Tracing Human History: From Prehistoric Origins to Writing Systems

Fossil and genetic evidence suggests that anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) first appeared around 300,000 years ago in Africa. But the earliest known writing systems, such as cuneiform (Sumerians, ~3,100 BCE) and hieroglyphs (Egyptians, ~3,100 BCE), appeared about 5,000–6,000 years ago. Before this, humans passed down knowledge through oral traditions, which are harder to trace archaeologically. While written records only cover a small fraction of human history, archaeological, genetic, and paleoanthropological research helps us understand prehistoric times

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