Biblical Timeline 1

The next two tables provide two parallel timelines, one based on conventional dating of the various archeological periods and the other based on David Rohl's "New Chronology." I personally believe that many of Rohl's identifications of biblical characters with figures from ancient myth and history are on target, regardless of whether one embraces his dating. The NC dating is colorized to indicate its speculative nature. Furthermore, some of these dates (especially the subdivisions of the Ubaid period) are approximations and interpolations rather than specific dates Rohl has suggested. In a few instances, NC dates are purely hypothetical, covering events nowhere addressed in Rohl's work. Such dates are given in (parentheses).

"A GARDEN IN EDEN"
Where Was Eden? There are two main theories for the location of the garden of Eden. The "Southern Theory" places Eden in southern Mesopotamia. The "Northern Theory" places it in the Armenian highlands. Rohl, following Walker, asserts that the Garden of Eden is to be located in the Meidan Valley in northwest Iran (near modern Tabriz), just east of Lake Urmia and between the headwaters of the Pherat (Euphrates), Hiddekel (Tigris), Gihon (Aras/Araxes; known to the locals as the Gaihun even into medieval times) and Pishon (Uizhun or Uzun) rivers (Legend, 51-59; Rohl's arguments are summarized online in Peter Martin, "The Secret Garden"). See also "Ararat: The Cradle of Civilization?"
When Did Adam Live? Modern Young Earth Creationists generally assert that ca. 8000 BC is the earliest possible date for the creation of Adam. Most traditional sources suggest a date somewhat later: 6934: A date noted without attribution in the Catholic Encyclopedia. 6002: According to some early church commentators (Clement of Alexander, Origen, Eusebius, etc.), since Adam was created on the sixth day, Jesus would have come into the world in its 6,000th year. Patristic sources commonly dated Jesus' birth to what on today's calendar would be ca. 2 BC. 5537: Julius Africanus, d. 240. 5529: Theophilus of Antioch, d. 181. 5508: Date adopted by the Eastern Orthodox Church. 5500: Hippolytus of Rome, d. ca. 236, and the Ethiopian Chronicle of Aksum. 5490: Date adopted by the Syrian Orthodox Church. 5411: Dr. William Hales. 5323: Josephus, d. ca. 100. 5200: Eusebius, d. before 341. 4004: Archbishop James Ussher. 3761: Traditional Jewish date. In Legend, Rohl dated Adam to ca. 6000 BC, at the early end of this range He has since moved his estimate to ca. 5375 BC--an amazingly close fit with most of the ancient sources that drew on the Septuagint. Dick Fisher suggests a date at the later end of the range, between 5000-4000 BC ("In Search of the Historical Adam," Part 1, Part 2.) A date coinciding with the beginnings of Neolithic agriculture in the Near East (ca. 8000-7000) seems likely (see Davis A. Young, "The Antiquity and the Unity of the Human Race Revisited."). According to Rohl, "In effect the biblical Adam of Eden marks the change from prehistoric hunter and wanderer to spiritual Man with knowledge and technological skills" (Legend, 71). Culturally, Adam and his descendants demonstrate economic strategies that are firmly grounded in the Neolithic period. Adam and his son Cain were both “tillers of the ground,” implying an agricultural existence. His son Abel was a sheep herder. The beginnings of agriculture and the domestication of sheep in the Near East date to the seventh millennium BC. Furthermore, some scholars point to parallels between Adam and the Sumerian figure Adapa (see here and here).
Did Adam have parents? Nachmanides (AD 1194-1270) believed that God created Adam by inserting his divine breath into a precursor-being who was created along with the higher animals on the sixth day of creation. By this interpretation, what we read in the biblical description of the creation of Adam is the story of the creation of civilized, Neolithic humanity. This act of creation did not involve altering human physiology, but rather enhancing an existing physical creature by adding a new spiritual dimension. Conversely, there is nothing in the theory of a recent Adam that precludes the traditional understanding that Adam was supernaturally created by God.
