The Principal prehistoric cultures of the Old World
|
|
Prehistoric Europe |
|
History of Africa and |
African archaeology |
Near Eastern archaeology |
History of Asia |
|
Period & Climate |
Western Europe |
Central Europe
and Eastern Europe |
North Africa,
West Africa and Sahara |
Central Africa,
South and East Africa |
Middle East |
South Asia, India and
Central Asia |
East Asia and South-East Asia |
After the year 1,000 CE
|
Medieval |
|
Iron Age of the
Chad Basin |
|
1,000 CE
|
Opening of the Middle Ages
End of Antiquity |
Iron Age |
Iron Age in Niger, Roman Empire |
Iron Age in Kenya, Uganda
Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Roman Empire |
|
|
1 BCE
|
Iron Age |
Iron Age |
Nigeria, Great Lakes |
First cultivators
of the equatorial forest and settled agriculture in Southern Africa |
Empire of Alexander
Persian Empire
Phoenicians |
Mauryan Empire (India)
Steppe Scythians
Indian Iron Age |
Chinese Iron Age
Chinese
Zhou period |
1,000 BCE
|
Bronze Age
|
Bronze Age
Myceneans |
Copper Age in Niger
|
development of agriculture
in East Africa and Central Africa |
Hittites
Assyrians |
development of
pastoralism in India
Bactrian towns |
Chinese Bronze Age
Chinese
Shang period |
2,000 BCE
|
Bell beaker
Chalcolithic
|
corded ceramic
domestication of the horse |
Neolithic of Tichit
Tenerean |
|
Akkad Empire
Sumerian Kingdom |
Indus Valley civilisation
writing |
Chinese Neolithic
of Longshan |
3,000 BCE
|
enclosed villages
first megaliths |
Chalcolithic
of Central Europe |
|
Beginning of the Hunter-gatherer art
of South Africa |
Bronze Age |
|
|
4,000 BCE
|
Lower Neolithic |
Danubian Neolithic
|
Mediterranean
and Egyptian
Neolithic |
Beginning of Neolithic in East Africa |
Chalcolithic
(copper metallurgy) |
Neolithic
of Iran
|
Neolithic
of Yang-Shao
rice-growing (?) |
5,000 BCE
|
Cardial
(agriculture, stock-rearing, pottery)
Tardenoisian
cultures |
agriculture, stock-rearing (pigs, bovine, sheep) |
Neolithic of the Sahara/Sahel
|
|
irrigated agriculture ceramic Cyprus
|
(and Caucasian)
irrigation |
cultivation of millet
pig rearing |
6,000 BCE
|
Sauveterrian cultures
(gathering of legumes) |
in Greece
and the Eastern Mediterranean |
ceramic |
|
Neolithic with ceramic
raising
sheep & goats
end of pre-ceramic B aceramic Cyprus |
pre-ceramic of Iran
Afghanistan and
Baluchistan |
Neolithic of northern China
|
7,000 BCE
|
|
Backed point
culture |
|
Wiltonian |
Pre-ceramic B
(wheat, barley)
Neolithic
Pre-ceramic A |
|
hunter gatherers
of Jōmon (ancient Japan) |
8,000 BCE
|
Azilian
and Asiloid cultures |
|
Capsian |
|
|
|
Hoabinhian of Southeast Asia |
9,000 BCE
|
late Gravettian |
late Gravettian plains
complex (Mezine
Kostienki) |
|
Magosian
|
Natufian
|
Khandivili
|
|
10,000 BCE Holocene began
glacial ended (10,000 BCE)
glacial at its coldest (18,000 BCE)
|
Magdalenian
Solutrean
Epigravettian |
Epigravettian
|
Ibero-maurusian
Sebilian
|
Lupemban culture
|
Kebarian
Athlitian
|
|
pre-Jōmon ceramic (Japan) |
Paleo-Siberian hunters move to North America (one possible timing)
|
20,000 BCE
|
Gravettian
Aurignacian (art) |
Pavlovian
Aurignacian (art) |
|
|
Aurignacian (art) |
|
Sơn Vi culture (northern Vietnam) |
30,000 BCE
|
Chatelperronian
|
Szeletian
|
Aterian |
Stillbay
|
|
Angara culture |
Sen-Doki
|
40,000 BCE
|
|
|
|
|
Emirian
|
|
|
50,000 BCE
|
Mousterian
(earliest graves)
|
Mousterian
|
Mousterian
|
Fauresmithian
|
Mousterian
Mousterian
|
Soanian |
Ngandong
culture |
80,000 BCE
latest glacial began (95,000 BCE)
|
Micoquian
|
|
Micoquian
|
Mousteroid
|
|
|
Ordos
culture
|
100,000 BCE
glacial ended (130,000 BCE)
|
Upper Acheulean
|
Upper Acheulean
|
|
Sangoan
|
|
Acheulean
Soanian |
Fen Culture |
200,000 BCE
glacial began (350,000 BCE) |
Tayacian
|
|
Acheulean
|
Acheulean
|
Acheulean
|
|
|
300,000 BCE
|
middle Acheulean
Clactonian |
middle Acheulean
|
|
|
|
Pre-Soanian |
|
500,000 BCE
|
Lower Acheulean
worked pebbles |
Lower Acheulean
worked pebbles |
Lower Acheulean
|
|
|
|
Padjitanian
|
1,000,000 BCE
|
worked pebbles
|
worked pebbles
|
worked pebbles
|
lower Acheulian
Olduwan |
|
|
worked pebbles
|
2,000,000 BCE
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
Period & Climate |
Western Europe |
Central Europe
and Eastern Europe |
North Africa,
West Africa and Sahara |
Central Africa,
South and East Africa |
Middle East |
South Asia, India and
Central Asia |
Far East and South-East Asia |