8th millennium BC

The 8th millennium BC covered the years from 8000 BC to 7001 BC, which we can think of as about 10,000 to 9,000 years ago. During this time, people were living in the early part of what scientists call the Holocene epoch. This was a very important period because it was entirely part of what is known as the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B phase of the Early Neolithic.

Because we cannot know the exact dates of events from so long ago, all the dates we talk about from this time are estimates. These estimates are mostly based on studying rocks, soil, and other clues from nature, as well as using special science methods to measure very old materials. This time was a key part of early human history, when people were beginning to change the way they lived and worked the land.

Global environment

The 8th millennium BC was a time of big changes in Earth's climate. It was part of a period called the Greenlandian, which started after a cold time known as the Younger Dryas. During this time, the climate became warmer, glaciers started to melt, and sea levels rose. By the end of this millennium, the Earth entered a warm period called the Holocene Climate Optimum.

There were also some big volcanic eruptions during this time. One of the largest happened at Fisher Caldera. Scientists also talk about a possible event around 7640 BC when a space rock might have hit Earth, though this is just a theory.

Population and communities

Outside the Near East, most people lived in small groups that hunted and gathered food. In the Near East, new ways of living began in places like the Fertile Crescent. By 8000 BC, people there started growing crops like wheat and barley and raising animals such as sheep, goats, and cattle. These ideas slowly moved west to places like Greece and the Balkans.

The number of people in the world was growing very slowly. Estimates say there were about five million people around 10,000 BC. The number grew to forty million by 5000 BC and to 100 million by 1600 BC. This slow growth continued for many centuries.

Fertile Crescent

By around 7500 BC, many important places existed in or near the Fertile Crescent. These included Jericho, 'Ain Ghazal, Huleh, Tell Aswad, Tell Abu Hureyra, Tell Qaramel, Tell Mureibit, Jerf el Ahmar, Göbekli Tepe, Nevalı Çori, Hacilar, Çatalhöyük, Hallan Çemi Tepesi, Çayönü Tepesi, Shanidar, Jarmo, Zrebar, Ganj Dareh and Ali Kosh. Jericho was in the Jordan Valley and stayed very important. Çatalhöyük was a large early settlement in southern Anatolia. It grew from around 7500 BC until people left about 5700 BC.

Pottery and dating systems

During the 8th millennium BC, people in the Near East did not use pottery made on a wheel because the wheel had not been invented. They made simple clay containers by hand, often using a method called coiling, and then baking them in pits. Archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon studied ancient Jericho and found no real pottery there, only items made from stone. She thought that items made from wood or plants would have rotted away over time.

To understand these old times, scientists use a system created by Arthur Evans for his findings at Knossos. Kenyon used this system to divide the time into phases. The phase called Pre-Pottery Neolithic B covers the whole 8th millennium, from around 8800 BC to 6500 BC. Later came the Pottery Neolithic phase, which started around 6500 BC and lasted until the beginning of the Bronze Age, around 3000 BC.

Main article: Pre-Pottery Neolithic A
Main article: Pre-Pottery Neolithic B
Main article: 4th millennium

Agriculture in the Americas

From around 8000 BC, people in parts of what is now Mexico began to grow their own food. This was the start of farming in these areas. Early farmers grew crops like potatoes and squash. Later, they also grew chili peppers, maize (corn), peanuts, avocados, beans, cotton, sunflowers, cocoa, and tomatoes. These foods became very important for the people living there.

Other cultural developments

The Mount Sandel Mesolithic site in Ireland is from about 7900–7600 BC. It was once thought to be the earliest known human activity on the island.

Near Howick, Northumberland, a round-house was built around 7600 BC and used for about 100 years. A fossil from Combe-Capelle in southern France, found in 1909, is estimated to be about 9,500 years old.

Mount Sandel Mesolithic site Ireland Alice and Gwendoline Cave round-house Howick, Northumberland radiocarbon dating Homo sapiens Combe-Capelle