Prehistory & Early Humans template

The deep-time template: from the earliest known Homo sapiens fossils to the first writing, a span of nearly 300,000 years.

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How to adapt this template

  • Deep-time spans compress recent events into a sliver; try the vertical view, which spaces events evenly.
  • All of these dates are estimates from archaeology and radiocarbon dating and are revised as new finds appear.
  • Add your own finds; the editor accepts years as far back as 1,000,000 BCE.

What's in it

EventWhenCategory
Earliest known Homo sapiens (Jebel Irhoud)c. 300,000 BCEHumans
Lascaux cave paintingsc. 15,000 BCEArt & monuments
Göbekli Tepe builtc. 9500 BCEArt & monuments
Farming begins in the Fertile Crescentc. 9000 BCEFarming & cities
Çatalhöyük settlementc. 7400 BCEFarming & cities
Cuneiform writing in Sumerc. 3200 BCEFarming & cities
Stonehenge begunc. 3000 BCEArt & monuments
Code of Hammurabic. 1754 BCEFarming & cities

Questions people ask

How do I edit the prehistory & early humans template?

Click any event in the list below the timeline to change its title, dates, category or note, or drag its marker along the axis. Changes save automatically in your browser.

Can I export this template to PowerPoint?

Yes. Use Export → PowerPoint for an editable .pptx slide, or export PNG, SVG, PDF or JSON.

Is my edited version private?

Yes. It is stored only in this browser (localStorage). Nothing is uploaded, and you can delete everything from the My timelines menu.