Humans of the Andes domesticate quinoa
Quinoa was first domesticated by Andean peoples around 3,000 to 4,000 years ago and has been an important staple in the Andean cultures.
Early humans
First systems of writing begin to emerge in Sumeria
Cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia c. 3500-3000 B.C.E.
Humans begin using field systems for the first time, perhaps in the Céide Fields of modern-day Ireland
The Céide Fields is an archaeological site in the west of Ireland. The site is the most extensive Neolithic site in Ireland and contains the oldest known field systems in the world.
The Botai people of Central Asian steppes domesticate the horse for the first time
The clearest evidence of early use of the horse as a means of transport is from chariot burials dated c. 2000 B.C.E. However, an increasing amount of evidence supports the hypothesis that horses were domesticated in the Eurasian Steppes approximately 3500 B.C.E.
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.
Minoan culture begins in Crete
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.
Humans invent leather shoes, perhaps in modern-day Armenia
The oldest leather shoe was found in a cave in Armenia and was about 5,500 years old. These simple shoes, made of a single piece of leather were stitched with leather.
The Sweet Track and Post Track causeways are built in Somerset Levels in modern-day England
The Sweet Track is a Neolithic timber walkway, located in the Somerset Levels, England. It was originally part of a network of tracks built to provide a dry path across the marshy ground.
The Egyptians and Phoenicians invent the sailboats
The Phoenicians and Egyptians sailed under cloth sails on single log and simple long narrow sailboats.