Early humans

The Bronze Age begins, first in Greece and China

Botai culture thrives in modern-day Kazakhstan

The Botai culture is an archaeological culture (c. 3700–3100 B.C.E.) of prehistoric Kazakhstan and North Asia. It was named after the settlement of Botai in northern Kazakhstan. The Botai culture has two other large sites: Krasnyi Yar, and Vasilkovka.

The wheel is invented in Mesopotamia, initially used for pottery

Peter Schulte / April 25, 1001

Evidence indicates they were created to serve as potter’s wheels around 3500 B.C. in Mesopotamia, 300 years before someone figured out to use them for chariots.

Poulnabrone dolmen is an example of a portal tomb in the west of Ireland

Early Neolithic tribes build megalithic tombs across Ireland

Peter Schulte / April 25, 1001

Megalithic monuments in Ireland typically represent one of several types of megalithic tombs: court cairns, passage tombs, portal tombs and wedge tombs.[1][2] The remains of over 1,000 such megalithic tombs have been recorded around Ireland.

Hunter-gatherers build Giant’s Churches in modern-day Finland

Peter Schulte / April 25, 1001

A Giant’s Church is the name given to prehistoric stone enclosures found in the Ostrobothnia region of Finland. Dating from the sub-Neolithic period (3500–2000 B.C.E.), they are thought to be a rare example of monumental architecture built by hunter-gatherers in northern Europe.

Ancient Egyptians begin practice of mummification

Peter Schulte / April 25, 1001

The tomb was now considered a place of transformation in which the soul would leave the body to go on to the afterlife.

Minoan culture begins in Crete

Peter Schulte / April 16, 1001

The Minoan civilization flourished in the middle Bronze Age on the Mediterranean island of Crete from ca. 2000 B.C.E. until ca. 1500 B.C.E. and, with their unique art and architecture, the Minoans made a significant contribution to the development of Western European civilization as it is known today.