Early humans, known as Homo sapiens, emerged in Africa between 100,000 and 400,000 years ago and lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers who relied on wild plants and animals for survival. During the Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age), early humans invented the first stone tools, learned to control fire, lived in clans, and created some of the first cave art. In the subsequent Neolithic Era (New Stone Age), the development of agriculture led early humans to domesticate animals and establish more permanent settlements where they began creating pottery, advanced tools, and weaving.