c. 250 mya ....................................... First dinosaurs and ¿ rst mammals;
supercontinent of Pangaea.
c. 67 mya ......................................... An asteroid impact destroys many
species including dinosaurs.
c. 20 mya ......................................... First apes.
c. 6 mya ........................................... First “hominines” (bipedal apes).
c. 4 mya ........................................... Australopithecines.
c. 2.3 mya ........................................Homo habilis.
c. 1.9 mya ........................................Homo erectus evolves in Africa, but
some migrate to Asia.
200,000–300,000 years ago (ya) .....Homo sapiens evolves somewhere
in Africa.
100,000 ya ....................................... Beginnings of last ice age.
40,000–50,000 ya ............................ Humans in Sahul (Australia/Papua
New Guinea).
30,000–40,000 ya ............................ Humans in ice age Siberia.
13,000 ya ......................................... Clear evidence of humans in Americas.
11,500 ya ......................................... End of last ice age; ¿ rst signs
of agriculture.
6,000 ya ........................................... Earliest evidence of pastoralism;
domestication in Americas?