Synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures
The synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures gives a rough picture of the relationships between the various principal cultures of prehistory outside the Americas, Antarctica, Australia and Oceania. It also serves as an index of the broad features of that prehistory to be followed through links to articles. Literate cultures are shown in brackets ().
Table
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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 | |
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1000 AD |
(Middle Ages) | (Caliphate) | (Sahelian kingdoms) Mapungubwe | (Caliphate) | (Middle Kingdoms) | (Song Dynasty) | |
0 BC/AD |
Iron Age (and Roman Empire) | (Ancient North Africa), Nok, Ile-Ife |
Bantu expansion | (Classical Antiquity) | (Iron Age India) | (Han Dynasty) | |
11th century BC (1000 BC) |
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 BC |
Bell beaker Chalcolithic corded ware domestication of the horse |
Neolithic of Tichit Tenerean |
Middle Bronze Age (Sumer) | Indus Valley civilisation writing |
Chinese Neolithic of Longshan | ||
3000 BC |
Yamna culture, enclosed villages Chalcolithic of Central Europe |
Beginning of the Hunter-gatherer art of South Africa |
Early Bronze Age | Regionalization Era | |||
4000 BC |
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 BC |
Cardial and Linear Pottery (agriculture, stock-rearing, Pottery) oldest European megaliths[1] Starčevo and Vinča culture agriculture, stock-rearing (pigs, bovine, sheep)
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Neolithic of the Sahara/Sahel |
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 BC) | ||
6000 BC |
Tardenoisian cultures (gathering of legumes) Neolithic (Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean ) Sesklo and Choirokoitia |
Neolithic with ceramic Ubaid period |
Mehrgarh, Bhirrana (India) | Neolithic of northern China | |||
7000 BC |
Sauveterrian cultures Komornica culture |
Wiltonian | Pre-ceramic B Pre-ceramic A Neolithic in Asia Minor (wheat, barley) |
hunter gatherers of Jōmon (ancient Japan) | |||
8000 BC |
Ahrensburg culture, Azilian and Asiloid cultures (northern Spain, southern France) |
Capsian | Goats domestication Zagros in Iran First towns Near East at Aşıklı Höyük and Jericho |
Hoabinhian of Southeast Asia | |||
9000 BC |
Backed point culture (Federmesser) Mezine (Ukraine) |
Magosian |
Natufian Oldest known megaliths: Hattians or their predecessors[2] |
Kandivili |
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10000 BC Holocene began glacial ended (10,000 BC) glacial at its coldest (18,000 BC) |
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) | |
18,000 BC |
Gravettian Pavlovian Aurignacian (art) Kostienki (western Russia) |
Antelian Aurignacian (art) |
Sơn Vi culture (northern Vietnam) | ||||
28,000 BC | Châtelperronian Homo neanderthalensis, Homo sapiens Aurignacian (art) Szeletian culture (Hungary) |
Aterian |
Stillbay |
Bhimbetka rock paintings, Balangoda Culture Angara Culture |
Sen-Doki | ||
38,000 BC |
Homo neanderthalensis, Homo sapiens | Emirian Jabroudian |
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48,000 BC |
Mousterian Homo neanderthalensis |
Fauresmithian Homo sapiens |
Mousterian Homo neanderthalensis |
Soanian |
Ngandong culture | ||
78,000 BC latest glacial began (93,000 BC) |
Homo neanderthalensis |
Mousteroid Homo sapiens |
Homo neanderthalensis | ||||
98,000 BC glacial ended (128,000 BC) |
Upper Acheulean Homo neanderthalensis |
Sangoan Homo sapiens |
Homo neanderthalensis | Acheulean Soanian |
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198,000 BC glacial began (350,000 BC) |
Homo neanderthalensis Tayacian (southern France) |
Homo sapiens Acheulean |
Homo neanderthalensis artwork 248,000 BC[3] Acheulean |
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298,000 BC |
middle Acheulean Homo neanderthalensis Clactonian (England) |
Pre-Soanian |
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498,000 BC |
Lower Acheulean Homo heidelbergensis Homo neanderthalensis worked pebbles |
Lower Acheulean |
Homo neanderthalensis | Homo erectus pekinensis | |||
998,000 BC |
worked pebbles Homo antecessor (northern Spain, England, France) |
Homo erectus worked pebbles |
lower Acheulean Oldowan |
worked pebbles | |||
1,998,000 BC |
Homo habilis,[4]Homo ergaster | Bhimbetka findings cupules[5] | |||||
See also
- Detailed logarithmic timeline
- Evolution of human intelligence
- List of timelines
- List of years in archaeology
- Timeline of glaciation
- Timeline of historic inventions
- Timeline of human evolution
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Egyptian pyramids=2630BC (Djoser); French Carnac stones=3000~4500BC; Dolmens=5000BC in Western Europe, progressing to Russia, as well as progressing thru Italy & Cyprus then reaching Israel/Jordan/Syria 4000~3000BC; Gilgal Refaim Stonehenge in Mideast associated w/the era & builders of Dolmens, aka "Rogem Hiri," also=3000-4000BC but this is only the top-layer, an as-yet unexcavated layer is discovered underneath
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 A.: Gobekli Tepe PPNA level: ~9000 BC. B.: Atlit Yam=semi-circle of megaliths in Mediterranean Sea south of Haifa (Natufians), "sudden" abandonment 6270 BC~6700 BC noted by archaeologist--see "Marchant, Jo (25 Nov 2009)" ref in Yam Atlit article--ergo, is necessarily older than 6270 BC but no date of construction found.
- ↑ Israel Museum exhibits figurine/sculptureNational Library of Australia
- ↑ Wilford, John Noble. "Fossils in Kenya Challenge Linear Evolution". New York Times. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
- ↑ Chakravarty, Kalyan Kumar; Bednarik, Robert S. (1997). Indian Rock Art: And Its Global Context. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 59. ISBN 9788120814646.
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