Prehistoric Technologies
Archaic humans (Homo genus) in the Stone Age:
- Stone tools: roughly 2.5 mya with Homo habilis (some, minor evolution over this time, including attaching handles to make spears or axes)
- Coordinated hunting (Homo erectus, ~1.5 mya?)
- Caring for the weak/infirm: also Homo erectus?
- Fire: 600 kya? (or more than 1M, with Homo ergaster? or maybe daily use is not until Neanderthals?)
- Burial of the dead: Neanderthals, 300 kya?
Behaviorally modern humans in the Upper Paleolithic (Homo sapiens, starting around 50 kya):
- Language, probably
- More sophisticated tools, not only stone but also of bone
- Clothing? (~40 kya? 70 kya? or maybe as far back as 190 kya?)
- Fishing
- Rafts or boats?
- Art (cave paintings, figurines, musical instruments?)
- Musical instruments
- Jewelry/ornamentation
- Ritual/ceremonial burial (including with goods)
- Trade networks? (!)
- Domestication of the dog
Mesolithic / Neolithic:
- Settled societies
- Agriculture
- Metalworking
- Pottery
- Glass? (or later?)
- Domestication of farm animals
- Architecture??
- Writing? Including numbers & recordkeeping?
Bronze Age
Iron Age (circa 1000 BC)
Sources for the above:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_technology
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_Age
More to read:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_technology