Safekipedia
Geological epochsHistorical erasHoloceneInterglacials

Holocene

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A stunning view of Earth from space, captured by astronauts during the Apollo 17 mission.

The Holocene

The Holocene is the name for the time we live in now. It started about 11,700 years ago, after a very cold time called the Last Glacial Period.

During the Holocene, humans spread all around the world. People learned to grow food, build towns, and create many new things. This time is sometimes called the Age of Humans because of all the changes we made.

The word “Holocene” comes from Ancient Greek. It means “entirely new.” Scientists divide the Holocene into smaller parts to study how the Earth and its weather changed over time.

Life on Earth also changed a lot during the Holocene. Some big animals, like the woolly mammoths, were no longer alive. The world’s weather had many ups and downs, but it was mostly more stable than during the icy times before.

Today, many people think we might be starting a new time called the Anthropocene. This would show how humans have changed the Earth in big ways. But it is not yet an official part of Earth’s time scale.

Images

A world map shown using the Mollweide projection, a way to draw the round Earth onto a flat surface using natural Earth data.
A scientific illustration showing ancient climate and vegetation patterns in Africa during the early Holocene period.
Historical map showing the land bridge between mainland Europe and Britain known as Doggerland during ancient ice ages.
Model of the ancient Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük, showing early human housing from around 7300 BC.
Map showing the locations and development of ancient glacial lakes in North America
A historical map showing the world in the year 1000 BCE, highlighting different cultures and regions during the Iron and Bronze Ages.
A scientific chart showing climate changes and historical periods in northwestern Europe over thousands of years.
A volcano near Veyo, Utah, showcasing the natural beauty of the region.
An ancient bronze bead necklace from the Bronze Age, discovered in a cave in Penne, France.
A stunning view of our planet Earth from space, showing Africa, Antarctica, and the Arabian Peninsula.
A diagram showing the layers of rock in the Williston Basin, helping us learn about Earth's history.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Holocene, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.