Writing came with the major civilizations of Egypt, Sumer, and the Indus valley in 3500-2500 BC. But what major, developed, impressive societies came before then?
The sites that I know of are:
- Gobekli Tepe, Turkey, c. 8500 BC with its giant stonehenge rings
- Jericho - one of world's oldest cities
- Tel Halaf , Syria, 6,100 BC
- Yonaguni, Japan, c.? (5000 BC?). There are engravings on Yonaguni island and claims of underwater cut away rock cliffs, predating the time when the area was underwater.
- Carnac Stones, France and other sites in France and Britain, 4500 BC, megalithic stones
- Malta c. 4000 BC with Megalithic temples, including underground ones
- Ubaid culture - preceded the Sumerians
- Dolmens in the Caucasus - c.4000-2000 BC
I know there are prehistoric "cultures" in southern Spain, the Balkans, and China, which had large settlements or primitive writing. There are stonehenges in South Africa and the Sahara.
Kercado Tumulus, Carnac
Did I miss any?
Edited by rakovsky - 03-Oct-2016 at 03:59