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Stone Age

55,000 BCE

1 recorded milestone at this point in the record.

c. 55,000 BCE
Human Evolution
Western Asia

Interbreeding with Neanderthals

Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbreed, roughly 60,000 to 50,000 years ago. Most people outside Africa today carry about 1–2% Neanderthal DNA.

Why it mattered

A lasting genetic legacy of contact between human species.

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Nearby in the record

c. 65,000 BCEExploration

Peopling of Australia

Australia

c. 64,000 BCEWarfare

Bow and arrow

Southern Africa

c. 60,000 BCETechnology

Ostrich eggshell water flasks

Southern Africa

c. 50,000 BCETransportation

Seafaring to Sahul

Southeast Asia and Oceania

c. 50,000 BCEHuman Evolution

Homo floresiensis disappears

Indonesia

c. 45,000 BCEArt & Culture

Bone flutes

Central Europe