Epilogue · Part 2

more people began to stay in one place for even longer periods than they had done before. Thus permanent houses began to be built of mud, mud bricks and even stone. These are some of the earliest villages known to archaeologists. Farming and pastoralism led to the introduction of many other changes such as the making of pots in which to store grain and other produce, and to cook food. Besides, new kinds of stone tools came into use. Other new tools such as the plough were used in agriculture. Gradually, people became familiar with metals such as copper and tin. The wheel, important for both pot making and transportation, came into use. About , years ago, even larger concentrations of people began to live together in cities. Why did this happen? And what are the differences between cities and other settlements? Look out for answers to these and other questions in Theme . TIMELINE (mya) - mya Primates; Monkeys in Asia and Africa mya (Superfamily) Hominoids; Gibbons, Asian orang-utan and African apes (gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo or ‘pygmy’ chimpanzee) . mya Branching out of hominoids and hominids . mya Australopithecus . - . Earliest stone tools . - . Cooling and drying of Africa, resulting in decrease in woodlands and increase in grasslands . - . mya Homo . mya Homo habilis . mya Homo erectus . mya Extinction of Australopithecus . mya ‘Archaic’ sapiens, Homo heidelbergensis . - . mya Homo sapiens sapiens (modern humans) TIMELINE (years ago) Earliest evidence of burials , Extinction of Homo erectus , Development of voice box , Archaic Homo sapiens skull in the Narmada valley, India , - , Emergence of modern humans , - , Emergence of Neanderthals , Earliest evidence of hearths , Extinction of Neanderthals , Earliest evidence of figurines made of fired clay , Invention of sewing needles , F ROM T HE B EGINNING O F T IME T HEMES IN W ORLD H ISTORY