Regional adoption

This section marks which society first adopted a key innovation within each of the 11 major world regions – East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Southwest Asia, Europe, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, North America, South America and Oceania – beginning with the first overall to develop the technology.

Adoption of bureaucracy by world region

(Refers to the adoption of full-time administrative specialists)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Bronze Age Susa	Southwest Asia	early 4th millennium BCE
Pre-dynastic Egypt	North Africa	mid-4th millennium BCE
Indus Valley, urban period	South Asia	late 3rd millennium BCE
Minoan Crete	Europe	early 2nd millennium BCE
Shang dynasty	East Asia	late 2nd millennium BCE
Baiyue kingdoms	Southeast Asia	4th century BCE
Kangju Federation	Central Asia	2nd century BCE
Teotihuacan	North America	3rd century CE
Peru, late intermediate period	South America	13th century CE
Ashanti Empire	Sub-Saharan Africa	18th century CE
Colonial period Papua New Guinea, Orokaiva peoples	Oceania	18th century CE

Adoption of state postal service by world region

(Refers to the adoption of dedicated communications infrastructure)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Achaemenid Empire	Southwest Asia	6th century BCE
Qin Empire	East Asia	4th century BCE
Mauryan Empire	South Asia	4th century BCE
Ptolemaic kingdom	North Africa	3rd century BCE
Roman Principate	Europe	1st century BCE
Mongolian Empire	Central Asia	13th century CE
Peru, Spanish colonial period	South America	16th century CE
Ayutthaya kingdom	Southeast Asia	16th century CE
Mississippi Valley, French colonial period	North America	17th century CE
Innovation remained absent until modern period or evidence is unavailable for these regions	Sub-Saharan Africa Oceania

Adoption of a formalised law code by world region

(Refers to the adoption of a formal code of rules/procedures, usually but not always written)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Ur Kingdom dynasty III	Southwest Asia	late 3rd millennium BCE
Old Kingdom Egypt	North Africa	early 2nd millennium BCE
Minoan Crete	Europe	8th century BCE
State of Chu	East Asia	5th century BCE
Mauryan Empire	South Asia	4th century BCE
Greco-Bactrian kingdom	Central Asia	3rd century BCE
Funan kingdom	Southeast Asia	3rd century CE
Wagadu kingdom of Ghana	Sub-Saharan Africa	11th century CE
Killke period Inca	South America	13th century CE
Aztec Empire	North America	15th century CE
Kingdom of Hawaii, post-Kamehameha period	Oceania	19th century CE

Adoption of calendars by world region

(Refers to the adoption of a formalised written system for marking time/seasons)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Early Bronze Age Susa	Southwest Asia	early 4th millennium BCE
Early Dynastic Egypt	North Africa	late 4th millennium BCE
China, Erlitou culture	East Asia	early 2nd millennium BCE
Minoan Crete	Europe	mid-2nd millennium BCE
Basin of Mexico, late classic period	North America	6th century BCE
Mauryan Empire	South Asia	4th century BCE
Baiyue kingdoms	Southeast Asia	3rd century BCE
Greco-Bactrian kingdom	Central Asia	3rd century BCE
Wagadu kingdom of Ghana	Sub-Saharan Africa	11th century CE
Peru, Spanish colonial period	South America	16th century CE
Innovation remained absent until modern period or evidence is unavailable for this region	Oceania

Adoption of scientific literature by world region

(Refers to the adoption of writing concerning mathematics, natural sciences or social sciences)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Early Bronze Age Susa	Southwest Asia	early 4th millennium BCE
Early Dynastic Egypt	North Africa	late 4th millennium BCE
Western Zhou dynasty	East Asia	late 2nd millennium BCE
Roman Republic	Europe	6th century BCE
Mauryan Empire	South Asia	4th century BCE
Baiyue kingdoms	Southeast Asia	3rd century BCE
Greco-Bactrian kingdom	Central Asia	3rd century BCE
Mayan period Mesoamerica	North America	8th century CE
Songhai Empire	Sub-Saharan Africa	16th century CE
Kingdom of Hawaii, post-Kamehameha period	Oceania	19th century CE
Innovation remained absent until modern period or evidence is unavailable for this region	South America

