Chronology 2,000,000 B.C.E First Genus Homo Emerges First example of early humanoids emerge in Africa 1,000,000 B.C.E Premodern Humans Migrate out of Africa Prehumans move from Africa into West Asia and elsewhere 100,000 B.C.E Homo sapiens in East Africa Homo sapiens communities are established in East Africa 40,000 B.C.E Paleolithic Era Paleolithic era lasts to about 10,000 when Mesolithic era begins 7000 B.C.E Neolithic Era in Fertile Crescent Neolithic societies based on agriculture emerge in the Fertile Crescent, present-day Iraq and Syria 4400 B.C.E Horses Domesticated The domestication of horses provides an important new mode of transportation 3500 B.C.E Cuneiform Writing The Sumerians, in present-day Iraq, are the first group to develop a written script called cuneiform Archaeologists have discovered thousands of clay tablets with Sumerian cuneiform writing on them 3500 B.C.E Bronze Made Bronze is made for the first time in a process whereby copper is combined with tin to create a new metal that can be used in many tools 3500 B.C.E Sumerian Civilization Sumerian civilization, with city-states and agriculture with irrigation systems, is established in the Fertile Crescent 6000 B.C.E Neolithic Societies in Europe, Asia, and Western Hemisphere Neolithic cultures spread around the world 3250 B.C.E Paper Made of Papyrus Reed The first known paper is produced in Egypt 5500 B.C.E Egyptians Weave Flax into Fabric In Egypt, flax threads are woven together to create fabric for the first time 3200 B.C.E South America Beginnings of complex societies along the northern Peruvian Pacific coast xvii