Archaeologists have found remarkable human-made objects dating back hundreds of thousands (and even millions) of years. An artifact is “anything with traces of human intervention,” says... This timeline of prehistory covers the time from the appearance of Homo sapiens approximately 315,000 years ago in Africa to the invention of writing, over 5,000 years ago, with the earliest records going back to 3,200 BC. Discover 15 of the oldest artifacts ever found, offering a fascinating glimpse into humanity’s ancient history, survival, and ingenuity. The list is divided into four categories: Middle Paleolithic (before 50,000 years ago), Upper Paleolithic (50,000 to 12,500 years ago), Holocene (12,500 to 500 years ago) and Modern (Age of Sail and modern exploration). Where in the world, and when, does this human artifact belong? Each day, ten objects. Guess where and when each was made. Then see how you ranked against everyone else who played today. Each daily game features ten artifacts from the Met's collection. The seemingly unassuming chunks of rock are tools once used by Homo erectus, a direct ancestor of ours, and new dating reveals they represent the earliest evidence of hominid habitation on the European continent. New digs and geological dating in Liang Bua Cave, Indonesia, show that Homo floresiensis, nicknamed the “hobbit” for its small size, became extinct around 50,000 years ago – tens of thousands of years earlier than originally thought.