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.
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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.
Humans, probably in modern-day New Guinea, domesticate sugarcane for the first time
After domestication, its cultivation spread rapidly to Southeast Asia and southern China.
New Guineans begin practicing agriculture for first time
The oldest evidence for this is in the Kuk Swamp area, where planting, digging and staking of plants, and possibly drainage have been used to cultivate taro, banana, sago and yam.
The ancient people of South America independently invent clothing
Guitarrero Cave has evidence of human use around 8,000 B.C.E. In the 1960s, archeologists discovered artifacts in an extraordinary state of preservation at the site. Remarkably, textiles, wood and leather tools, and basketry have been preserved intact.
The Eldoradense culture emerges in modern-day Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, near Iguazú Falls
The area surrounding Iguazu Falls was inhabited 10,000 years ago by the hunter-gatherers of the Eldoradense culture.
The first bricks are invented and used, perhaps in modern-day West Bank
The first bricks that we know about were being made in Jericho as long ago as 8000 B.C.E. The people there had discovered they could make simple bricks by leaving clay mud to dry in the sun.
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 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.
The first settlement at the site of modern-day Jericho are founded
Jericho is one of the earliest continuous settlements in the world.