History by historical land mass is yet another wonderful lens into knowledge. These insights are the backbone to Mike‘s articles and his longer effort books. A part of his lifelong commitment to study. While they are not complete, they are useful.

History of the Lands: Africa & Middle East

Early Stone Tools

3.3 Million BCE (Hominins)

Prefrontal Cortex Expansion, Internal 3D modeling

Olduvai Gorge Site: A Glimpse into Early Organizational Behavior

Step back 800,000 years to the lush landscapes of Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, where early humans pioneered the art of tool-making. This vivid scene captures a bustling workshop set among distinctive tuff cones and sedimentary pillars. Observe groups of early Homo species as they skillfully craft stone tools.

2 Million Years Ago (Up to about 15,000 years ago)

Hand Axe

Hand axes: Humans started using them nearly 2 million years ago. These meticulously crafted tools exemplify the advanced technological skills and cognitive capabilities of early humans. Its sophisticated design and precise craftsmanship underscore a deep understanding of material properties and tool use.

1.76 Million BCE

Oldest Modern Human-like Footprints

1.52 Million BCE

1.53 to 1.51 Million BCE

Chimpanzee-Bonobo Split

The Congo River split chimpanzees and bonobos about 1.5 mya.

1.5 Million Years Ago (+/- 500,000 years)

Fire-Altered Stone Tools

"<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55942692" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">File:Flint tools, Numbers 41-64 (Top left to bottom right) (FindID 132815).jpg</a>" by The Portable Antiquities Scheme, Adam Daubney, 2006-05-17 10:54:28 is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>

790,000 BCE

Genus Homo

Hominin World Population: 2 Million (speculative)

Imagined image depicting diverse hominin species roaming Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, circa 700,000 BCE.

700,000 BCE

Highly speculative. Based on rational analysis of the great apes.

First Clothes: Proto-Clothing and the Advent of Garments

Imagined image depicting the evolution of early clothing among hominins. The image starts with a Homo erectus wearing very simple proto-clothing, such as basic animal skins or a simple decorative element like a bone or shell necklace. Progressing through the scene, an earlier Homo heidelbergensis or Homo antecessor is shown with slightly more advanced but still rudimentary clothing.

600,000 Years Age

Hominin World Population: 2 Million (maybe)

300,000 BCE

Very speculative.

Extinction: Homo heidelbergensis

Imagined image: the last of the Homo heidelbergensis, circa 200,000 BCE.

200,000 Years Ago

Seasonal Settlements at Klasies River Caves

125,000 BCE

125,000 to 60,000 BCE

Earliest Known Prepared Burial, “Mtoto”

76,000 BCE

Blombos Cave Engravings

"<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110908714" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Blombo</a>" by Chris S. Henshilwood is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

75,000 BCE

World Population: 1.5 Million

By 70,000 BCE

Lebombo bone: First Lunar Phase Counter

42,200 BCE

44,200 to 43,000 years old according to 24 radiocarbon tests

The Invention of Bread

Assortment of baked bread

Before 14,400 BCE

Middle East

Tell Abu Hureyra

circa 11,500 BCE

Evidence of farming: rye seeds

World Population: 4 Million

10,000 BCE

Estimates range from 2 to 5 million

Göbekli Tepe Culture (11000 BCE to 8000 BCE)

Start of heyday: circa 9600 BCE

Initial construction circa 11,000 BCE (13,000 years ago)

Jericho Founded

St Geaorge Monastery Desert

9000 BCE

Plaster Invented

Photo by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/rikwebco-452946/?utm_source=instant-images&utm_medium=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rikwebco</a> on <a href="https://pixabay.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pixabay</a>

before 9000 BCE

Egypt: Nabta Playa (Agrarian)

circa 7500 BCE

Middle East Agrarian Society

Ain Ghazal Statues: Early Plaster Art

circa 7200 BCE

Jordan

City of Catalhoyuk

7,100 BCE

7,100 to 5,700 BCE

Beer, Ale, Wine

glass of beer, sausages and bread on the table

circa 7000 BCE

9,000 Years Ago

Atlit Yam Neolithic Village

"<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/149617375@N05/31523297470" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">megalithic-atlit-yam</a>" by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/149617375@N05" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dionisosolympian</a> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CC PDM 1.0</a>

6900 to 6300 BCE

Origins over 9,000 Years Ago

Early Sumer Civilization

6500 BCE

6500 through 1900 BCE

4004 BCE, The Bible’s Earth Creation Date

4,004 BCE

Sunday, October 23, 4004 BCE

Man Made Glass

3500 BCE

Cuneiform Writing

3400 BCE

3400 BCE to 100 CE (end of use for scholarly work)

Oldest Known Dice: Skara Brae

3100 BCE

By 5,100 Years Ago

World Population: 15 Million

3000 BCE

Estimates range from 9 to 16 million

Fuente Magna Bowl: Forgery or Real?

"<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77550391" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bed965fdf8aa813b97735ea21a0e3cfc(1)</a>" by none is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>

3000 BCE

South America: 5,000 Years Ago

Gilgamesh, circa 2700 BCE

King of Uruk

King Shuruppak

No images of King Shuruppak exist. The best we can do is reimagine known aspects of Sumerian culture. This is a ziggurat typical of the time: one per each of the 30+ cities.

circa 2600 BCE

The Wise King

Oldest Known Library: Ebla

"<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57854047" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><div class='fn'> Proto-Cuneiform tablet: administrative account of barley distribution with cylinder seal impression of a male figure, hunting dogs, and boars. Probably from the city of Uruk.</div></a>" by null is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CC CC0 1.0</a>

2350 BCE

2500 BCE to 2250 BCE

Noah’s Flood Myth

2348 BCE

Proto-Sinaitic script

Used roughly between 1900 and 1500 BCE in the Sinai Peninsula by Canaanite-speaking peoples who adapted Egyptian hieroglyphs into the world’s first alphabetic script.

1900 BCE

1900-1500 BCE

Code of Hammurabi

1755 BCE

Frescoes of the Tomb of Nebamun

"<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71407159" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><div class='fn'> Tomb Of Nebamun Painting 1</div></a>" by <a href="https://500px.com/GeorgeL86" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">George Lodge</a> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CC BY 3.0</a>

circa 1350 BCE

Oldest Known Monotheistic Religion: Atenism

Akhenaton and Nefertiti seated, holding 3 of their daughters, under the rays of the sun god Aton giving Ankh-symbols to them (Picture provided by ArchaiOptix).

1344 BCE

circa 1340 to 1320 BCE

Phoenician Alphabet

1300 BCE

1500-1100 BCE

Thales of Miletus (624 – 546 BCE)

Early or "First" Science

The Grandfather of Western Philosophy

Library of Ashurbanipal

A conservative recreation of the exterior of the Library of Ashurbanipal, illustrating the architectural style of ancient Assyrian buildings. The image depicts a grand structure on a raised platform, adorned with carvings and motifs characteristic of Assyrian art. While the depiction includes speculative elements, such as the building's size and detailed adornments, it aims to capture the historical significance and imposing presence of this legendary library in the heart of Nineveh.

Built circa 700 BCE, destroyed 612 BCE.

Philo of Alexandria