The Principal prehistoric cultures of the Old World
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Prehistoric Europe
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Prehistoric Africa
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Prehistoric Asia
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Period & Climate |
Europe |
North Africa,
West Africa and Sahara |
Central Africa,
South and East Africa |
Middle East |
South Asia, and
Central Asia |
East Asia and South-East Asia |
1000 CE
|
(Middle Ages) |
(Caliphate) |
(Sahelian kingdoms) Mapungubwe |
(Caliphate) |
(Middle Kingdoms) |
(Song Dynasty) |
0 BCE/CE
|
Iron Age (and Roman Empire) |
(Ancient North Africa),
Nok,
Ile-Ife |
Bantu expansion |
(Classical Antiquity) |
(Iron Age India) |
(Han Dynasty) |
1000 BCE
|
Urnfield culture
Bronze Age
|
Copper Age in Niger
Nok |
Bantu expansion |
Late Bronze Age
Early Iron Age |
development of
Indian Iron Age |
Chinese Bronze Age, Late and Final Jōmon in Japan |
2000 BCE
|
Bell beaker
Chalcolithic
corded ware
domestication of the horse |
Neolithic of Tichit
Tenerean |
|
Middle Bronze Age (Sumer) |
Indus Valley civilisation
Indus script |
Chinese Neolithic
of Longshan |
3000 BCE
|
Yamna culture,
enclosed villages
Chalcolithic
of Central Europe |
|
Beginning of the Hunter-gatherer art
of South Africa |
Early Bronze Age |
Regionalization Era |
|
4000 BCE
|
Samara culture
Lower Neolithic
Danubian Neolithic
|
Mediterranean
and Egyptian Neolithic
|
Beginning of Neolithic in East Africa |
Uruk period
Chalcolithic
(copper metallurgy) |
Mehrgarh |
Neolithic
of Yang-Shao
rice-growing (?) |
5000 BCE
|
Cardial and Linear Pottery
(agriculture, stock-rearing, Pottery)
oldest European megaliths[1]
Starčevo and Vinča culture
agriculture, stock-rearing (pigs, bovine, sheep)
Chalcolithic (copper metallurgy)
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Neolithic of the Sahara/Sahel
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Ubaid period
ceramic Cyprus
more megaliths than earlier, spreading southward into Levant and Cyprus[1][2]
|
Mehrgarh, Bhirrana in India |
Hongshan culture of Northeast Asia (c. 4700 BCE)
|
6000 BCE
|
Tardenoisian cultures
(gathering of legumes)
Neolithic (Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean )
Sesklo and Choirokoitia |
|
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Neolithic with ceramic
Ubaid period
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Mehrgarh, Bhirrana (India) |
Neolithic of northern China
|
7000 BCE
|
Sauveterrian cultures
Komornica culture |
|
Wiltonian |
Pre-ceramic B
Pre-ceramic A
Neolithic in Asia Minor
(wheat, barley) |
|
hunter gatherers
of Jōmon (ancient Japan) |
8000 BCE
|
Ahrensburg culture,
Azilian and Asiloid cultures (northern Spain, southern France)
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Capsian |
|
Goats domestication Zagros in Iran
First towns Near East at Aşıklı Höyük and Jericho
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Hoabinhian of Southeast Asia |
9000 BCE
|
Backed point culture (Federmesser)
Mezine (Ukraine)
|
|
Magosian
|
Natufian
Oldest known megaliths: Hattians or their predecessors[2] |
Kandivili
|
|
10,000 BCE Holocene began
glacial ended (10,000 BCE)
glacial at its coldest (18,000 BCE)
|
Magdalenian
Solutrean
Epigravettian
Hamburg culture |
Ibero-Maurisian
Mushabian
Sebilian
|
Lupemban culture
|
Kebarian
Athlitian
Beginning of Neolithic religion at Göbekli Tepe (southern Anatolia)
|
Bhimbetka rock paintings south Asia |
pre-Jōmon ceramic (Japan) |
20,000 BCE
|
Gravettian
Pavlovian
Aurignacian (art)
Kostienki (western Russia) |
|
|
Antelian
Aurignacian (art) |
|
Sơn Vi culture (northern Vietnam) |
30,000 BCE |
Châtelperronian
Homo neanderthalensis, Homo sapiens
Aurignacian (art)
Szeletian culture (Hungary)
|
Aterian |
Stillbay
|
|
Bhimbetka rock paintings, Balangoda Culture
Angara Culture |
Sen-Doki
|
40,000 BCE
|
Homo neanderthalensis, Homo sapiens |
|
|
Jabroudian |
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50,000 BCE
|
Mousterian
Homo neanderthalensis
|
|
Fauresmithian
Homo sapiens
|
Mousterian
Homo neanderthalensis
|
Soanian |
Ngandong
culture |
80,000 BCE
latest glacial began (93,000 BCE)
|
Homo neanderthalensis
|
|
Mousteroid
Homo sapiens
|
Homo neanderthalensis |
|
|
100,000 BCE
glacial ended (128,000 BCE)
|
Upper Acheulean
Homo neanderthalensis
|
|
Sangoan
Homo sapiens
|
Homo neanderthalensis |
Acheulean
Soanian |
|
200,000 BCE
glacial began (350,000 BCE) |
Homo neanderthalensis
Tayacian (southern France)
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Homo sapiens
Acheulean
|
Homo neanderthalensis
artwork 248,000 BCE[3]
Acheulean
|
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300,000 BCE
|
middle Acheulean
Homo neanderthalensis
Clactonian (England) |
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Pre-Soanian |
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500,000 BCE
|
Lower Acheulean
Homo heidelbergensis
Homo neanderthalensis
worked pebbles |
Lower Acheulean
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Homo neanderthalensis |
Bhimbetka cupules 290,000-700,000 BCE[4][5] |
Homo erectus pekinensis
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1,000,000 BCE
|
worked pebbles
Homo antecessor (northern Spain, England, France)
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Homo erectus
worked pebbles
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lower Acheulean
Oldowan |
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worked pebbles
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2,000,000 BCE
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Homo habilis,[6]Homo ergaster |
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