(8,000 BC – 4,500 BC)

Terra Avita Region and Era Name LinkRepresentative CulturesMajor Cities / CentersMajor Events
Neolithic PersiaJarmo, Ali Kosh, Tepe Guran, ZagheTepe Sialk, Ali Kosh, JarmoDevelopment of irrigation farming; early pottery; goat and sheep domestication
Neolithic EgyptFayum B, Merimde Beni Salama, BadarianMerimde, Fayum A/B, BadariTransition to agriculture in Nile Valley; polished stone tools; cattle domestication
Neolithic China (East Asia)Peiligang, Cishan, Hemudu, PengtoushanJiahu, Banpo, HemuduMillet and rice cultivation; early pottery and weaving; first proto-villages
Neolithic Western EuropeLinearbandkeramik (LBK), Cardial Ware, Windmill Hill, CernyCarnac, Skara Brae, AveburySpread of agriculture from southeast; early megalithic monuments; permanent villages
Neolithic Eastern MediterraneanPre-Pottery Neolithic A & B (PPNA/PPNB), Halaf, Hassuna, SamarraJericho, Çatalhöyük, Göbekli TepeRise of agriculture and animal domestication; temple architecture; long-distance trade
Neolithic Africa (beyond the Nile)Capsian (Late), Khartoum Mesolithic-Neolithic, Early Saharan PastoralistsNabta Playa, Khartoum Variant, Adrar BousEarly cattle herding; monsoon green Sahara; megalithic alignments for astronomy
Neolithic India and Central AsiaMehrgarh I–II, Kili Gul Muhammad, BurzahomMehrgarh (Baluchistan), Burzahom (Kashmir)Wheat-barley agriculture; earliest South Asian village life; animal domestication
Neolithic OceaniaPapuan Highlands (Horticultural), Lapita Proto-AncestorsKuk Swamp (Papua), Ivane ValleyRoot-crop horticulture; wetland agriculture; first long-distance canoe networks
Neolithic North AmericaEarly Archaic (Horticultural Beginnings), Moundville PredecessorsKoster Site (Illinois), Russell CaveForager–farming transition; early domesticates (squash, sunflower); regional trade
Neolithic Central AmericaEarly Pre-Ceramic, Barra Phase, Chiapas FormativeGuilá Naquitz (Oaxaca), Barra (Chiapas)Domestication of maize, beans, gourds; semi-sedentary village life
Neolithic South AmericaLas Vegas, Guitarrero, Valdivia (early)Guitarrero Cave (Peru), Las Vegas (Ecuador)Coastal agriculture; cotton, squash, and bean cultivation; early ceramic production

Neolithic Infantry (8,000 BC – 4,500 BC)


8,000 BC – Snapshot

Terra Avita Region and Era Name LinkEvent Description
Mesolithic Africa (beyond the Nile)“Green Sahara” peak begins; large lakes and savannah corridors spread across what is now desert; pastoral roots forming in northeast Africa; microlithic cultures widespread.
Mesolithic Central AmericaEarliest clear plant domestication begins shortly after this period (squash, later maize); 8,000 BC marks deep tropical adaptation; stable foraging in highlands and coasts.
Mesolithic China (East Asia)Early Neolithic villages develop in the south; pottery widespread; proto-rice cultivation expanding; northern China begins millet experimentation near this time.
Mesolithic Eastern MediterraneanPre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) in full force; round stone houses; domestication of wheat, barley, and lentils underway; early communal architecture (tower and wall at Jericho).
Mesolithic EgyptNile Valley remains a forager zone; seasonal occupation continues; humid Sahara creates green corridors west of Nile; groundwork forming for Fayum Neolithic much later.
Mesolithic India and Central AsiaMesolithic communities fully spread; evidence of early plant processing increases; northern regions stabilize after glacial retreat; seasonal mobility remains dominant.
Mesolithic North AmericaFolsom culture in Plains; diversified hunter-gatherer strategies; post-Clovis regional traditions solidify; large mammals already extinct; coastal entry routes fully opened.
Mesolithic OceaniaStable foraging societies; Papuan highlands show early horticulture of yams and taro soon after 8,000 BC; rising sea levels reshape Australian coastline.
Mesolithic PersiaEarly herding of goats and sheep becomes standard in Zagros; shift from purely foraging to mixed pastoralism; early settled sites like Ganj Dareh emerging.
Mesolithic South AmericaIntensification of diverse foraging strategies; early plant management in Andes foothills and Amazon fringe; regional cultures diverge after megafauna extinction.
Mesolithic Western EuropeMesolithic fully established; dense forests cover most of Europe; microlithic toolsets dominate; coastal and riverine economies take over as post-glacial sea levels rise significantly.

4,500 BC – Snapshot

Terra Avita Region and Era Name LinkEvent Description
Neolithic Africa (beyond the Nile)Sahara still green but drying begins; pastoralism spreads widely through eastern and central Sahara; cattle-based societies form; rock art prolific.
Neolithic Central AmericaEarly domestication centers forming; proto-maize emerging in southwestern Mexico; small sedentary villages appear shortly after this window.
Neolithic China (East Asia)Neolithic cultures split into regional clusters: Yangshao in the north (millet agriculture, painted pottery) and Hemudu in the south (early rice-based village systems).
Neolithic Eastern MediterraneanLate Neolithic and early Chalcolithic; large village complexes (Çatalhöyük waning, Jericho evolving); copper use rises; first proto-urban social stratification begins.
Neolithic EgyptBadarian culture near its start (circa 4400 BC); early agriculture along the Nile; fine pottery, cattle pastoralism, and grave goods show rising social complexity.
Neolithic India and Central AsiaMehrgarh Phase III in Baluchistan; established agriculture (wheat/barley), domesticated cattle, and large mud-brick villages; craft specialization increases.
Neolithic North AmericaLate Archaic in many regions; broad-spectrum foraging; mound traditions beginning in Southeast U.S.; early plant domestication (sunflower, goosefoot) in eastern woodlands.
Neolithic OceaniaAustralia remains forager-based; rich ritual cultures and rock art; Tasmania isolated by rising seas; New Guinea shows developed horticulture (taro, yam), early drainage systems.
Neolithic PersiaChalcolithic Iran emerges; settlements in Zagros and Iranian Plateau grow; early irrigation and painted pottery cultures (e.g., Ubaid influence toward west, local developments in east).
Neolithic South AmericaEarly agriculture begins in some regions (Andean potato and quinoa precursors, coastal Peru horticulture); widespread maritime foraging along Pacific coast.
Neolithic Western EuropeFully Neolithic across most of Europe; farming communities spread from Danube and Mediterranean; Megalithic traditions begin forming in Atlantic Europe; polished stone tools common.