Human Epoch

The Human Epoch is a term used by historians to describe the entire volume of human history since humanity gained dominance over the planet. It begins with the Age of Empires and continues to the current day. It was preceded by the Elven Epoch, which is believed to have ended when humanity discovered the smelting and crafting of iron, and subsequently steel, weaponry.

Were the human race to become no longer the dominant race on the planet, then a new epoch would be declared. The Human Epoch is known to have started at least six thousand years ago, but is estimated to have begun as many as twelve thousand years old. There are some scholars, (often argued against,) who speculate that the first human empires may have been founded even as far back as thirty thousand years ago.