Human Prehistory

By SorellsElizabeth
  • 200,000 BCE

    Homo Sapiens First Appear

    Homo Sapiens First Appear
  • Period: 200,000 BCE to 64,000 BCE

    Middle Paleolithic Age

    The Middle Paleolithic Period is a time in which archaic humans appeared across the globe. A majority of homo sapiens were scavenging but there is evidence of hunting and gathering. Human burials were taking place and we were beginning to take care of the elderly. The Middle Paleolithic Period ends with the disappearance of Neanderthals and homo sapiens sapiens began to dominate.
  • 170,000 BCE

    Humans are Wearing Clothing

    Clothing was made as a protective measure against the elements. More advanced clothing using fibers was made later.
  • 82,000 BCE

    Earliest Evidence of Personal Adornment

    Small, perforated sea shell beads are found in Morocco, becoming the first evidence of personal adornment found anywhere in the world
  • 70,000 BCE

    Earliest Example of Symbolic/Abstract Art

    Earliest Example of Symbolic/Abstract Art
    In the Blombos Cave, South Africa stones were found with criss-cross or grid patterns.
  • 64,000 BCE

    Bow and Arrow

    Bow and Arrow
    The bow and arrow first replaces the spear thrower in Africa.
  • 50,000 BCE

    First Sewing Needle

    The first sewing needle is found to have been used by Denisovans, an extinct subspecies of homo sapiens.
  • Period: 50,000 BCE to 21,000 BCE

    Upper Paleolithic Age

    Known as the last part of the Old Stone Age, the Upper Paleolithic Period is when man's greatest cultural progress occurs. This portion of the Paleolithic Period reveals diverse and specialized tools that now included bone as well as their typical flint and stone. Art also progressed and became more complex.
  • 42,000 BCE

    Deep Sea Fishing

    Deep Sea Fishing
    Evidence of deep sea fishing is found in East Timor, Asia, showing that humans had maritime skills developing which would be needed to cross oceans. This evidence also reveals that they were catching and consuming large amounts of fish such as tuna.
  • 40,000 BCE

    Extinction of Homo Neanderthalensis

    Extinction of Homo Neanderthalensis
  • 40,000 BCE

    Oldest Known Figurative Art and Cave Paintings

    Oldest Known Figurative Art and Cave Paintings
    Hand stencils, red dots, and figures of animals are found in El Castillo, Spain in the Altamira Cave.
  • 40,000 BCE

    First Human Settlement

    First Human Settlement
    Aboriginal Australians settle in Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne.
  • 40,000 BCE

    Oldest Known Ritual Cremation

    The Mungo Lady originating in Lake Mungo, Australia is found in a ritualistic manner.
  • 28,000 BCE

    Oldest Known Pottery

    Oldest Known Pottery
    The pottery was used to make figurines (possibly like the Venus of Willendorf) instead of cooking or storage vessels.
  • 25,000 BCE

    Permanent Human Settlements

    Permanent Human Settlements
    The oldest permanent settlement was found in Moravia in the Czech Republic. The huts were made of rocks and mammoth bones
  • Period: 20,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE

    Mesolithic Age

    The Mesolithic Period was a time of transitioning. Climates and food sources were shifting, so the vast supply of proteins necessary for humans was on its way to extinction. Weather changes allowed for some societies to become more sedentary due to access of key nutrients becoming widely available, therefore there was a gradual shift towards a village like lifestyle. The first signs of horticulture and animal breeding are found in the Mesolithic Period, thus resulting in higher populations.
  • 16,500 BCE

    First Colonization of North America

    First Colonization of North America
  • 15,000 BCE

    Domestication of Pigs

    Domestication of Pigs
    It is estimated that the pig was domesticated during this time.
  • 14,800 BCE

    Humid Period Begins

    Humid Period Begins
    Beginning in North Africa, the humid period created what is now known as the Sahara. The land was wet and fertile and the aquifers were full.
  • 13,000 BCE

    End of the Last Glacial Period

    End of the Last Glacial Period
    The climate warms and the glaciers begin to recede.
  • 13,000 BCE

    Domestication of Sheep

    Domestication of Sheep
  • 12,000 BCE

    Domestication of Goats

    Domestication of Goats
  • Period: 11,000 BCE to 5500 BCE

    Neolithic Age

    The Neolithic Age is the period of revolutionary settled lifestyles. While the concept made an introduction in the Mesolithic Period, it became permanent in this age. By becoming sedentary, cultural advances were made to societies across the globe because humans were then able to form closer bonds dependent on running a community.
  • 10,500 BCE

    Domestication of Cattle

    Domestication of Cattle
  • 10,000 BCE

    Wheat and Barely Cultivation Begins

    Wheat and Barely Cultivation Begins
    In what was once northern Mesopotamia, now northern Iraq, wheat and barely cultivation begins. The uses varied from gruel and soup to bread.
  • 5500 BCE

    First Evidence of Mummification

    First Evidence of Mummification
    The first evidence of mummification is found in Egypt.
  • Period: 3300 BCE to 3200 BCE

    Bronze Age

    The Bronze Age signifies the end of prehistory. Early features of urban civilization such as the use of bronze and other precious metals, writing and other forms of communication make up a majority of the Bronze Age's advances.
  • 3200 BCE

    Writing is Invented

    Writing is Invented
    Invented in Sumer which is now modern day Iraq, writing began history, marking the end of prehistory.