Modern archaeology follows a linear timeline of human development, with early hominins appearing around 4 million BCE, Homo sapiens around 300 000 BCE, and the rise of agriculture and complex civilizations after roughly 10 000 BCE. In this model, progress is viewed as steady and cumulative, moving from primitive tools to metallurgy and monumental architecture. By contrast, ancient Indian texts describe a cyclic model, where civilizations rise and fall repeatedly over vast ages. The period tra...| Recent Questions - History Stack Exchange