| Invention | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4000 BCE | Apple Cultivation | Central Asia | near Almaty, modern Kazakhstan |
| 4000 BCE | Arithmatic | Mesopotamia | by the Sumerians |
| 4000 BCE | Bridges | Africa | |
| 4000 BCE | Cosmetics, Fragrances | Egypt | |
| 4000 BCE | Domestication of Horse | Europe | modern Ukraine |
| 4000 BCE | Ox Drawn Plough | Mesopotamia | improved agriculture |
| 3650 BCE | Popcorn | North America | modern New Mexico |
| 3500 BCE | Corn, Beans, Squash Cultivation | Central America | |
| 3500 BCE | Domestication of Llama | South America | from Andes |
| 3500 BCE | Domestication of Turkey | Central America | |
| 3500 BCE | Potato, Manioc Cultivation | South America | from Andes, Amazon |
| 3500 BCE | Sail Powered Boats | Egypt | used for transport on the Nile |
| 3500 BCE | The Wheel | Sumeria | in modern Iraq |
| 3500 BCE | Water Clock | Sumeria | in modern Iraq |
| 3500 BCE | Woodworking | Egypt | |
| 3300 BCE | Use of Seals | Sumeria | cylinder seals used on clay |
| 3300 BCE | Writing | Sumeria | pictographs |
| 3200 BCE | Earth and Stone Dams | Middle East | in present day Jordan |
| 3200 BCE | Footwear | Europe | deer hide, bear skin |
| 3200 BCE | Silk | China | |
| 3100 BCE | Drainage | Indus Valley | |
| 3000 BCE | Brick Buildings | Egypt Sumeria |
|
| 3000 BCE | Button | Indus Valley | re-invented in Germany, 1235 |
| 3000 BCE | Candles | Egypt Crete |
|
| 3000 BCE | Cotton Cultivation | South America Central America |
|
| 3000 BCE | Glass | Middle East | in modern Syria, Lebanon |
| 3000 BCE | Oil Palm, Yam Cultivation | Africa | in West Africa |
| 3000 BCE | Potters Wheel | Mesopotamia | |
| 3000 BCE | Reed Boats | Egypt Mesopotamia |
|
| 3000 BCE | Standard Weights | Egypt | |
| 3000 BCE | Sundial (Simple Gnomon) | Egypt | a gnomon is an vertical stick |
| 3000 BCE | Use of Bronze | Mesopotamia | used in armour |
| 3000 BCE | Use of Coca | South America | leaves chewed as a narcotic |
The measurement of time became important. The first sundials were vertical sticks. The Egyptians used these to divide the day into 12 hours for the daytime and 12 hours for the night. Because of the seasonal variation in daylength throughout the year, the length of the hours was variable. The Babylonians standardised the length of the hour to 1/24th of thre length of the Solar Day.
The invention of writing was another key moment. Information could be passed around without the need for it to be memorised. Knowledge could be passed between generations and peoples. Sumeria developed the cuniform script around 3300 BCE; China first used pictograms c3100 BCE; Egypt was using hieroglyphic notation around 3000 BCE.
Jade was being carved in China c3600 BCE. Yoga was being practiced in India c3000 BCE. Bitumin was used in the Middle East from surface deposits, c3000 BCE.
The area known as the Sahara began turning into desert c3500 BCE. The city of Memphis (near modern Cairo), capital of a united Egypt, was founded by Narmer around 3050 BCE. Chur, the oldest European town still inhabited, was settled in (modern) Switzerland in 3000 BCE. The town of Ohrid was settled in Macedonia c3000 BCE.
The Jewish calendar has its start point in 3761 BCE. The Mayan calendar dates from 3300 BCE.
Around 3000 BCE, there was an extensive use of copper in the Great Lakes region of North America. At the same time pottery was developed in the Americas.
