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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.
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Clothing was made as a protective measure against the elements. More advanced clothing using fibers was made later.
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Small, perforated sea shell beads are found in Morocco, becoming the first evidence of personal adornment found anywhere in the world
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In the Blombos Cave, South Africa stones were found with criss-cross or grid patterns.
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The bow and arrow first replaces the spear thrower in Africa.
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The first sewing needle is found to have been used by Denisovans, an extinct subspecies of homo sapiens.
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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.
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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.
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Hand stencils, red dots, and figures of animals are found in El Castillo, Spain in the Altamira Cave.
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Aboriginal Australians settle in Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne.
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The Mungo Lady originating in Lake Mungo, Australia is found in a ritualistic manner.
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The pottery was used to make figurines (possibly like the Venus of Willendorf) instead of cooking or storage vessels.
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The oldest permanent settlement was found in Moravia in the Czech Republic. The huts were made of rocks and mammoth bones
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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.
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It is estimated that the pig was domesticated during this time.
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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.
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The climate warms and the glaciers begin to recede.
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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.
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In what was once northern Mesopotamia, now northern Iraq, wheat and barely cultivation begins. The uses varied from gruel and soup to bread.
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The first evidence of mummification is found in Egypt.
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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.
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Invented in Sumer which is now modern day Iraq, writing began history, marking the end of prehistory.
