Prehistory (from the Latin præ "prima, innanzi" and historia "history") is the period of human history that conventionally precedes writing, prior to the documented history and embracing the temporal interval, according to a sufficiently shared vision, which goes from about 2.5-2.6 million years ago until (at least in Eurasia) at the 4th millennium BC In some disciplines and contexts it is inclusive of the protohistory, or almost the entire quaternary era.