4600 Ma (Million Years Ago) Planet Earth forms from accretion disc revolving around the sun
4100 - 3900 Ma First life (cells resembling prokaryotes)
3500 Ma First single-celled organism (bacteria)
2500 Ma First organisms to use oxygen
1200 Ma Sexual reproduction evolves leading to faster evolution
600 Ma Earliest multicellular organism (probably porifera)
505 Ma First vertebrates
256 Ma Earliest mammal-like reptiles (possibly therapsida)
220 Ma First Mammals (possibly monotremes)
85 Ma First Euarchonta, proposed grandorder of mammals
65 Ma Plesiadapiformes, the "stem-primate" ancestor to all primates
63 Ma Happlorrhinni (dry-nosed primates)
30 Ma Happlorrhinni splits into Platyrrhinni and Catarrhin. Platyrrhinni are thought to have migrated to South America at this time. Catarrhin stayed in Africa.
15 Ma Hominidae (Great Apes) speciate from ancestors
13 Ma Pierolapithecus catalunicus, common ancestor of Humans and Great Apes
3.6 Ma Australopithecus Afarensis (between 3.9 - 2.9 MA). Considered the earliest hominins, splitting from Chimpanzees. Strong evidence of bipedalism and developed diet of scavenged meat once on the savannas.
3.5 - 3.3 Ma Kenyanthropus platyops. Stone tools are deliberately constructed
3 Ma Bipedal Australopithecines (a genus of Hominina) evolve in the savannas of Africa being hunted by dinofelis (extinct species of sabre-toothed cat). Loss of body hair occurs from 3 - 2 MA in parallel with development of full bipedalism.
2.6 Ma Beginning of Paleolithic period
2.4 - 1 Ma Homo habilis use of sophisticated stone tools. Thought to have coexisted with Homo Erectus (Homo ergaster or African Homo erectus) for ~.5 Ma (until 1.5 Ma).
1.8 Ma - 143 Ka Homo erectus. Changes in pelvis and backbone allowed Homo erectus to travel great distances (believed to be in pursuit of large herds of animals). This is the oldest fossil of a hominin found outside of Africa.
1.5 Ma Control of fire by Homo ergaster. Height reaching 6.2ft, evolution of dark skin and loss of body hair is complete by 1.2 Ma.
1.2 Ma - 800 Ka Homo antecessor may be the common ancestor of humans and Neanderthals sharing 99% of DNA (and 95-99% of DNA with chimpanzees)
700 Ka (Thousand Years Ago) Homo pekinensis appears in Asia
700 - 200 Ka Homo heidelbergensis lived in Africa, Europe, and Western Asia. Was a very large hominin that developed a more advanced range of cutting tools, combining wood, stone, and other materials. Evidence suggests that they may have hunted big game with advanced hunting technology. Homo heidelbergensis left footprints in solidified powdery volcanic ash in Italy.
500 Ka Divergence of Neanderthal and Denisovan from common ancestor
300 - 200Ka Evidence of anatomically modern human, Homo sapien
160 Ka Homo sapien idaltu found outside of Africa (~177Ka, Israel). Possibly the earliest evidence of behavioral modernity consistent with the continuity hypothesis and origin of societal evolution, which includes fishing and the use of red ochre (Homo erectus may have used ochre as early as 285 at site GnJh-03 in the Kapthurin formation of Kenya).
100 - 50 Ka Evidence of cultural artifacts, ritual objects, and language (FOXP2 a "language gene" found)
75 - 70 Ka Evidence of perforated beads suggesting shell jewelry made from sea snails (Blombos Cave, South Africa). Microliths discovered on the south coast of Africa, suggesting that bows and arrows may have been used at this time.
60 Ka Homo sapiens that left Africa may have interbred with Neanderthal at this time. Homo floresiensis (100 - 60ka), a descendent of Homo erectus referred to as the "Hobbit" people measuring 3.6ft, dies out.
50 Ka Homo sapiens migrate out of Africa into India and Asia. Behavioral Modernity, or "Great Leap Forward", suggested by evidence of systemic use of body decoration, social learning, abstract thought, figurative art, cooperative labor, controlled use of fire in hearths, transport of resources over long distances, composite tools, etc. Homo floresiensis dies out.
40 Ka Migration to Australia. Oldest use of print (blown pigment through hand stencil, Sulawesi, Indonesia)
40 - 20 Ka Independent Neanderthal lineage dies out
35 - 30 Ka Oldest fiber found (flax fiber, Georgia). Homo erectus dies out.
30 - 25 Ka Evidence suggest migration across Bering Strait land bridge
24 - 17 Ka Oldest use of Ceramic (Gravettian culture figurines, Europe)
20 - 10 Ka Mesolithic Period. Current Holocene, geological epoch. Oldest pottery (Xianrendong in Jiangxi, China)
17 Ka Oldest example of Atlatl use, found in Combe Sauniere (Dordogne), France
13 Ka Evidence of a mutation in a human protein encoded by the SLC24A5 gene, which appears to have played a key role in the evolution of light skin in humans of European descent. Earliest sample found in Satsurblia Cave, Georgia. Was widespread from Anatolia to Iran at the beginning of the Neolithic period and was introduced to Europe with the arrival of the first farmers in ~8Ka.
10 Ka Neolithic period. Agriculture develops and spreads, and sedentary societies establish villages and towns. Possible domestication of dogs. Evidence of carved wood figurine.
6 - 5 Ka Bronze Age. Oldest written language (Cuneiform, Sumerian).
3 Ka Iron Age