The culture of primitive society, which originated with Homo sapiens, is considered one of the oldest periods in history. All the peoples of our planet have passed this stage of historical development, forming the origins of the subsequent achievements of mankind (both spiritual and material). It was at this time that the first individuals and first states appeared, but it should be noted that the life of primitive people did not become a fully studied fact.
The study of primitive culture was complicated by an insufficient archaeological database and a lack of written sources. Given this fact, various sciences were forced to resort to the reconstruction of certain episodes of the history of this period. Most often, attention was focused on the tribes of Australia, Oceania, Africa, since it was they who were considered "stuck" at the initial stages of human development.
The first stone tools that archaeologists found were made more than two million years ago. Note that our era from the Nativity of Christ lasts a little more than 2 thousand years, and this fact gives the right to say that almost 99% of its history, humanity lived in a primitive society.
The culture of primitive society has its own specifics, which is determined by several proven facts. Firstly, it is characterized by primitive farming and the simplest tools. Secondly, this period is characterized by a complete absence of the most elementary scientific knowledge, but knowledge of natural phenomena was excellent, although it was comprehended only on an intuitive level. Thirdly, the culture of primitive society is unique in that the intellect of the people who lived during this period was not inferior to ours. Thanks to this, they own the most important inventions, without which many scientists no longer represent the further development of culture (we are talking about building housing, the art of mastering fire, taming animals).
The syncretism of primitive culture, which is the most important feature of the period under consideration, deserves special attention. This means that in the ancient culture there were no specialists, because there was no specialization coming from society. Each representative of the primitive family had to possess basic knowledge that would allow them to carry out all the necessary activities. Worldview and human consciousness were undifferentiated. Each primitive individual considered himself a part of nature (at that time no one even thought about attributing himself to a separate class). It should be noted that it is precisely on syncretism that the first attempts to explain the world are based. Similar theories are based on assimilation and thinking by analogy.
The culture of primitive society had one more peculiarity: at that time people (all without exception) believed that many trees, rivers, mountains and stones were animated, therefore they could influence various events in the world. Soon, the combination of magic and primitive syncretism leads to the emergence of visual activity, which generates a whole art.
Attention deserves and the classification system of primitive culture. Unfortunately, today there is no single division scheme, but archaeological periodization is considered the most developed and popular. It is based on various tools made by man, as well as all the materials used. Guided by this principle of division, the primitive communal system is divided into three centuries: stone, bronze and iron. The Stone Age is considered the longest period in the history of mankind, which, in turn, is divided into three eras: Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic.
