The earliest recorded history begins with the invention of writing in Sumer (Mesopotamia) and Egypt around 3400–3200 BCE, marked by cuneiform and hieroglyphs used primarily for record-keeping, with the first personal name on record, Kushim, appearing around 3000 BCE in Sumer. While some argue for earlier "proto-writing" like seals, true historical narratives emerge with these systems, documenting rulers, trade, and societal events in these ancient civilizations.
Archaeologists have discovered written records in Egypt from as early as 3200 BCE, which is the accepted date at which history "begins" there.
The earliest surviving written literature is from ancient Mesopotamia. The Epic of Gilgamesh is often cited as the first great composition, although some shorter compositions have survived that are even earlier (notably the “Kesh Temple Hymn” and “The Instructions of Shuruppak”).
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Modern humans emerged around 200,000 years ago, but record-keeping only began about 6,000 years ago. This means that an estimated 97% of human history has been lost, leaving vast portions of our past undocumented and unknown.
No, no one has ever lived to be 200 years old with verified records; the oldest verified person was Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122 years and 164 days, but some scientists believe the first person to reach 200 may have already been born, given advancements in longevity research. Claims of much older ages, like Li Ching-yun (claimed 250+ years) or Peng Zu (claimed 800+ years), lack modern scientific verification.
Humans looked essentially the same as they do today 10,000 years ago, with minor differences in height and build due to differences in diet and lifestyle.
The name mentioned nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) is the personal name of God, represented by the Tetragrammaton (יהוה), which is transliterated as YHWH and often rendered as Jehovah or Yahweh in English Bibles, though many translations substitute "LORD" or "God". While the exact count varies slightly by translation and text, it is by far the most frequent name in the Bible, distinct from descriptive titles like "Lord" or "Almighty".
Einstein, in a one-and-a-half-page hand-written German-language letter to philosopher Eric Gutkind, dated Princeton, New Jersey, 3 January 1954, a year and three and a half months before his death, wrote: "The word God is for me nothing but the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of ...
The Bible is widely considered the world's #1 best-selling book of all time, with estimates of 5 to 7 billion copies sold, followed by religious texts like the Qur'an and political works such as Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung (The Little Red Book), with non-religious bestsellers including Don Quixote and the Harry Potter series. However, "best" is subjective, with different lists ranking based on sales, literary impact, or cultural influence, but sales figures consistently place religious and political books at the very top.
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According to ancient texts, eleven cubits or nearly 16 feet. Currently featured in “A Roadmap to Stardust” at MCD are the monumental ceramic works “Stardust Telescope I & II” (pictured above).
Around 10,000–7000 years ago (8000–5000 BC), humankind experienced perhaps its most important revolution. The Neolithic revolution, as it is called, forever changed the interaction between humans and the world around us by introducing the basic ingredient that makes civilization possible: agriculture.
The oldest person ever whose age has been independently verified is Jeanne Calment (1875–1997) of France, who lived to the age of 122 years and 164 days. The oldest verified man ever is Jiroemon Kimura (1897–2013) of Japan, who lived to the age of 116 years and 54 days.
Although "five thousand years of Chinese civilization" has become a common expression or narrative both inside and outside China, the concept is not universally accepted by scholars, especially in the Western academic world.
Throughout his life, Einstein made it clear that he did not believe in a personal god. He regarded the concept as an expression of human limitations rather than a reality.
Albert Einstein never took an official IQ test, so his score is an estimate, but most sources place it around 160, considered genius level, though some believe it could have been higher. This figure is based on his revolutionary scientific achievements, like the theory of relativity, rather than a standardized test. IQ tests from his era weren't as developed, and his unique thinking style makes accurate modern comparison difficult.
Robert Boyle (1627–1691): Prominent scientist and theologian who argued that the study of science could improve glorification of God. A strong Christian apologist, he is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Chemistry.
Source: Dorotheum, via Wikimedia Commons. The hundreds of women said to have married King Solomon or reside in his harem described in the Book of Kings included the daughter of Pharaoh and women of Moabite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite origins.
It was the practice of the Jews not to use the name of God at that time, so he may simply have wished to not muddy the waters by giving offence. Technically the name YHWH applies just as much to him as it does the Father, so that may have accounted for it.
The Hebrew word nachalah (Strong's Concordance #H5159) occurs 222 times in the original language version of the Old Testament. It is written the most in Joshua (50 times) followed by Numbers (46) and then Deuteronomy (25).
How are humans and monkeys related? Humans and monkeys are both primates. But humans are not descended from monkeys or any other primate living today. We do share a common ape ancestor with chimpanzees.
The need to cover the body is associated with human migration out of the tropics into climates where clothes were needed as protection from sun, heat, and dust in the Middle East; or from cold and rain in Europe and Asia.
Prehistoric humans are likely to have formed mating networks to avoid inbreeding. Early humans seem to have recognised the dangers of inbreeding at least 34,000 years ago, and developed surprisingly sophisticated social and mating networks to avoid it, new research has found.