Precolonial refers to the time period before a region or country became a colony. This term is often used to describe the time period before European colonialism in areas across the world. For example, precolonial Africa refers to the time period before European colonization of the continent. In the Americas, the pre-Columbian era refers to the time period before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Many precolonial civilizations were marked by permanent settlements, cities, agriculture, civic and monumental architecture, major earthworks, and complex societal hierarchies.