This timeline of human prehistory<span> comprises the time from the first appearance of </span>Homo sapiens<span> in Africa 200,000 years ago to the </span>invention of writing<span> and the beginning of</span>history<span> approximately 5,500 years ago. It covers the time from the </span>Middle Paleolithic<span> (</span>Old Stone Age<span>) to the very beginnings of the </span>Bronze Age<span>. The divisions used are those delineating the European Stone Age; however, many regions around the world underwent various stages of Stone Age development at different times. All dates are approximate and based on research in the fields of </span>anthropology<span>, </span>archaeology<span>, </span>genetics<span>, </span>geology<span>, and </span>linguistics<span>. They are all subject to revision based on new discoveries or analyses.</span>