"These are the Generations..." The Genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 are subject to debate on a number of fronts. First, there are differences in the lifespans and ages at which one patriarch "begot" the next, depending on whether one follows the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, or Septuagint. See "Biblical Chronology and Dating of the Early Bible" by Curt Sewell. Second, it is highly likely that there are gaps in the genealogical data, as has been noted by conservative scholars for over a hundred years. William Henry Green's seminal article "Are There Gaps in the Biblical Genealogies?" appeared in Biblitheca Sacra in 1890! This timeline proceeds on the assumption of gaps in the genealogies. Third, there is the question of whether the incredible lifespans attributed to the early patriarchs are to be taken literally or figuratively. Here is a basic summary of the issues.
8000-7000		Beginnings of Neolithic culture in the Near East.
7000-6000		Approximate beginnings of Neolithic culture in Anatolia (modern Turkey). Earliest known permanent settlement in Jericho.
6000-5000		Approximate beginnings of Neolithic culture in the Indus valley.
6000-5800	5300-5200	The beginning of the Ubaid 0 period is the most likely era of Cain and Abel. As the competing economic strategies of farming and herding played out in the Neolithic era, it is easy to imagine hostility and bloodshed sometimes being the result. There is a parallel Sumerian story of hostilities between Emesh, the farmer, and Enten, the herdsman. The Ubaid 0 period marks the first documented farmers in Sumeria. These early "tillers of the ground" used a form of Neolithic pottery derived from that of the Samarra culture of northern Mesopotamia and also similar to Chogh Mami Transitional Ware from the Zagros region of Iran. This speaks of a migration of people from north to south, either straight down the Euphrates or by way of the Zagros piedmont and the Deh Luran plain. Perhaps this corresponds to Cain's banishment from his family's original homeland.
5600	(5000)	At about this date geologists have discovered evidence for massive flooding around the Black Sea, which a few scholars believe formed the basis for the biblical Flood story. However, further research has suggested the flooding was gradual rather than sudden and catastrophic.
5400	4800	Beginnings of the Ubaid culture (Ubaid 1) in southern Mesopotamia and the founding of the earliest cities: Eridu, Uruk, and Ur. This period coincides with the biblical patriarchs Enoch and Irad. Rohl (Legend, 184-188) suggests emending the Hebrew text of Ge 4:7 to make Enoch, not his father Cain, the great city-builder who named a city after his son, Irad (=Eridu). If the Irad=Eridu connection is valid, he should be dated to the very beginning of the Ubaid period, with Enoch just slightly before. Furthermore, the Sumerian word for the the city of Uruk is actually Unuk or Unug--perhaps a toponymic reference to Enoch?
5000	(4400)	Land bridge disappears between Great Britain and the European mainland.
5000-4000		Approximate beginnings of Neolithic culture in the Huang Ho valley.
4500		Approximate beginnings of Neolithic culture in the Nile valley (Badarian culture).
4500-4300	4000-3800	Possible era of Enoch. Enoch may be identified with Enmeduranki (or Enmeduranna), the king of Sippar (southwest of Baghdad) seventh on the Sumerian King List, who is said to have been taken by the gods and taught divine wisdom. Sippar was a center of sun-god worship. In Jewish tradition, Enoch promulgated a solar calendar. In Genesis, he lived 365 years--one year for every day in a solar year. In another tradition, it was not Enmeduranki but his sage Utuabzu who was taken to heaven. There is obviously some confusion in the Sumerian sources. Enoch should most likely be dated to the beginning of the Ubaid 3 period, contemporary with Lamech the descendant of Cain--both in the seventh generation from Adam. Lamech's three sons fit most obviously in the later Ubaid 3 period. Unfortunately, estimates of the dates for this period vary widely.
