The following table summarizes the major steps in the evolution of human language and links them tentatively to the anthropological prehistory.

Major steps in the evolution of language
thousand years BCperiodhomininiculturelanguage
1,950PaleolithicHomo erectusoldest fossils and tools: control of fire; hunting in groups; care for handicappedcommunication by gestures and unarticulated cries; indexical signs; elementary combinations
400Archaic Homo sapiensproduction of different toolsdevelopment of first articulation; iconic signs; more complex combinations
160 Modern Homo sapiensvocal language yet completed by gestures; development of second articulation; symbolic signs; simple syntactic constructions
100double articulation complete;
vocal language possesses effability
 development of phonology
expansion of lexicon;
development of syntax;
development of morphology
50migration to Asia, Europe, Australia
40Upper Paleolithicsophisticated tools, art
18Mesolithic
9Neolithiccomplex societies
3.3Bronze agefirst documents of Ancient Egyptianwritten language: full syntactic complexity