Prehistoric Inventions

Timeline of historic inventions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The timeline of historic inventions is a chronological list of particularly important or significant technological inventions and the people who created the inventions

Note: Dates for inventions are often controversial. Inventions are often invented by several inventors around the same time, or may be invented in an impractical form many years before another inventor improves the invention into a more practical form. Where there is ambiguity, the date of the first known working version of the invention is used here.

Earliest inventions

Further information: Outline of prehistoric technology

The dates listed in this section refer to the earliest evidence of an invention found and dated by archaeologists (or in a few cases, suggested by indirect evidence). Dates are often approximate and change as more research is done, reported, and seen. Older examples of any given technology are found often. The locations listed are for the site where the earliest solid evidence has been found, but especially for the earlier inventions there is little certainty how close that may be to where the invention took place.

Paleolithic

·       2.6 million years ago (Ma): Stone tools (Oldowan) in present-day Ethiopia, earliest finds are typically with Australopithecus garhi

·       2.3 Ma: Earliest likely control of fire and cooking, by Homo habilis

·       1.76 Ma: Advanced (Acheulean) stone tools in Kenya by Homo erectus

·       900-40ka: Boats

·       790 thousand years ago (ka): Hearths, at Gesher Benot Ya'akov, in Israel (latest possible invention of firelighting and cooking)

·       500 ka: Shelter construction in Japan

·       400 ka: Pigments in Zambia

·       400 ka: Spears in Germany

·       300 ka: Anatomically modern humans

·       200 ka: Glue in Italy

·       170-83 ka: Clothing

·       135-100 ka: Beads in Israel and Algeria

·       110 ka: Last glacial period begins.

·       100 ka: Burial in Israel

·       77 ka: Bedding in South Africa

·       64–61 ka: Bone tool technology in South Africa, evidenced by the find of a spearhead along with what may be an arrowhead, suggesting bow and arrow, and a sewing needle

·       40-50+ ka: Behavioral modernity

·       44–42 ka: Tally sticks (see Lebombo bone) in Swaziland

·       40–20 ka: Cremation in Australia

·       40 ka: Cave painting in Spain and Indonesia

·       36–9 ka: Weaving – Indirect evidence supports earlier end in Georgia and/or Moravia. The earliest actual piece of woven cloth was found in Çatalhöyük, Turkey

·       37 ka: Mortar and pestle in Southwest Asia.

·       35 ka: Flute in Germany

·       28 ka: Rope

·       28 ka: Phallus in Germany

·       16 ka: Pottery in China

·       15 ka: Bullroarer in Ukraine

·       13–12 ka: Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent

·       13–11 ka: Domestication of sheep in Southwest Asia (followed shortly by pigs, goats and cattle)

·       11.7 ka: Last glacial period ends

·       11-8 ka: Domestication of rice in China

·       11 ka: Constructed stone monument - Göbekli Tepe, in Turkey

Neolithic

Note the shift from Ma and ka to BC and AD – 8000 BC is approximately the same as 10 ka.

·       8000–7500 BC: Proto-city – large permanent settlements, such as Jericho and Çatalhöyük

·       7000 BC: Alcohol fermentation - specifically mead, in China

·       6500 BC: Evidence of Lead smelting in Çatalhöyük, in Turkey

·       6000 BC: Kiln in Mesopotamia (Iraq)

·       5000 BC: Copper smelting in Serbia

·       5th millennium BC: Lacquer in China

·       5000–4500 BC: Rowing oars in China

·       4400 BC: Copper Sewing needle in Naqada, Egypt

·       4000 - 3500 BC: Wheel: potter's wheels in Mesopotamia and wheeled vehicles in Mesopotamia (Sumerian civilization), the Northern Caucasus (Maykop culture) and Central Europe (Cucuteni-Trypillian culture).

·       3630 BC: Silk garments (sericulture) in China

·       3200 BC: Sailing in ancient Egypt

·       3000BC: Writing – Cuneiform in Sumer, Mesopotamia (Iraq) 

·       3000 BC: Bronze in Mesopotamia

·       3000 BC: Papyrus in Egypt

·       3000 BC: Tin extraction in Central Asia

·       3000 BC: Comb in Persia.

·       3000 BC: Star chart in Korea.

·       2500 BC: Docks in Ancient Egypt

2nd millennium BC

·       2000 BC: Musical notation in Sumer

·       2000 BC: Chariot in Russia and Kazakhstan

·       2000 BC: Glass in Ancient Egypt

·       1700 BC: Alphabet in Phoenicia (Modern Lebanon)

·       1500 BC: Seed drill in Babylonia

·       1500 BC: Coins in Phoenicia (Modern Lebanon) or Lydia

·       1500 BC: Scissors in Ancient Egypt

·       1200 BC: Sword in Ancient Egypt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_historic_inventions

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader