From the dawn of our species to the present day, stone-made artefacts are the dominant form of material remains that have survived to today concerning human technology.
More about: Stone AgeDefinition
Timeline
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c. 2600000 BCE - c. 12000 BCEThe Pleistocene epoch, ranging from c. 2,6 million years ago until c. 12,000 years ago. It is characterised by repeated cycles of glacials and interglacials.
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c. 2600000 BCE - c. 12000 BCEThe Palaeolithic (or Old Stone Age) period, ranging from c. 2,6 million years ago until c. 12,000 years ago.
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40000 BCE - 10000 BCEVenus figurines are produced in Europe.
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c. 17000 BCE - 15000 BCELascaux cave paintings.
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c. 12000 BCE - c. 9000 BCEThe Mesolithic (or Middle Stone Age), lasting from the end of the last Ice Age until the start of agriculture, between c. 9000-c. 4000 BCE.
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c. 11700 BCEEnd of the most recent glacial episode within the current Quaternary Ice Age.
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9000 BCECultivation of wild cereals in the Fertile Crescent.
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9000 BCEWild sheep flocks are managed in the Zagros mountains.
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c. 9000 BCE - c. 3300 BCEThe Neolithic (or New Stone Age), lasting from the start of agriculture between c. 9000-c. 4000 BCE until the beginning of bronze use c. 3300 BCE.
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8000 BCEOvens in use in the Near East are applied to pottery production.
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7500 BCELong-distance trade in obsidian begins.
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7000 BCEDomestication of goats.
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6700 BCEDomestication of sheep.
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6500 BCEDomestication of pigs.
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6500 BCETextiles of flax.
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c. 6200 BCEFirst copper smelting in Anatolia.
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c. 6000 BCEFirst irrigation.
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6000 BCEDomestication of cattle.
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5000 BCEIrrigation and agriculture begin in earnest in Mesopotamia.
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5000 BCEHierarchical societies emerge in southeast Europe.
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5000 BCE - 3000 BCEMegalithic structures erected at Carnac, north-west France.
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5000 BCE - 4000 BCEMegaliths are erected at the Neolithic site of Locmariaquer, north-west France.
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4500 BCEInvention of the plow.
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4300 BCEFirst megalithic tombs in Europe.
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4000 BCEUse of wool for textiles.
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3650 BCEInvention of the wheel.
