Musical instruments, 43,000–40,000 years ago The oldest known musical instruments are flutes made of mammoth bone, found in the Swabian Alps, Germany.
EUROPE Wheeled vehicle, 3200 BCE The oldest known wheel used for transportation was unearthed in Slovenia in 2002 and is believed to have belonged to a two-wheeled cart.
Aqueduct, 2000 BCE Brick, 7500 BCE The earliest known bricks were made of mud and straw. Experts believe they originated in Anatolia (Turkey).
Map, 13,000 years ago A stone tablet found in Abauntz Cave, Spain, in 1993 contains the earliest known map, which is of the surrounding area.
Aqueducts were channels running along the ground, underground, or above ground on bridges, that supplied fresh spring or river water to wherever people needed it. Aqueducts were first built in the ancient city of Nineveh (Mosul in Iraq).
Soap, 2800 BCE
Glass, 3500 BCE Coin, 610–600 BCE
Bronze, 3200 BCE
The first coin was used in the ancient kingdom of Lydia, in modern-day Turkey. It was marked with a roaring lion.
Archeological findings suggest that bronze was first used in ancient Egypt to make tools and weapons.
Archeologists believe that glass was first used in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) more than 5,000 years ago to make ornamental beads.
Soap made of oils and salts was first used in Babylon (modern-day Iraq) to clean wool and cotton.
Shadow clock, 1500 BCE The ancient Egyptian shadow clock was a simple pillar. The length of the shadow it cast indicated the time of day.
AFRICA
Fire, 790,000 years ago (See box below)
Potter’s wheel, 3500 BCE The potter’s wheel allowed people to make perfectly round pots. Experts believe that it was invented in Mesopotamia.
Mastery of fire Archeologists have found evidence in Israel of the earliest known use of fire—by ancestors of humans, such as Homo erectus. They discovered that burning happened in specific spots, which shows that hearths existed. The control of fire meant that Homo erectus was able to spread to colder regions, drive away dangerous predators, and cook food.
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THE WHEEL WAS ACTUALLY INVENTED FOR USE IN MAKING POTTERY
