8500 BC

Millennia:	10th millennium BC 9th millennium BC 8th millennium BC
Centuries:	90th century BC 89th century BC 88th century BC 87th century BC 86th century BC 85th century BC 84th century BC 83rd century BC 82nd century BC 81st century BC

The Stone Age This box:
↑ before Homo (Pliocene)
Paleolithic Lower Paleolithic Late Stone Age Homo Control of fire Stone tools Middle Paleolithic Middle Stone Age Homo neanderthalensis Homo sapiens Recent African origin of modern humans Upper Paleolithic Late Stone Age Behavioral modernity, Atlatl, Origin of the domestic dog Epipaleolithic Mesolithic Microliths, Bow, Canoe Natufian Khiamian Tahunian Heavy Neolithic Shepherd Neolithic Trihedral Neolithic Pre-Pottery Neolithic Neolithic Neolithic Revolution, Domestication Pottery Neolithic Pottery
↓ Chalcolithic

↑ before Homo (Pliocene)

Paleolithic

Epipaleolithic
Mesolithic

Neolithic

The 9th millennium BC marks the beginning of the Neolithic period.

Agriculture spread throughout the Fertile Crescent and use of pottery became more widespread. Larger settlements like Jericho arose along salt and flint trade routes. Northern Eurasia was resettled as the glaciers of the last glacial maximum retreated. World population was at a few million people, likely below 5 million.

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