c. 40,000 BCE
Art & Culture
Eurasia and Southeast Asia
Figurative cave painting
Ochre animal figures at Sulawesi, Chauvet and El Castillo.
Why it mattered
Humans began storing images outside the head, on shared, durable surfaces.
Stone Age
40,000 BCE
1 recorded milestone at this point in the record.
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Nearby in the record
c. 50,000 BCETransportation
Seafaring to Sahul
Southeast Asia and Oceania
c. 45,000 BCEArt & Culture
Bone flutes
Central Europe
c. 43,000 BCEArt & Culture
Sulawesi cave art
Southeast Asia
c. 30,000 BCETechnology
Ceramic firing
Central Europe
c. 28,000 BCETechnology
Spun fibre and textiles
Central Europe
c. 25,000 BCEArt & Culture
Fired ceramic figurines
Central Europe