At http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/age-of-worlds-oldes… … we find that the Early Neolithic in central Europe was not just about farming or husbandry but also involved sophisticated carpentry. The so called Linear Pottery Culture flourished in the 6th millennium BCF, between 5600 and 4900BC. Four wood lined wells have been unearthed by archaeologists, surviving intact as they were below the water table – along with various wooden relics and implements, bark vessels, fibre cords, and of course, the pottery. The dates were derived using dendrochronology, establishing the date the wells were lined as between 5206 and 5098BC.
Meanwhile, at www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/12/image-of-the-day-aboriginal-cave-a… …. we discover that in the remote Kimberley country of NW Australia, dry and inhospitable, was once much more agreeable as a place to live – until 5500 years ago. The endemic culture is said to have collapsed, or moved on, as a result of rapid climate change – at, or around, 3200BC (but here dated 3500 years ago). This is the time when Neolithic monuments were being built in Britain, and elsewhere in Europe and beyond, which may indicate a common factor was involved, altering global climate. One group of rock paintings has been dated between 17,000 (the end of the last Ice Age) and 5000 years ago (3000BC) and another group of painting from 4000 years ago (after 2000BC, or thereabouts). For some 1500 years there was no sign of activity in this part of the Kimberleys and all the evidence suggests that drought was responsible for some of that lapse in time (see also www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2012/2012GL053916.shtml