Evolution and History of Man in Time

*under construction

------------------------------------66MYA: beginning of the Cenozoic era-----------------------------------

---Age of Mammals---

The start of the Cenozoic Era came after the mass extinction of the dinosaurs occurred. This is known as the K-Pg event, which stands for Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. Some also refer to this as the KT event, which stands for Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event.

-------------------------------------66MYA: beginning of Tertiary period------------------------------------

(also referred to in terms of Paleogene Period and Neogene Period)

---Rise of Mammals---

Paleogene Period

66-56MYA: Paleocene epoch

probable emergence of the primates 

56-33.9MYA: Eocene epoch

33.9-23.03MYA: Oligocene epoch 

Neogene Period

23.03-5.333MYA: Miocene epoch 
probable emergence of Hominoidea and Homininae

14-10MYA: genus Ramapithecus

6MYA: Bipedalism - The upright, bipedal (two-footed) gait was the first hallmark feature of our hominin ancestors. (Larsen)

5.5MYA: Nonhoning Chewing - Humans’ nonhoning chewing complex lacks large, projecting canines in the upper jaw and a diastema, or gap, between the lower canine and the third premolar. The chewing complex of apes such as gorillas has large, projecting upper canines and a diastema in the lower jaw to accommodate them. (Larsen)

5.333-2.58MYA: Pliocene epoch
multiple genera of Homininae, emergence of genus Homo 

4.4-1.4MYA: various species of the genus Australopithecus (Plio-Pleistocene)

3.3MYA: Material Culture and Tools - Humans’ production and use of stone tools is one example of complex material culture. The tools of our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, do not approach the complexity and diversity of modern and ancestral humans’ tools. (Larsen)

2.5MYA: Speech - In the entire animal kingdom, only humans can speak and, through speech, express complex thoughts and ideas. The shape of the hyoid bone is unique to hominins and reflects their ability to speak. Speech is part of the overall package in the human lineage of increased cognition, intelligence, and brain-size expansion. (Larsen)

2.5*MYA: first stone tools (first artifacts)

----------------------------------2.58MYA: beginning of Quaternary period----------------------------------

---Rise of Man---

2.58MYA-0.0117MYA/11.7KYA: Pleistocene epoch

many species of humans

1.8MYA-150KYA: Homo erectus, first to demonstrate cultural adaptation (Middle Pleistocene)

1MYA: Hunting - Humans’ relatively large brains require lots of energy to develop and function. Animal protein is an ideal source of that energy, and humans obtained it for most of their evolution by eating animals they hunted. To increase their chances of success in hunting, humans employed tools they made and cooperative strategies. (Larsen)

75-35KYA: Homo neanderthalensis, extinct species of genus Homo (Middle to Upper Pleistocene)

0.0117MYA/11.7KYA-present: Holocene epoch

Homo Sapiens dominates

11KYA: Domesticated Food - In recent evolution, humans domesticated a wide variety of plants and animals, controlling their life cycles and using them for food and other products, such as clothing and shelter. (Larsen)

6KYA: earliest writing systems

References: 

"International Commission On Stratigraphy". Stratigraphy.Org, 2022, https://stratigraphy.org/chart

Spencer, John J, and Joseph B Aceves. Instructor's Manual To Accompany Introduction To Anthropology, Joseph B. Aceves And H. Gill King. General Learning Press, 1979.

Larsen, Clark Spencer. Essentials of Biological Anthropology. W.W. Norton & Company, 2022. 

IGNOU MA Anthropology (MAAN) Books

Brief Summary: Pleistocene Epoch

The geologic time scale serves as the "calendar" for Earth's history. It subdivides all time into named units of abstract time called—in descending order of duration—eons, eras, periods, epochs, and ages. Stratigraphy, or the correlation and classification of rock strata, is used to enumerate and classify those geologic time units. 

As mentioned, the geological time scale is divided into eras, and the last era, in which we live in is called Cenozoic. The Cenozoic era is divided into two periods, the Tertiary and Quaternary. Quaternary period covers a time span of two million years and is further divided into two epochs, Pleistocene and Holocene, Holocene being the recent time.  

The Quaternary period and the first epoch of the period, Pleistocene, began about 2.58 million years ago. The Pleistocene too is divided into 3 parts, lower, middle, and upper Pleistocene.

The beginning of the Pleistocene was fixed by IUGS (International Union for Geological Science) in the year 2009, at the base of Matuyama, Palaeomagnetic event.

This epoch lasted from about 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago, covering the World’s recent period of repeated glaciations. It is a very strange period in geological history of Earth, as it coincides with the history of man and also the time of dramatic climatic changes occurring on Earth.

Climatic Episodes of Pleistocene Period:

The work of Agssiz in 1840, followed by Penck and Bruckner in 1909. led to the classic Alpine chronology that includes 4 major glaciations, separated by 3 interglaciations, these stages form the framework for the Pleistocene and Palaeolithic studies. The glaciers were named after four little streams in the Alps, Günz, Mindel, Riss and Würm. Each glacial advance tied up huge volumes of water in continental ice sheets, resulting in temporary sea level drop of 100m or more. During the interglacial periods, such as the present time, the ice sheets melt, drowning the coastlines.

The terms pluvial and interpluvial are also used, corresponding to the terms glacial and interglacial. A pluvial refers to a warmer period, relatively wet climate, with increased rainfall, and interpluvial is a period with relatively dry conditions because of decreased rainfall. There are traces of lakes in regions which are now dry, which are evidence of the major climatic changes in the tropical region.

It is yet to be determined whether pluvial processes in low latitudes and glaciers in high latitudes occurred simultaneously.

The end of Pleistocene corresponds with the end of the last glacial period, and also with the end of the Paleolithic age in Archaeology.  

References:

Geological Time Scale

Source: 

"Geologic Time | Periods, Time Scale, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022, 

https://www.britannica.com/science/geologic-time.

Journeys Through Geological Time