Humans settle in modern-day Japan for the first time
Japan was then connected to mainland Asia by at least one land bridge, and nomadic hunter-gatherers crossed to Japan.
Prehistory (250000 - 10000 B.C.E.)
Human invent tally marks, their first numeral systems
Around 43,000 years ago, early humans carved the first tally marks into bone, inventing the earliest known numeral systems. This brilliant shift toward abstract mathematics allowed our ancestors to track lunar cycles and inventory resources. It laid the vital groundwork for modern mathematics, commerce, and advanced human societal planning.
Humans create art for the first time, possibly in Indonesia
Deep in the limestone caves of Sulawesi, Indonesia, early humans created some of the world’s oldest art 39,900 years ago. By processing red ochre and blowing it over their hands to form stencils, they proved complex artistic expression wasn’t exclusive to Europe, representing a universal milestone in human consciousness.
Humans first arrive in New Guinea
The human presence on the island dates back at least 40,000 years, to the oldest homo sapiens migrations out of Africa.
Humans, perhaps in East Timor, begin fishing in the open sea
The discovery of 42,000-year-old shell hooks in East Timor provides the first definitive proof that early humans had mastered deep-sea fishing. By targeting open-ocean species like tuna, these ancient mariners demonstrated a level of technological ingenuity and planning depth that transformed the ocean from a barrier into a vital highway for global expansion.
Humans reach and begin settling Tasmania
Evidence indicates the presence of Aborigines in Tasmania about 40,000 years ago. Rising sea levels cut Tasmania off from mainland Australia about 10,000 years ago and by the time of European contact, the Aboriginal people in Tasmania had nine major nations, or ethnic groups
Lion-man of the Hohlenstein-Stadel, the first known example of figurative art, is made
Discovered in 1939 at the Hohlenstein-Stadel cave in Germany, the 40,000-year-old “Lion-man” is the Aurignacian culture’s masterpiece. This ivory figure, requiring 400 hours to carve, proves early humans possessed the abstract imagination to create supernatural beings, marking the dawn of complex symbolism and mythology.
Ritual cremation practiced for first time, perhaps in modern-day Australia
The 42,000-year-old cremation of “Mungo Lady” at Lake Mungo, Australia, marks a pivotal moment in human history. As the world’s oldest known ritual cremation, it provides powerful evidence that early humans possessed complex spiritual beliefs and abstract thought, transforming death from a biological event into a profound cultural rite.
Aurignacian culture begins in Europe
The Aurignacian is an archaeological tradition of the Upper Palaeolithic. It is associated with the earliest modern humans in Europe and their migration from the Near East.
Australo-Melanesians become the first humans to settle in Southeast Asia
By around 30,000 years ago, Australo-Melanesians were present in all regions of Southeast Asia. In most lands they were eventually displaced from the coastal lowlands and pushed to the uplands and hinterlands by later immigrants.