The Eve of Destruction. The period just prior to the flood is described in Genesis in terms of three cultural advances accomplished by three sons of Lamech. Jabal is called "the father of all those who dwell in tents," that is, pastoral nomads. Jubal is associated with musical instruments, and Tubal-cain is associated with metalworkers. All of these advancements can be dated to the period ca. 4500-4000 BC--roughly speaking, the Ubaid 3 period (New Chronology, ca. 4000-3400). Beginnings of pastoral nomadism in the Zagros Mountains northeast of Mesopotamia around 4500-4000 BC. This economic strategy may have developed somewhat earlier in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, but this is the first evidence for pastoralism in the Near East. See also the work of Abdi, who advocates a somewhat later date for the full flowering of pastoralism. Musical instruments of various sorts were known even among the Neanderthals. The “historical” Jubal therefore should probably be understood not as the inventor of the pipe and lyre, but the person who first introduced these instruments to his tribe. By 4000 BC the harp and upright flute had been developed in Egypt. "Tubal" and "Cain" both mean “smith” or “metal-worker.” Rohl dates him to ca. 4500 BC and the copper-works at Badtibira “City of the Metal-Worker” in Mesopotamia. He further equates “Tibira” with “Tubal.” Alternatively, the Kura-Araxes culture of eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus was making bronze tools as early as 4000 BC. In the Caucasus region, these people may have also been cattle herders. Arsenical bronze has also been found at one site in south Iran dating to 4500-4000 BC.
"Sons of Elohim" (Ge 6:12). According to Nachmanides, after the fall of Adam there were two types of humans in the world. The members of Adam's immediate family and their descendants retained an aspect of godliness about them, but the rest of the human race were all ordinary human beings. This aspect of godliness inspired such awe among the rest of humanity that no one dared to oppose the godlike descendants of Adam. Consequently, these people did as they liked until they were destroyed by the Flood.
The Flood. Traditional sources vary in dating the Flood: 3155: Hales 2998: Samaritan Pentateuch 2959: Eusebius 2349: Ussher 2288: Jewish tradition These dates seem too recent, even if one assumes that the biblical flood was a regional rather than a global phenomenon. (On which, see especially here.) Archeologically, there are two primary candidates for the Genesis Flood. Most scholars today propose a flood that devastated southern Mesopotamia in the Early Dynastic I period, ca. 2750 BC. There was, however, an earlier flood, the evidence for which was first discovered by Sir Leonard Woolley in the early 20th century. This flood offers a more convincing fit with both the biblical and Sumerian traditions. Woolley's flood destroyed the Ubaid culture of Mesopotamia. This catastrophe is conventionally dated to the late Ubaid period, ca. 4000-3800 BC, based on a rough pottery chronology and a few radiocarbon dates "which are likely to be too high by several centuries due to the vagaries of the dendrochronology calibration of the raw C-14 dates" (Legend, 174). Rohl's "New Chronology" moves the date forward to 3113 BC, but even he concedes that the event is “only approximately datable to somewhere between 4000 BC at the earliest and 3000 BC at the latest” (Legend, 177). A more conventional dating is almost certainly to be preferred, perhaps on the order of ca. 3700 BC. There are, in fact, some schools of thought that place the end of the Ubaid period this late or slightly later. Noah may be the same figure remembered by the Sumerians as Ziusudra, the Akkadians as Utnapishtim, and the Babylonians as Atrahasis (see also here). The parallels are presented by William H. Shea, "A Comparison of Narrative Elements in Ancient Mesopotamian Creation-Flood Myths with Genesis 1-9." According to Sumerian legend, the flood hero was a wise priest-king of Shuruppak. In the Akkadian version, he was merely a citizen of that city. The Mesopotamian legends state that Utnapishtim (the hero of the Babylonian flood myth) was warned of the Flood by the god Ea, which may have been vocalized "Eyah," and thus may be linguistically connected to the Hebrew YAH.
"The Mountains of Ararat." The Ark came to rest on Judi Dagh (Mount Judi, also known in antiquity as Mount Kardu and the Gordian or Gordyene Mountains), bordering on the Mesopotamian lowlands. The site is located 25 miles from the Tigris River, just east of the Turkish city of Gizre. This is, in fact, the traditional site of the ark's landing as stated by numerous ancient authorities. Before the 14th century AD, it was the traditional site for the landing place of the Ark.

