Prehistory is the study of human life before the written record, while history is the study of human life during and after the written record. Prehistory focuses more on archaeological evidence such as artifacts, fossils, and cultural remains discovered from excavations, while history focuses more on written sources such as documents, manuscripts, and other recordings of past events. Prehistory is typically divided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic eras, while history is generally understood to span from the end of prehistory to the present day.