Adoption of fiction writing by world region

(Refers to the adoption of written fiction literature, including prose)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Old Kingdom Egypt	North Africa	mid-3rd millennium BCE
Akkadian Empire	Southwest Asia	late 3rd millennium BCE
Western Zhou dynasty	East Asia	late 2nd millennium BCE
Roman Republic	Europe	6th century BCE
Mauryan Empire	South Asia	4th century BCE
Baiyue kingdoms	Southeast Asia	3rd century BCE
Greco-Bactrian kingdom	Central Asia	3rd century BCE
Wagadu kingdom of Ghana	Sub-Saharan Africa	11th century CE
Peru, Spanish colonial period	South America	16th century CE
Mississippi Valley, French colonial period	North America	17th century CE
Innovation remained absent until modern period or evidence is unavailable for this region	Oceania

Adoption of monogamy by world region

(Refers to the adoption of monogamy as widely practised, either by law or custom)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Ur Kingdom city-state III	Southwest Asia	late 3rd millennium BCE
New Kingdom Egypt	North Africa	mid-2nd millennium BCE
Oaxaca Valley, Rosario culture	North America	8th century BCE
Roman kingdom	Europe	8th century BCE
Ganga Valley, Mahajanapada era	South Asia	7th century BCE
Kalingga kingdom	Southeast Asia	6th century CE
Colombia, Tairona peoples	South America	11th century CE
Innovation remained absent until Central Asia modern period or evidence is East Asia unavailable for these regions Oceania	Sub-Saharan Africa

Adoption of rule by god-kings by world region

(Refers to the adoption of the idea that rulers are living gods, either by formal declaration or widespread belief)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Naqada period Egypt	North Africa	mid-4th millennium BCE
Minoan Crete	Europe	early 2nd millennium BCE
Qin Empire	East Asia	4th century BCE
Seleucid kingdom	Southwest Asia	3rd century BCE
Greco-Bactrian kingdom	Central Asia	3rd century BCE
Satavahana Empire	South Asia	2nd century BCE
Kofun kingdom	East Asia	3rd century CE
Killke period Inca	South America	11th century CE
Innovation remained absent until modern period or evidence is unavailable for these regions	North America Sub-Saharan Africa Oceania

Adoption of firearms by world region

(Refers to the adoption of hand-held gunpowder devices, such as muskets, pistols and rifles)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Yuan dynasty	East Asia	13th century CE
Valois kingdom	Europe	14th century CE
Ottoman Empire	Southwest Asia	15th century CE
Ottoman Empire	North Africa	15th century CE
Mamluk sultanate	North Africa	15th century CE
Delhi sultanate	South Asia	15th century CE
Mataram kingdom	Southeast Asia	16th century CE
Oneota Mississippi Valley peoples	North America	16th century CE
Spanish Empire	South America	16th century CE
Khanate of Bukhara	Central Asia	17th century CE
Ashanti kingdom	Sub-Saharan Africa	18th century CE
Kamehameha’s kingdom Hawaii	Oceania	18th century CE

Adoption of paper currency by world region

(Refers to the adoption of paper money as legal tender)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Western Han Empire	East Asia	3rd century BCE
Delhi sultanate	South Asia	13th century CE
Ilkhanate	Central Asia	13th century CE
Papal States	Europe	17th century CE
Mississippi Valley, French colonial period	North America	18th century CE
Peru, Spanish colonial period	South America	18th century CE
Rattanakosin kingdom	Southeast Asia	19th century CE
Brooke Raj, colonial Borneo	Oceania	19th century CE
Ottoman Empire	Southwest Asia	19th century CE
Ottoman Empire	North Africa	19th century CE
Innovation remained absent until modern period or evidence is unavailable for this region	Sub-Saharan Africa

