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Australopithecines
(4000000 B.C.E. - 1000000 B.C.E.) The Australopithecines were the first ancestors of humans to inhabit the Earth. They are also believed to be the first people to stand up straight. Their remains have been found throughout southern and eastern Africa. -
Stone Age
(2500000 B.C.E. - 3000 B.C.E.)The Stone Age consisted of the Paleolithic Age and the Neolithic Age. The Paleolithic Age lasted from 2.5 million B.C.E. to 8,000 B.C.E. The Neolithic Age lasted from 8,000 B.C.E. to roughly 3,000 B.C.E. -
Homo Habilis
(2500000 B.C.E. - 1500000 B.C.E.) Homo habilis remains have been found throughout eastern Africa. They are believed to be our first ancestors to make and use tools of stone. -
Fire
(1600000 B.C.E.) Fire was invented by the Homo erectus. Fire was important because it did not just cook food, it created warmth and scared harmful animals away. -
Homo Erectus
(1600000 B.C.E. - 30000 B.C.E.) Homo erectus remains have been found throughout the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. They were our first ancestors to have a brain size of 1,000 cubic centimeters. -
Neanderthal
(200000 B.C.E. - 30000 B.C.E.) Neanderthal remains have been found throughout Southwest Asia and Europe. They were our first ancestors known to have had ritual burials. -
Cro-Magnon
(40000 B.C.E. - 8000 B.C.E,) Cro-Magnon remains have been found throughout Europe. Although they are not related directly to humans, a Cro-Magnon man would look identicle to a modern-day man. -
Jarmo
(7000 B.C.E.) Jarmo is an archaeological site. It is located in the northern part of Iraq. In terms of agricultural communities, it is the oldest in the world. -
Catal Huyuk
(7500 B.C.E. - 5700 B.C.E.) Catal Huyuk translates to forked mound. At its peak, the village had between 5,000 and 6,000 inhabitants. It covered roughly 32 acres. -
Wheel
(5000 B.C.E.) The wheel was perhaps one of the most important inventions ever. It allowed for the transportation of weights that were far too heavy for a human to carry. -
Bronze Age
(3000 B.C.E. - 1200 B.C.E.) The Bronze Age began in Sumer. Its name refers to the period when people began using bronze in the place of stone and copper. -
Sumer
(4500 B.C.E. - 2270 B.C.E.) The founders of Sumer did not originally speak the Sumerian language. They were the first civilization to farm year-round. -
Ur
(3000 B.C.E.) Ur ran on a system of bartering, because money had not yet beenvented. Also, ziggurats were built in this civilization. At its peak in 3000 B.C.E., an estimated 30,000 people lived in Ur. -
Neolithic Revolution
(8000 B.C.E.) Women are believed to have scattered seeds in the ground at a regular settlement. When they returned the next season, crops had grown. This started a whole new way of life for early people. It is also known as the agricultural revolution.
