This text surveys Italy in the 3rd through the 2nd millennium BC, covering Chalcolithic and Bronze Age cultures, volcanic eruptions, and the arrival of Indo-European and other groups, setting the stage for early urban settlements and trade networks across the peninsula and islands. 3RD MILLENNIUM – 2ND MILLENNIUM BC I. Gaudo Culture (Chalcolithic, Campania) II. c. 3000 BC III. Late 3rd Millennium BC IV. c. 2000 BC V. Early 2nd Millennium BC (c. 1900 – 1800 BC) VI. Mid-2nd Millennium BC (c. 1780 – 1600 BC) VII. Late 2nd Millennium BC (c. 1500 – 1400 BC) VIII. Late Bronze Age Migrations and Settlements (c. 1360 – 1100 BC) IX. Early…

This text offers a concise prehistoric timeline of Italy, from dinosaur fossils and early hominids to volcanic eruptions, Neolithic settlements, and the rise of megalithic temples. PREHISTORY I. Lower Paleolithic (c. 1,300,000 – 150,000 BC) II. Middle Paleolithic (c. 150,000 – 40,000 BC) III. Late (Upper) Paleolithic (c. 40,000 – 10,000 BC) IV. Transition to the Mesolithic (c. 9500 – 7000 BC) V. Early Neolithic (c. 7000 – 6000 BC) VI. Later Neolithic (c. 6000 – 4500 BC) VII. Toward the Copper Age and Early Bronze Age (c. 4150 – 3000 BC)