Stone Age
2 recorded milestones at this point in the record.
Hearths at Wonderwerk and Gesher Benot Ya'aqov show deliberately maintained fire.
Why it mattered
Cooking unlocked calories, extended the day, warmed the north and centred social life on the hearth.
Homo heidelbergensis appears in Africa and Europe, with a larger brain than Homo erectus.
Why it mattered
Widely considered a likely common ancestor of Neanderthals and modern humans.
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Africa
Levant
Southern Africa
Spain
Central Europe