The History of Human Civilisation

To date, we reckon (until further information is received), the following…………….

4.55 billion years ago – earth

The “iron catastrophe” created a molten core which became the dynamo generating the earth’s magnetic field.

4.3 billion – first water??

3.5 billion years ago – first cells (stromatolytes? – Australia)

The stroms produced oxygen. O2 was absorbed by iron in the water and became iron oxides. When all iron had absorbed enough O2, the surplus O2 began to feed the atmosphere – raising O2 content from 1% to 21%.

600 million years ago – first cell complexity

65 million years ago - Cenozoic era - end of dinosaurs, emergence of first primates

25 million years - first apes

3 million years - Lucy (australopithecus)

2 million years - (homo habilis), brains large enough for inclusion in genus "homo", first tools

1.7 million years - (homo erectus)

1 million years - homo erectus spreads across Africa, Asia, SE Asia

950,000 years - first evidence of hominids in Europe

500,000 years - "sudden increase in size and capacity of brain box" - Frank Borland, "Holy Ice"

460,000 years - first evidence of controlled fire (China)

380,000 years - first evidence of constructed shelter (southern France)

250,000 years - first evidence of early homo sapiens in Africa, Asia, Europe

160,000 years - Herto man, Afar, Ethiopia

120,000 years - first "Neanderthals" - Neander Valley, Germany

100,000 years - emergence of "full" homo sapiens, Africa & Middle East

100,000 years - first signs of formal human burial, middle east

100,000 years - first stone tools - Sahara

70,000 years - first "art", evidence of abstract thought, Blombos Cave, Southern Cape, Africa

55,000 years - first campsites in Australia

45,000 years - first rock/cave art, Australia

40,000 years - first "composite tools" (eg. combined wood & stone), Africa

35,000 years - Neanderthals gone….

35,000 years - first rock/cave art in Europe, France

24,000 years - first rock/cave art in northern Africa

23,000 years - first clay figures, Europe

18,000 years - coldest point of last ice age

17,000 years - first evidence of cereal gathering, Middle East

13,000 years - first evidence of colonisation of North America

12,000 years - first evidence of humans in South America

11,000 years - first domesticated dogs, Middle East

10,500 years - first pottery vessels, Japan

9,000 years - first farming, Middle East

8,000 years - first large farming settlements - Jericho, first centre of more than 1000.

7,500 years - first fishing communities, southern Sahara

6,500 years - first known metallurgy, Middle East

6,000 years - the "great divide" - 6 major sites: India Egypt Mesopatamia, Peru, ??, ??

maths writing pottery mettalurgy calendrics monumnetal architecture (pyramids)

6,000 years - first domesticated cattle, Sahara

5,000 years - the "mother city" - Karal, Peru - HORIZON OCUMENTARY, BBC 31 January 2002

5,000 years - colonisation of Caribbean Islands (from Yucatan)

4,000 years - first cities, Mesopotamia

4,000 years - introduction of the plough, Europe and Middle East

3,300 - first writing, Mesopotamia