World's history (part 2): Revolution.[26] Outside the Old World, includingancient China[27]andancient India, historical timelines unfolded differently. By the 18th century, however, due to extensiveworld tradeandcolonization, the histories of most civilizations had become substantially intertwined (seeGlobalization). In the last quarter-millennium, the rate of growth of population, knowledge, technology, commerce, weapons destructiveness and environmental degradation has greatly accelerated, creating opportunities and perils that now confront the planet's human communities. [28][29] Contents 1Prehistory 1.1Early humans 1.2Rise of civilization 2Antiquity 2.1Timeline 2.2Cradles of civilization 2.3Axial Age 2.4Regional empires 2.5Declines and falls 3Postclassical Era 3.1Historyof Islam 3.2Medieval Europe 3.3Medieval Sub-Saharan Africa 3.4Indian Subcontinent 3.5East Asia 3.6Central Asia 3.7Southeast Asia 3.8Oceania 3.9The Americas 4Modernhistory 4.1Early modern period 4.1.1Renaissance 4.1.2European expansion 4.1.3Regional developments 4.2Modern period 4.3Contemporaryhistory 4.3.11900–1945 4.3.21945–2000 4.3.321st century 5See also 5.1Historytopics 5.2Historyby period 5.3Historyby region 6Notes 7References 8Further reading 9External links Prehistory [edit] Main articles:PrehistoryandHuman evolution Early humans[edit] Cave painting,Lascaux, France Geneticmeasurements indicate that the ape lineage which would lead to Homo sapiens diverged from the lineage that would lead to chimpanzees (the closest living relative of modern humans) around five million years ago. [30]It is thought that theAustralopithecinegenus, which were likely the first apes to walk upright, eventually gave rise to genus Homo.Anatomically modern humans arose in Africa about 200,000 years ago, and reachedbehavioral modernity about 50,000 years ago.[31] Modern humans spread rapidly fromAfricainto the frost-free zones ofEuropeandAsiaaround 60,000 years ago. [32]The rapid expansion of humankind toNorth AmericaandOceaniatook place at the climax of the most recent Ice Age, when temperate regions of today were extremely inhospitable. Yet, humans had colonised nearly all the ice-free parts of the globe by the end of the Ice Age, some 12,000 years ago. Other hominidssuch asHomo erectushad been using simple wood and stone tools for millennia, but as time progressed, tools became far more refined and complex. At some point, humans began using fireforheatandcooking. They also developedlanguagein thePalaeolithic period and a conceptual repertoire that included systematic burial of the dead and adornment of the living. Early artistic expression can be found in the form of cave paintingsandsculpturesmade from wood and bone. During this period, all humans lived ashunter-gatherers, and were generally nomadic. Rise of civilization[edit] Cuneiform—earliest known writing system TheNeolithic Revolution, beginning about 8,000 BCE, saw the development of agriculture, which drastically changed the human lifestyle. Farming permitted far denser populations, which in time organised into states. Agriculture also createdfoodsurpluses that could support people not directly engaged in food production. The development of agriculture permitted the creation of the first cities. These were centres oftrade,manufacturingandpolitical powerwith nearly no agricultural production of their own. Cities established a symbiosiswith their surrounding countrysides, absorbing agricultural products and providing, in return, manufactured goods and varying degrees of military control and protection. [33][34][35] The development of cities was synonymous with the rise ofcivilization.[36]Early civilizations arose first in lower