Anthropological Evidence
Modern humans arose at a time when the Earth was going through a very cold and icy period called the Ice Age, which began about 75,000 years ago and ended about 10,000 years ago. The Ice Age was at its most severe about 18,000 years ago, a point which coincides with the development of prehistoric art, represented by colourful images painted on cave walls and rock shelters, Many thousands of carved and engraved pieces of bone and ivory have been discovered from the same period. A great majority of images are, indeed, of animals we can recognize, especially images of reindeer and bisons are plentiful; while paintings of people are strangely absent.
The general view about agriculture is that, at the end of the last Ice Age, i.e. about 10,000 years ago, there was a dramatic global shift in the human pattern of living from nomadic hunting and food gathering to settlements producing food. The discovery that sprinkling of grain could lead to crops and hence to lot of food, must have had a big impact on social living. Settled living probably led to increase of population, as also to development of music and dance to occupy the leisure. Language and communication must have developed, as also a capacity to wonder and to reflect about nature.