FROM THE FLOOD TO ABRAHAM
Japheth. According to tradition, Japheth was the ancestor of the peoples we now know as Indo-Europeans. Genetically, the people who now populate most of Europe (the Indo-Europeans) have their origins in the Middle East (Piazza). Gamkrelidze and Ivanov argue that the Indo-European homeland is to be located in historic Armenia. Tools of Mesopotamian types have been excavated in the Caucasus dating to ca. 2000 BC (Venadsky, Ancient Russia, 29). In Indian mythology, the eldest son of the Flood hero was named Iyapeti. There may also be a connection with the mythical figures Iapetos (the first man in Greek mythology), Pra-Japati (Indian), and Djapatischta ("Chief of the Race," Indo-Iranian).
Shem. Rohl, following Poebel and Kramer, suggests that Shem may have been the eponym for which Sumer (or Shumer) was named (Legend, 126-135). This contention is bolstered by the fact that, in the Indian Flood myth, one of the three sons of the Flood hero is named Sharma. A simple metathesis would convert sh-m-r into sh-r-m, and thus equate all three names. The Shemites may thus be understood as the people who repopulated southern Mesopotamia immediately after the Flood. As a corollary, this theory would imply that ethnic Shemites originally spoke Sumerian and not a "Semitic" language.
Ham. The Egyptians called their country Khem ("Black"), and it is possible that this veils a reference to Ham, the father of Mizraim. Egypt is called "the land of Ham" in Ps 105:23. There is a possible verbal connection to the Indian flood myth, in which one of the flood hero's three sons is named C'harma.
3500	3050-2950	Probable era of Cush, son of Ham. Rohl equates with Sumerian Meskiagkasher, first king of Uruk after the Flood (Legend, 209-210). According to the Sumerian King List, "Meskiagkasher went down to the sea and came out to the mountains." Rohl interprets this as a sea voyage, re-translating, "Meskiagkasher journeyed across the sea and came ashore in a mountainous land." This he equates with an expedition to the Red Sea coast of Africa--the highlands of Ethiopia. This is also the probable era of Mizraim, son of Ham. Mizraim is associated with Egypt and should be dated near the beginning of the Naqada II period (conventionally, 3500-3200 BC). Rohl is unclear but apparently dates him to somewhat before 2900 BC in his "New Chronology." As a Semitic name, Mizraim might mean "follower (or worshiper) of Asar." Asar was another name for the Mesopotamian god Marduk; who came to be called Ausar (Osiris) in Egypt. There is no reason Mizraim and Cush cannot be contemporaries. Cush "discovered" the African coast and established a trading post. Perhaps several decades later, Mizraim led an invading party and conquered Egypt.
3000	3000-2900	Earliest evidence of Phoenician (i.e., Canaanite) settlements in Palestine. According to Lebanese tradition, the Phoenicians were originally from the area of "the Red Sea," a term originally used to describe the Persian Gulf. This suggests a connection with Mesopotamian explorers somehow connected with Cush and Mizraim. Around this time, these early Canaanites sail along the Mediterranean coast, making contact with Mesopotamian colonies of northern Syria and the upper Euphrates through the newly established ports at Byblos and Ugarit [EE 89].
3300-3200	2900-2800	Probable era of Nimrod, son of Cush. Rohl equates him with the Sumerian Enmerkar or Enmerukar ("Enmeru the Hunter"), son of Meskiagkasher (Legend, 203-208). According to the Sumerian text "Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta," he introduced worship of the goddess Inanna to Uruk. He is also stated to be the first king of Uruk to record his deeds on clay tablets. This would place him at the beginning of the Uruk IV period, which saw the development of cuneiform script and the blossoming of Sumerian civilization. In Rohl's "New Chronology," Enmeru adopted Inanna as the patron goddess of Uruk in 2852. A kingdom in the land of Shinar (southern Mesopotamia) is ascribed to Nimrod that included the cities of Babel, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh. He is also described as the builder of the Assyrian cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen (Moody Atlas of Bible Lands, 77).