Adoption of Irrigation systems by world region

(Refers to the adoption and widespread use of any hydraulic infrastructure, such as large reservoirs, cisterns, canals and aqueducts)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Naqada period Egypt	North Africa	early 4th millennium BCE
Chalcolithic period Pakistan	South Asia	early 4th millennium BCE
Bronze Age Susa	Southwest Asia	early 4th millennium BCE
Sarazm peoples	Central Asia	mid-4th millennium BCE
France, Beaker culture	Europe	late 4th millennium BCE
Shang dynasty	East Asia	late 2nd millennium BCE
Baiyue kingdoms	Southeast Asia	4th century BCE
Peru, formative period culture	South America	3rd century CE
Oaxaca, Monte Albán period	North America	4th century CE
Jenné-jenno culture	Sub-Saharan Africa	5th century CE
Big Island Hawaii, pre-unification period	Oceania	13th century CE

Adoption of state-wide provision of drinking water by world region

(Refers to the adoption of publicly accessible sources of drinking water, such as public fountains, reservoirs and wells)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Indus Valley, urban period	South Asia	mid-3rd millennium BCE
Bronze Age Canaanite city-states	Southwest Asia	late 3rd millennium BCE
Iron Age Crete	Europe	early 1st millennium BCE
Achaemenid Empire	Central Asia	6th century BCE
Wei State, Warring States period	East Asia	5th century BCE
Egypt, inter-occupation period	North Africa	5th century BCE
Oaxaca, Monte Albán period	North America	4th century BCE
Funan kingdom	Southeast Asia	3rd century CE
Wari Empire	South America	7th century CE
Hawaiian kingdom	Oceania	19th century CE
Innovation remained absent until modern period or evidence is unavailable for this region	Sub-Saharan Africa

Adoption of public markets by world region

(Refers to the adoption of publicly accessible open spaces for commerce, congregation and information exchange)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Old Kingdom Egypt	North Africa	3rd millennium BCE
Awan dynasty Elam	Southwest Asia	3rd millennium BCE
Minoan Crete	Europe	2nd millennium BCE
Kingdom of Wu, Warring States period	East Asia	8th century BCE
Achaemenid Empire	Central Asia	6th century BCE
Indo-Greek kingdom	South Asia	2nd century BCE
Jenné-jenno culture	Sub-Saharan Africa	5th century CE
Angkor kingdom	Southeast Asia	9th century CE
Tairona cultures, Colombia	South America	11th century CE
Mississippi Valley, French colonial period	North America	17th century CE
Papua New Guinea, British colonial period	Oceania	19th century CE

Adoption of state-run libraries by world region

(Refers to the adoption of publicly built infrastructure for holding and disseminating knowledge)

Society	Region	Approx. time of adoption
Early Dynastic Egypt	North Africa	early 3rd millennium BCE
Shang dynasty	East Asia	late 2nd millennium BCE
Neo-Assyrian Empire	Southwest Asia	early 1st millennium BCE
Roman kingdom	Europe	8th century BCE
Seleucid Empire	Central Asia	3rd century BCE
Kushan Empire	South Asia	1st century CE
Funan kingdom	Southeast Asia	3rd century CE
Jenné-jenno culture	Sub-Saharan Africa	13th century CE
Innovation remained absent until modern period or evidence is North unavailable for these regions	America South America Oceania

Spread of agriculture, 10,000 BCE to 1880 CE

Spread of human sacrifice, 5000 BCE to 1880 CE

Spread of bronze, 3500 BCE to 2000 CE

Spread of writing, 3200 BCE to 1920 CE

Spread of moralising religion, 2100 BCE to 1900 CE

Spread of chariots, 2000 BCE to 1780 CE

Spread of iron, 1400 BCE to 1870 CE

Spread of cavalry, 1000 BCE to 1870 CE

Spread of coinage, 600 BCE to 1900 CE

Spread of gunpowder, 904-1945 CE