the way that they lived, and this time period is referred to as “prehistory” (6).

After subsequent digging, mainly in Africa and Asia, our ancestors have been found. It is believed that they came about 70,000 years after the appearance of Neanderthals, who lived on Earth for about 200,000 years. By the time recorded history appears, many important components of civilization had already been invented by these people. Gombrich offers as examples making fire, cooking food, building houses, and making tools and weapons. Sharpened stones were used as tools and weapons, so this period is referred to as the Stone Age. This period coincided with the last Ice Age. Prehistoric peoples likely took refuge from the cold in caves, which is why they are often referred to as cavemen. Perhaps their most important invention was the ability to speak in a mutually understood language.