The Tower of Babel. Archeological evidence is abundant for a structure like the Tower of Babel. The biblical description of the building technology fits nicely with what is known of early Sumerian practices (Ge 11:3). The biblical author takes special notice both of kiln-fired bricks (in Israel, sun-dried bricks were the rule) and the use of bitumen as mortar (in Israel, mud mortar was used). It is reasonable that the biblical author would have described these foreign building practices. The Tower of Babel was not a ziggurat--these step-pyramid structures were still centuries in the future at the time of Nimrod. There is evidence, however, of "prototypes" dating back to the Uruk period. If anything, the Genesis narrative indicates that the Tower of Babel was definitely a "failed prototype." On the confusion of languages, see here.
3100-2900	2800-2700	Development of more extensive canal systems in Sumeria in the Jemdet Nasr period is possibly related to the life of Peleg, “in whose days the land was divided” (Ge 10:25) The Hebrew root p-l-g was originally applied to division by water, particularly with respect to irrigation canals. Whenever peleg is used as a common noun in the Old Testament, it involves water: streams, channels, etc. There was a Mesopotamian city named Phalgu or Paliga near the junction of the Euphrates and Habur rivers. This may be a toponym for Peleg.
3100	2781	Unification of the Egyptian kingdom.
2600	(2600-2500)	Possible era of Reu, son of Peleg. Ra'u or Ra'ilu is the name of an island in the Euphrates River just below the city of Anat. It was known to the Greeks as Ragau, which is how the LXX renders the name Reu.
2500-2200		First Indo-Europeans begin to settle in the Danube valley of eastern Europe.
2400	(2400-2300)	Possible era of Serug, son of Reu. Serug may have been the eponymous ancestor of the northern Mesopotamian town know to the Assyrians as Sarugi, to the west of Haran in the Balikh River basin. It is halfway between Haran and the Euphrates.
2200	(2200-2100)	Possible era of Nahor, son of Serug. The name "Nahor" is perhaps preserved in the northern Mesopotamian city of Nakhir or Nakhuru, located southeast of Haran. In the second millennium BC, Nakhuru was an important Assyrian administrative center. Texts from the first half of the first millennium call this place Til-Nakhiri, "the Ruin of Nakhir." Alternatively, the name may have been derived from Nahor's grandson and namesake, the son of Terah. Egyptian monuments make mention of the Naharain, apparently a people of this region.
"Ur of the Chaldeans." The biblical Ur has from the early 20th century been associated with the ancient city in the heartland of Sumer. Further investigation, however, has led many to question this association. First, the Bible never refers merely to "Ur," but always to "Ur of the Chaldeans" (Ge 11:28, 31; 15:7; Neh 9:7; cf. Ac 7:4). Such a constant qualification suggests that the biblical writers wanted to distinguish the place of Abram's emigration from the famous city with the same name. Second, the "Chaldeans" seem to be rather consistently associated with northern Mesopotamia. The word translated "Chaldeans" is kasdim in Hebrew. There is some evidence that the “Chaldeans” originated in the north and only migrated south many centuries after Abraham. Xenophon, writing in the fifth century BC, noted that the Chaldeans blocked the way to Armenia, on which country they bordered. In another passage he mentioned the Chaldeans in connection with the Carduchi, who are identifiable with the Kurds, the people of Kurdistan today. Elsewhere, he wrote that the Chaldeans were "neighbors" to the Armenians and "owners" of the mountains of Anatolia. Strabo and Xenophon place chaldaioi in Anatolia, in an area called Tagashta by the Hittites—perhaps meaning land (ta) of the Gashti—"land of the kasdim"? Third, if on the other hand kasdim is related to the patriarchal ancestor Chesed (Ge 22:22) and the phrase becomes "Ur of the region of the Chesedites," one is still left with the conclusion that a northern location is intended, since Chesed's descendants settled in Paddan-Aram (northern Mesopotamia, Ge 24:10). Fourth, according to Genesis 24 and 28, Abraham's homeland was located near Paddan-Aram. Fifth, Mesopotamian literature does in fact mention a "northern Ur," as attested in the archival materials such as those from Alalakh, Ugarit, Hattusha, and Ebla. In documents recovered from Nuzi, Ugarit, and Ebla, this "northern Ur" is known as Ur, Ura, or Urau. Although its precise location remains elusive, many identify it with modern Urfa, known to the Greeks as Edessa, which was formerly called Orrha or Orhai (Urhay). The entire region of northern Mesopotamia was formerly called Uri or Ura by non-Semitic peoples and Akkad by Semites. Finally, wherever Mesopotamian cultural influences seem to be reflected in the patriarchal narratives (e.g., levirate marriage, polygamy, genealogical inheritance, population makeup, etc.), northern Mesopotamia usually provides the suitable cultural parallel. Southern (Babylonian) influence, as far as we know, is almost totally lacking from the patriarchal narratives. The combination of all these factors leads us to place Abraham’s Ur in the northern sectors of Mesopotamia (Barry J. Beitzel, The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands [Moody, 1985], 80; see also "Where Was Abraham's Ur").
