We are Hominids, or Hominidae, also known as great apes.

Our taxonomic family of primates includes four extant genera: the chimpanzees (Pan) with two species; gorillas (Gorilla) with two species; humans (Homo) with one species; and orangutans (Pongo) with two species.

Homininae, a subfamily of Hominidae that includes members of hominini—humans, as well as gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and some extinct relatives—comprises all hominids that arose after the split from orangutans (Ponginae).

A number of known extinct genera are grouped with humans in the Homininae subfamily, others with orangutans in the Ponginae subfamily.

The most recent common ancestor of the Hominidae lived roughly fourteen million years ago, when the ancestors of the orangutans speciated from the ancestors of the other three genera.

The subtribe Hominina is the "human" branch, including the genus Homo, which has its beginnings in this eon, which spans a quarter of a million years.

The fossil record suggests that individuals of the species Gigantopithecus blacki are the largest apes that ever lived, standing up to three meters (nine point eight feet feet) and weighing up to five hundred and forty kilograms (one thousand one hundred and ninety pounds).

Gigantopithecus, having come into existence perhaps nine million years ago, exists to as recently one hundred thousand years ago in what is now Nepal, China, India, and Vietnam.

This places Gigantopithecus in the same time frame and geographical location as several hominin species.

In addition to the Homo genus to which we belong, other members of the family include Orrorin, Ardipithecus, Kenyanthropus, and the australopithecines Australopithecus and Paranthropus.

The name of the genus Orrorin means "original man" in Tugen, and the name of the only classified species, O. tugenensis, derives from Tugen Hills in Kenya, where the first fossil was found in 2000, followed by another score or so more in the ensuing years.

Apparently a climber of trees, Orrorin lives in dry evergreen forest environment estimated at six point one million to five point seven million years ago (Mya).

If Orrorin proves to be a direct human ancestor, then australopithecines such as Australopithecus afarensis ("Lucy") may be considered a side branch of the hominid family tree: Orrorin is both earlier, by almost three million years, and more similar to modern humans than is A. afarensis.

The relationship of the Ardipithecus genus to human ancestors, and whether it is a hominin, or not, is unknown.

The literature describes two species: A. kadabba, dated to approximately five point sixmillion years ago (late Miocene), and A. ramidus, which lived about four point four million years ago during the early Pliocene.

Like most hominids, but unlike all previously recognized hominins, it had a grasping hallux or big toe adapted for locomotion in the trees.

It is not confirmed how much other features of its skeleton reflect adaptation to bipedalism on the ground as well.

Like later hominins, Ardipithecus had reduced canine teeth.

The brain of Ardipithecus ramidus, measuring between three hundred and three hundred and fifty square centimeters, is slightly smaller than a modern bonobo or female common chimpanzee brain, but much smaller than the brain of australopithecines like Lucy (around four hundred to five hundred and fifty square kilometers) and roughly twenty percent the size of the modern Homo sapiens brain.

Kenyanthropus platyop, a three point five million to three point two million year-old (Pliocene) hominin fossil discovered in Lake Turkana, Kenya, is believed to have lived in a “mosaic” environment of grassland and some forested areas.

In contrast, their close relative, A. afarensis, found in sites such as Laetoli, Tanzania, and Hadar, Ethiopia, are believed to have spent a lot of time among trees.

Maeve Leakey proposed in 2001 that the fossil represents an entirely new hominine genus, while others classify it as a separate species of Australopithecus, Australopithecus platyops, and yet others interpret it as an individual of Australopithecus afarensis.

Hor-Aha, considered to be the second Pharaoh of the First dynasty, had become Pharaoh around the age of thirty and ruled until he was about sixty-two years old.

Some believe him to be the same individual as the legendary Menes and that he was the one to unify all of Egypt; others claim he was the son of Narmer, the pharaoh who unified Egypt.

Whatever the actual identity of Hor-Aha, much historical evidence from the period, notably the Narmer Palette) points to Narmer unifying Egypt and that Hor-Aha was his son.

The site of Lagash (modern al-Hiba), located about one hundred and twenty miles (two hundred kilometers) northwest of Basra, Iraq, may have been first occupied about 3000.

The dynasty of Lagash, though omitted from the king list, is well attested through several important monuments and many archaeological finds.

Sumerian pictographs are evolving into phonograms during the period of about 2900 BCE to 2400 BCE.

Several centuries after the invention of cuneiform, the use of writing expands beyond debt/payment certificates and inventory lists to be applied for the first time, about 2600 BCE, to messages and mail delivery, history, legend, mathematics, astronomical records, and other pursuits.

Forms of the Genesis story and the tale of the Flood (the earliest parts of the Bible) are written in Mesopotamia around this time.

Conjointly with the spread of writing, the first formal schools are established, usually under the auspices of a city-state's primary temple.

History begins in this age as a continuously recorded literary tradition in China, Mesopotamia, Canaan, and Egypt.

