4,600,000,000 years ago, when the Earth was formed, its atmosphere contained volcanic gases with little oxygen, being hostile to any form of life.
3,500,000,000 years ago the oxygen level began increasing gradually due to the continuous combination and replication of the chemical elements, creating the conditions proper for life. During this period simple organisms, similar to sea weed, were predominant.
500,000,000 years ago the first vertebrates appeared followed 200,000,000 years ago by the dinosaurs, which suddenly disappeared 65,000,000 years ago. One theory suggests the collision of a huge meteorite with the Earth, probably in the modern day Gulf of Mexico. This meteor, on impact with the Earth, created a layer of dust in the atmosphere which blocked out much light, thus changing the environment and ultimately leading to the death of the dinosaurs. The extinction of the dinosaurs allowed smaller mammals to flourish and develop, thus leading to the later emergence of the human race.
65,000,000 years ago also marked the end of the formation of the Carpathian Mountains and the Transylvanian Basin.
50,000,000 years ago emerged a variety of mammals, including the ancestors of some modern animals, such as: elephants, felines, horses and primates.
40,000,000 years ago the Black Sea separated from the Caspian Sea and from the Aral Lake.
25,000,000 years ago in the Eastern African forests proconsul, an early form of monkey, emerged.
4 to 5,000,000 years ago the split between homonids and apes occured with the appearance of Australopithecines, who differed from apes in that they were bipedal (capable of walking on two feet).
2,500,000 years ago - in the Tertiary period - there was a rich animal life similar to the one in the Buciutesti area. The appearance of Homo habilis ("handy-man") coincides roughly with the beginning of the archaeological record and marks the beginning of the stone age. H. habilis, who lived in Africa, could make tools from stone. Their success was also due to the larger development of the brain.
The stone age is comprised of: The Palaeolithic, the Mesolithic, and the Neolithic (These stages occured at different times in different parts of the world.)
The Palaeolithic (the old stone age) 2.6 million to 40,000 years ago is divided into three stages: Lower, Middle and Upper.
- Lower Palaeolithic - 2.6 to 1.3 million years ago. The period when the first stone tools appear in the archaeological record.
1,800,000 years ago the Quaternary period of the earth's history (which we are still in today) began. From a geological perspective, the Palaeolithic roughly corresponds to the Pleistocene epoch or the glacial time of the Quaternary period, when important changes took place both in the geomorphological structure of the Earth, and its flora and fauna.
1,500,000 years ago, Homo erectus, whose brain was even bigger, perhaps due to a diet richer in protein, appeared in Africa. Homo erectus fossils have been discovered throughout Africa, Asia and Europe, marking the beginning of homonid expansion.
- Middle Palaeolithic - 1,200,000 and 40,000 years B.C.E. During this period stone tools become increasingly more complex.
H. Erectus dies out about 300,000 years ago and is suceeded by archaic Homo sapiens.
During the Middle Palaeolithic, Neanderthals (named by some scientists Homo neanderthalensis and by other Homo sapiens neanderthalensis) emerged in the Carpatho-Danube area. Neanderthals appeared in Europe and the Near East, about 135,000 years ago and died out about 30,000 to 35,000 years ago.
- Upper Palaeolithic - 40,000 - 10,000 B.C.
During this period modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens - that's us) like Cro-Magnon appeared in Europe around 35,000 years ago (although they appear much earlier in Africa and Asia). They created the ancient mural paintings at Caciulati, Pescari (Gura Chindiei cavern), similar to those from Spain and France, being some of the first archaeological signs of the religious universe of the Paleolithic hunter.
The Mesolithic (the middle stone age) from 10,000 to 5,000 B.C.E. - the period when the weather warmed, the glaciers thawed, Great Britain became an island and the Black Sea took its current shape.
In Portile de Fier area there have been found traces of the "Schela Cladovei" culture, the stone oven, the bowl with a painted decorated pedestal, etc.
In the "Carcea" culture, the Carpatho-Danubers "spiral," of white color on a red background appears on a ceramic cup.
The Neolithic - (the new stone age) roughtly from around 5,000 until around 2,000 B.C.E. for this region.
Within the area occupied by modern day Romanian there have been discovered the traces of various neolithic settlements (small agricultural groups of people) between 7,500 - 3,500 B.C.E.
The "Pre-Cucuteni" culture is considered by some to be the oldest European culture with a pre-Indo-European population at its apogee of development between 5,000 - 4,000 B.C.E.
The "Boian" culture (4,000 - 3,800 B.C.E.) left us the first sanctuary created from clay and the "Hamangia" culture the first statue worked in marble in human history and the anthropomorphous clay statues "The Thinker and his woman."
The "Vadeasa" culture contains pottery decorated with anthropomorphous accents, preceding the Trojan culture.
From "Vincea" culture, in 1961 Nicolae Vlasa discovered at Tartaria on the Mures (Transylvania) some small clay tablets dated to 4,800 - 4,500 B.C.E., considered by some to be the very first written message in human history, much before the Sumerians tablets (perhaps arising also from the Danube).
In the "Cernavoda I" culture (4,400 - 3,500 B.C.) the shepherd tribes used horses and improved weapons; the bearers of this culture reached South, to Anatolia, the land that connected the Balkan Peninsula of Asia Minor. Anatolia will sank into the Mediterranean Sea, in 4,000 B.C.E., leaving many islands and a new sea, the Aegean Sea.
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