2000	(2000-1900)	Possible era of Terah, son of Nahor. Terah may have been the eponymous ancestor of the town known to first millennium Assyrian texts as Til-Turakhi or "the Ruin of Turakh." This town was located in the Balikh river basin near Haran. A recent DNA study (Hammer, et al.) has concluded that many Jews, Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese are descended from a common male ancestor. This is consistent with the Bible's depiction of the descendants of Jacob as connected by strong family ties with numerous peoples who lived in northern Mesopotamia, Canaan, northern Arabia, and the Sinai. According to Genesis, all of these groups were descendants of Terah, who lived around this time. ("Jews are Genetic Brothers of Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese" [Science Daily, May 9, 2000]. See also here.)

"IN THE BEGINNING"
18 - 12 billion	Approximate time of the "Big Bang" and the creation of the universe, according to physicists. Rabbi Isaac of Akko (13th cent. AD) devised a calculation by which the universe was 15.34 billion years old. The calculation proceeds as follows: According to b.Sanhedrin 97a, "The world will exist for six thousand years, and in the seven thousandth year, it will be destroyed." Some ancient and medieval kabbalists (such as Nehunya ben Ha-Kanah in Sefer Ha-Temunah, ca. AD 100) expressed the view that these seven thousand years run parallel to the Jewish Sabbatical cycle, in which the fields are planted for six years and left unplanted in the seventh (Lev 25:4). After seven Sabbatical years comes the Jubilee year. The 7,000 years are thus one Sabbatical cycle within the larger Jubilee cycle. By this theory, the universe must exist for a total of 49,000 years. What Sabbatical cycle are we currently in? Derush Ohr Ha-Hayim says that we are in the second cycle, whereas Livnat Ha-Sapir says we are in the seventh, as did Nehunya. According to these opinions, then, the world would have been, respectively, either 7,000 or 42,000 years old when Adam and Eve were created. Isaac suggested that, since the Sabbatical cycles existed before Adam, time before Adam must be measured in divine years rather than human years. And as Psalm 90:4 states, "For a thousand years in your sight are but like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night." Isaac, who held that we are in the seventh Sabbatical cycle, thus posited 1,000 years (human time) = one day (divine time). He suggested one could take the figure of 42,000 years before Adam and multiply it by 365,250 to get the correct figure in human years. This calculation yields a result of 15.34 billion years for the age of the universe when Adam was created.
5,000,000 - 200,000	Various pre-Adamic hominids: 5,000,000: Australopithecus ramidus, the earliest known species of genus Australopithecus. 2,200,000: Homo habilis, earliest known species of genus Homo. 2,000,000: Homo erectus. 400,000: Archaic Homo sapiens. 200,000: Homo sapiens neandertalensis.
