65,000 to 40,000 years ago ... By crossing the ocean between Asia and the coasts of New Guinea and Australia, Homo sapiens dispersed to and colonized a third continent.

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48,000 to 11,000 years ago ... Long term trends reveal dramatic changes in social complexity and the impact of climate, population size, and migration on cultural variation.

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12,850 to 11,670 years ago ... The last gasp of the Ice Age led people across northern Europe to adopt a different way of life, one that resembled the customs of long lost cultures. Cultures: Swiderian, Ahrensburgian, Desnenian, Bromme, Laborian.

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12,850 to 11,670 years ago ... In the Mediterranean Basin of Europe, the resilience of stone age societies was on display during the last gasp of the Ice Age. 

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14,700 to 12,800 years ago ... A dramatically warmer world and the proliferation of woodlands led people in Europe to a radically different way of life. Some groups thrived, other societies crumbled. Cultures: Azilian, Federmesser, Epimagdalenian, and Late Epigravettian.

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19,000 to 15,000 years ago ... Among the cultures of eastern and southern Europe that came after the Last Glacial Maximum, the Mezinian of the Dnieper River basin left behind the most diverse set of remains. Also, a new genetic lineage appeared in Italy.

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The final 2,000 years of the Magdalenian culture witnessed a major geographic expansion of hunter gatherer society in western and central Europe. Simultaneously, a new type of hunting weapon was invented and an old artistic theme made a reappearance. 

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The greatest heights of Upper Paleolithic cave paintings and engraved portable art were reached after the Last Glacial Maximum ended and human populations grew.

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As the hunter gatherers of southwestern Europe endured the Last Glacial Maximum, a unique culture arose, characterized by fine stone points and a rich artistic repertoire.

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The peak of the Last Ice Age drastically altered the course of European prehistory. Around 25,000 years ago, as the glaciers reached their maximum extent, the Gravettian ended and was replaced with a variety of local cultures. In central and eastern Europe this period is called the Epigravettian.

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