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A Bare Bones History of Ireland Chap 1
The Origins of Man
Before beginning to consider the ancient origins of Ireland it is sobering to consider the
evolution of mankind on Planet Earth. Hominids have been evolving for a long time.
Archaeologists are agreed on the following MAXI timeline – going back 40 million
years.
By placing the magnifying glass on the more recent phase of our evolution (the mere last
10 million years) we come to the more detailed graphic that present-day man can begin to
comprehend.
The Pleistocene Epoch (0-2.5 mil yrs ago)
The Pleistocene – mostly referred to as
the Ice Age - is the geological epoch that
lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700
years ago, spanning the world's most
recent period of repeated glaciations.
The Pliocene Epoch (3 – 6 Mil Yrs ago)
Most of our mountain ranges were
formed during this period. The Rocky
Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains
in North America and the Alps in Europe.
The Micocene Epoch (6 – 10 Mil Yrs ago)
The Miocene Epoch, between 5 million
years and 10 million years ago, was a
period of great evolution for both plants
and animals.
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