The Common Ancestor(s) of All Humans. Mark Humphrys notes there are five ways to find the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of all humans alive today. The first two, genetics and archeology, cannot find the MRCA, but the last three, mathematical models, computer simulations, and history, can--and they all agree. Genetic studies have identified some purported common ancestors of all humans alive today, such as "Mitochondrial Eve" (200,000 - 100,000 BC) and "Y Chromosome Adam" (88,000 - 33,000 BC). The limitations of such studies for identifying the MRCA are noted here. Furthermore, a 1997 study observed a substitution rate in mitochondrial DNA approximately twenty times faster than estimates derived from phylogenetic analysis (Parsons, et al.). If verified, this observation would place “Mitochondrial Eve” within the Neolithic period--perhaps ca. 4500 BC? See also Plaisted 's summary on mtDNA mutation rates. Mathematical models, computer simulations, and history all suggest the MRCA lived in historical times. In a groundbreaking study, Rohde et al., using realistic models of migration and geographic isolation, estimate that the MRCA for the entire world lived ca. 1415 BC - AD 55! This work is summarized here and here. Another interesting result of the mathematical models is that, not long before the MRCA, everyone in the population is either the ancestor of everyone alive today or the ancestor of no one alive today. This is called the "All Common Ancestors" (APA) point or the "Identical Ancestors" (IA) point. The Rohde study suggested the APA point to have been between 5353-2158 BC. Conclusion: It would seem possible that, even with a lot of geographical separation, the MRCA of the entire world is still within historical times. Rohde et al. suggest he lived in East Asia. Humphrys believes it is “quite likely” that the entire world is descended from the Egyptian royal house, ca. 1600 BC, reasoning that, since it seems likely that they are the ancestors of some people alive today (their line propagated for centuries and it is unlikely to have completely died out), they are probably the ancestors of all people alive today. Finally, it should be noted that all of these purported common ancestors are moving targets. Mitochondrial Eve, Y-Chromosome Adam, and the MRCA, are only defined relative to the the world in its current state (i.e., at the present time). If we lived 2000 years ago, there would be a different MRCA. And someone alive today is the MRCA for the world as it will exist several thousand years in the future. If the mathematicians are correct, there is no inherent difficulty in supposing that, at some point in the distant past, the MRCA was in fact a Neolithic farmer in the Fertile Crescent. Furthermore, it suggests that claims of far-flung peoples to be some of the Lost Tribes of Israel (see also here, here, and here) deserve to be given a fair hearing and not dismissed out of hand.

"ONE THOUSAND GENERATIONS"
According to the Talmud, humans existed for 974 generations prior to Adam (b.Hagigah 13b). This figure is derived from Ps 105:8: "He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations." The rabbis interpreted this to mean God was preparing to establish his covenant with Israel for 1,000 generations. Since Moses was considered to have been in the 26th generation from Adam, there must have been 974 pre-Adamic generations. Of course, it is highly probable that "one thousand generations" should be taken as a figurative number: a complete number of generations. Even so, it is significant that the early rabbis had no difficulties with the suggestion of human beings prior to Adam. Assuming for the sake of argument that "one thousand generations" carries some degree of chronological precision, there is an intriguing possibility. With a biblical estimate of forty years per generation (Dt 2:14; Ps 95:10, etc.), a date of 41,500-41,200 BC would correspond to "one thousand generations" prior to the giving of the Mosaic law. This date corresponds rather closely with the "cultural big bang" that ushered in the Upper Paleolithic period. It was at this time that behaviorally modern humans first made their mark in the world.
43,000 - 38,000	Upper Paleolithic technology marks the appearance of behaviorally modern humans. Advances include: A larger, more elaborate tool kit Use of bone, antler, and other materials in addition to stone Production of ornamental artifacts Construction of elaborate shelters Increased use of exotic (non-local) raw material in toolmaking Humans first settle in the Middle East (Spencer Wells, The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey [Random House, 2004]).
11,000 - 8,000	Natufian culture, earliest inhabitants of Palestine.

Bible Timeline I

[Genesis 1-11 | to 2000 BC]