The earliest human structures found were from 380,000 years ago in France... seasonal branch and stone huts. Ice age huts made of mammoth bones were found in many places, including the Ukraine, dating from 15,000 years ago. As the climate warmed, man began settling down more and started harvesting crops. This ushered in the Neolithic era (10,000-12,000 years ago).
Civilization began about 7,500 years ago, around the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, with more complex societies and larger settlements, creating the first cities.
Organized religion gave inspiration for the construction of religious structures. One of the earliest was the Ziggurat of Ur, around 4,000 years ago (2,000 BC). By 2680 BC Egypt had likewise developed into a large, sophisticated society with the building of tombs and pyramids, the first of which was the pyramid of Cheops, built in step-like fashion.
