Humans begin cultivating yams in West Africa
People started to cultivate yams, rather than digging up wild ones, as long as 10,000 years ago in both Africa and Asia, and some time later in the New World.
Agriculture (10000 - 3000 B.C.E.)
Humans of ancient Brazil independently invent pottery
The earliest pottery ever found in the Western Hemisphere, radiocarbon-dated 8,000 years old, has been excavated in the Amazon basin of Brazil, near Santarém, providing evidence to overturn the assumption that the tropical forest region was too poor in resources to have supported a complex prehistoric culture.
Capsian culture flourishes in modern-day Tunisia
The Capsian culture was a Mesolithic and Neolithic culture centered in the Maghreb that lasted from about 8,000 to 2,700 B.C.E.
Humans begin living in large villages, perhaps in modern-day Turkey
Archaeologists have long debated what caused the Neolithic Revolution, when prehistoric human beings gave up the nomadic life, founded villages and began to farm the land.
Humans invent the fishing net
The oldest known fishing net is the net of Antrea, found with other fishing equipment in the Karelian town of Antrea, Finland, in 1913. The net was made from willow, and dates back to 8300 B.C.E.
Fully-developed village farming settlements emerge in modern-day Iran
Fully-developed village farming emerged at various Zagros sites such as Jarmo, Sarāb, upper Ali Kosh, and upper Gūrān.
The Al-Magar civilization emerges in modern-day Saudi Arabia
Al-Magar was a prehistoric culture of the Neolithic whose epicenter lied in modern-day southwestern Najd in Saudi Arabia. Al-Magar is possibly one of the first cultures in the world where widespread domestication of animals occurred.
Humans and cats begin living together, perhaps in Cyprus
We know that humans have lived with cats for at least 10,000 years –there’s a 9,500-year-old grave in Cyprus with a cat buried alongside its human, and ancient Egyptian art has a popular motif showing house cats eating fish under chairs.
Humans begin cultivating cinnamon for the first time, perhaps in modern-day Sri Lanka
Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and has been found in Ancient Egypt as early as 1500 B.C.E., suggesting early trade between Egypt and the island’s inhabitants.
Humans in modern-day southern Mexico domesticate maize
Maize, also known as corn, is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Maize has become a staple food in many parts of the world, with total production surpassing that of wheat or rice.