Archaeological investigations have yielded thousands of written documents from this period.

The exile of King Li of the Zhou Dynasty of Ancient China, and the Gonghe Regency, begins in 841 BCE.

The Records of the Grand Historian (compiled by historian Sima Qian by 91 BCE) regards this year as the first year of consecutive annual dating of Chinese history.

Maritime East Asia (765–622 BCE): Cultural Prosperity Amid Political Fragmentation

Between 765 BCE and 622 BCE, Maritime East Asia—comprising lower Primorsky Krai, the Korean Peninsula, the Japanese Archipelago below northern Hokkaido, Taiwan, and southern, central, and northeastern China—experiences a paradoxical age marked by political disunity and extraordinary cultural and economic advancements. Known historically as the early Spring and Autumn Period, this era sets the stage for significant cultural and technological growth despite ongoing regional conflicts and decentralized rule.

Emergence of Political Competition and Fragmentation

As central authority under the Eastern Zhou Dynasty further weakens, regional lords become increasingly independent and compete fiercely to strengthen their domains. This intense rivalry necessitates robust military capabilities, effective governance, and economic innovation. The frequent conferences among feudal lords, characteristic of the previous age, evolve into competitive rather than cooperative interactions, intensifying internal strife and decentralization.

Economic Innovations and Technological Advancements

This age witnesses substantial economic growth, driven by increased commerce and critical technological advancements. Coinage is introduced, significantly facilitating trade and economic interaction across regions. The widespread adoption of iron metallurgy revolutionizes both agriculture and warfare, with iron weapons and farm implements enhancing military efficiency and agricultural productivity.

Large-scale infrastructure projects emerge, including sophisticated flood control systems, irrigation networks, and canal construction, reflecting regional lords' ambition to improve productivity and sustain population growth. Additionally, enormous fortification projects, including expansive city walls and frontier barriers along the northern boundary, underscore the strategic importance of defense in this period of persistent regional rivalry.

Intellectual and Cultural Flourishing

The era from 765 to 622 BCE marks the beginning of a remarkable intellectual and cultural flowering in China, often referred to as the age of the Hundred Schools of Thought. Although formal education remains limited to the aristocracy, the demand for knowledgeable, literate administrators leads to significant intellectual developments. Various philosophical traditions begin to emerge, laying critical foundations for later influential Chinese philosophies.

Historiography also sees considerable advancements. Early historical texts such as the Classic of History and the annalistic chronicle Spring and Autumn Annals, traditionally attributed to Confucius, appear during this era. These works reflect a growing conviction in China that historical understanding constitutes a vital source of wisdom for governance and societal harmony.

Ritual and Cultural Continuity

Despite political fragmentation, established cultural practices such as ritual ancestor worship and divination continue to thrive. The cryptic oracle text known as the I Ching (Book of Changes), dating back to the early first millennium BCE, gains prominence as a foundational text of Chinese culture. Additionally, the pentatonic musical scale, symbolic of cosmic harmony and extensively used in ritual ceremonies, becomes the dominant musical form throughout the region.

Legacy of the Age: Foundations for China's Golden Age

Thus, the age from 765 to 622 BCE in Maritime East Asia represents a paradoxical yet profoundly influential period. Amid ongoing political fragmentation and military competition, unprecedented cultural, economic, and intellectual developments set crucial precedents for the vibrant and diverse cultural landscape that will characterize subsequent periods, including the flourishing of classical Chinese civilization.

Chinese historiography, based on the conviction that human historical experience constitutes the main repository of human wisdom, has its beginnings under the Zhou dynasty.

The Classic of History, one of the Five Classics of Chinese classic texts is one of the earliest narratives of China.

The Spring and Autumn Annals, the official chronicle of the State of Lu covering the period from 722 BCE to 481 BCE, is among the earliest surviving Chinese historical texts to be arranged on annalistic principles.

It is believed to have been compiled by Confucius.

A solar eclipse on June 15 (in month Sivan), 763 BCE is used to fix the chronology of the Ancient Near East.

However, it requires Nisan 1 to fall on March 20, 763 BCE, which is eight to nine days before the vernal equinox (March 28/29 at that time) and Babylonians never started their calendar year before the spring equinox.

The most notable of the Syrian Neo-Hittite kingdoms in Anatolia and northern Syria that had succeeded the Hittite Kingdom are those at Carchemish and Milid (near the later Melitene).

These polities had gradually fallen under the control of the Assyrians, who had conquered Carchemish during the reign of Sargon II in the late eighth century BCE, and Milid several decades later.

A large and powerful state known as Tabal occupies much of southern Anatolia.

Their language may have been Luwian, testified to by monuments written using Luwian hieroglyphics.

The Cimmerians attack Cilicia and Tabal under their new ruler, Teushpa, in 679 BCE during the reign of Esarhaddon of Assyria.