Great inventions

GREAT INVENTIONS
Paleolithic[edit]
Further information: Outline of prehistoric technology
The dates listed in this section refer to the earliest evidence of an invention found and dated by archaeologists (or in a few cases, suggested by indirect evidence). Dates are often approximate and change as more research is done, reported and seen. Older examples of any given technology are found often. The locations listed are for the site where the earliest solid evidence has been found, but especially for the earlier inventions, there is little certainty how close that may be to where the invention took place.
Lower Paleolithic[edit]
The Lower Paleolithic period lasted over 3 million years, and corresponds to the human species prior to the emergence of Homo sapiens. The original divergence between humans and chimpanzees occurred 13 (Mya), however interbreeding continued until as recently as 4 Ma, with the first species clearly belonging to the human (and not chimpanzee) lineage being Australopithecus anamensis. This time period is characterized as an ice age with regular periodic warmer periods – interglacial episodes.

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  3.3-2.6 Mya: Stone tools – found in present-day Kenya, they are so old that only a pre-human species could have invented them.^[1] The otherwise earliest known stone tools (Oldowan) were found in Ethiopia^[2] developed perhaps by Australopithecus garhi or Homo habilis^[3][4]
  
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  2.3 Mya: Earliest likely control of fire and cooking, by Homo habilis^[5][6][7]
  
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  1.76 Mya: Advanced (Acheulean) stone tools in Kenya by Homo erectus^[8][9]
  
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  1.5 Mya: Bone tools in Africa.^[10]
  
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  900-40 kya: Boats.^[11][12]
  
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  500 kya: Hafting in South Africa.^[13]
  
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  400 kya: Pigments in Zambia^[14]
  
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  400-300 kya: Spears in Germany^[15][16] likely by Homo heidelbergensis
  
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  350-150 kya: Estimated origin of language^[17]