Anthropological Evidence

Modern humans arose at a time when the Earth was going through a very cold and icy period called the Ice Age, which began about 75,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago. The Ice Age was at its most severe about 18,000 years ago, a point which coincides with the development of  prehistoric art, represented by  colourful images painted on cave walls and rock shelters, Many thousands of  carved and engraved pieces of bone and ivory have been discovered from the same period. A great majority of  images are, indeed, of  animals we can recognize, especially images of reindeer and bisons are plentiful; while paintings of  people are strangely absent. 

The general view about agriculture  is that, at the end of  the last Ice Age, i.e. about 10,000  years ago, there was a dramatic global shift in the human pattern of  living from nomadic hunting and food gathering  to settlements producing food. The discovery that sprinkling of  grain could lead to crops and hence to  lot of  food, must have had a big impact on social  living. Settled living probably led to increase of population, as also to development of music and dance to occupy the leisure. Language and communication must have developed, as also a capacity to wonder and to reflect about nature.