Timeline of Environmental History - Pre-Holocene (1.5 Mya)

Pre-Holocene (1.5 Mya)

The time from roughly 15,000 to 5,000 BC was a time of transition, and swift and extensive environmental change, as the planet was moving from an Ice age, towards an interstadial (warm period). Sea levels rose dramatically (and are continuing to do so), land that was depressed by glaciers began lifting up again, forests and deserts expanded, and the climate gradually became more modern. In the process of warming up, the planet saw several "cold snaps" and "warm snaps", such as the Older Dryas and the Holocene climatic optimum, as well as heavier precipitation. In addition, the Pleistocene megafauna became extinct due to environmental and evolutionary pressures from the changing climate. This marked the end of the Quaternary extinction event, which was continued into the modern era by humans. The time around 11,700 years ago (9700 BC) is widely considered to be the end of the old age (Pleistocene, Paleolithic, Stone age, Wisconsin Ice Age), and the beginning of the modern world as we know it.

Year(s) Event(s)
Start End
c. 2,588,000 BC c. 12,000 BC Pleistocene era
c. 21,000 BC Recent evidence indicates that humans processed (gathered) and consumed wild cereal grains as far back as 23,000 years ago.
c. 19,000 BC Last Glacial Maximum/sea-level minimum
c. 20,000 BC c. 12,150 BC Mesolithic 1 period
c. 17,000 BC c. 13,000 BC Oldest Dryas stadial (cool period) during the last Ice age/glaciation in Europe.
c. 13,000 BC Beginning of the Holocene extinction. Earliest evidence of warfare.

Meltwater pulse 1A rises sea level 20 meters.
c. 12,670 BC c. 12,000 BC Bølling oscillation interstadial (warm and moist period) between the Oldest Dryas and Older Dryas stadials (cool periods) at the end of the Last glacial period. In places where the Older Dryas was not seen, it is known as the Bølling-Allerød.
c. 12,340 BC c. 11,140 BC Cemetery 117: site of the world's first battle/war.
c. 12,500 BC c. 10,800 BC Natufian culture begins minor agriculture
c. 12,150 BC c. 11,140 BC Mesolithic 2 (Natufian culture), some sources have Mesolithic 2 ending at 9500 BC
c. 12,000 BC c. 11,700 BC Older Dryas stadial (cool period)
c. 11,700 BC c. 10,800 BC Allerød oscillation
c. 13,000 BC c. 11,000 BC Lake Agassiz forms from glacial meltwater floods through the Mackenzie River into the Arctic Ocean at 11,000 BC, possibly causing the Younger Dryas cold period
c. 12,000 BC c. 8,000 BC Göbekli Tepe, world's first temple-like structure, is created.
c. 10,900 BC (calibrated) or
c. 8900 BC (non-calibrated)		 Younger Dryas impact event suspected at either of these dates.
c. 10,800 BC Younger Dryas cold period begins.
c. 10,000 BC
  • Preboreal period begins.
  • World: Sea levels rise abruptly and massive inland flooding occurs due to glacier melt.
  • Neolithic culture begins, end of most recent glaciation.
  • First cave drawings of the Mesolithic period are made, with war scenes and religious scenes, beginnings of what became story telling, and metamorphosed into acting.

Read more about this topic:  Timeline Of Environmental History