Process of formation and development of human culture was very long, its rudiments are traced long before emergence on the earth of Homo Sapiens. Culture originates from those times when the person for the first time began to use fire for cooking and the tool for hunting, fishing and manual work. Cultural development is divided into several periods.
Instruction
1. Primitive culture covers the huge period of history of 150 thousand years BC and to 4 millennia BC. It is characterized by the first manifestations of the human thought imprinted in a stone. The rock painting, petroglyphs, geoglyphs, etc. belongs to this stage. In the religious relation primitive culture differed in faith in ancestral spirits and everything that surrounded the person – waters, fire, the earth, mountains, wind. And also the first ideas of magic and an afterlife began to appear.
2. Antiquity (4 thousand BC – the 5th century AD) – the most colourful and rich cultural era which evolved from already available basic concepts about society, belief, a civilization. The advanced cultural centers scattered on all planet treat this period: Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, China, India, Mesopotamia and also culture of Mesoamerica. In the period of antiquity there were such architectural masterpieces of antiquity as pyramid of Cheops, Stonehenge, Parthenon, the Great Wall and many other things. Also antiquity presented to mankind enormous layer of literature – mythology.
3. The Middle Ages (5-14th century AD) – the period of running wild, barbarity and significant kickback in cultural development of all population of the planet. After it christened for "dark centuries" though more this concept belonged to medieval Europe. It was connected with fall of the Roman Empire or with development of christian teaching, at the modern person the dark period of history is associated with plague, inquisition, crusades, genocide of indigenous people of America by the Spanish conquistadors and feudal fragmentation.
4. The Renaissance (14-16th century AD) – return of society to antiquity canons, this era found reflection in architecture, painting, a sculpture and daily fashion. Philosophers, thinkers of Renaissance put on the first place of achievement of a human thought and admired literary works of antiquity. Connect avoiding ideas of flat Earth, numerous geographical discoveries and final transition to heliocentric outlook with the Renaissance. Also during this period such concept as "secular humanism" - avoiding faith in god to faith in the person and his opportunities appears.
5. Modern times – a difficult stage of a periodization which everyone can treat in own way. Some carry to it the entire period from the 16th century so far, others consider that the Modern Times come to an end with the beginning of the 20th century. The third are sure that it is necessary to carry everything to Modern Times from the Middle Ages till the Latest Time. The distinctive feature of this period of history can be considered uncompromising struggle of science with religious prejudices, global scientific and technical progress and the announcement of human life the supreme value. Several smaller periods entered it: Absolutism, Education, Intellectualization.