0 years

Human extinction

The last human dies. Cities begin immediate decay. Roads crack, bridges fall, satellites burn up over centuries.

10,000 years

The Great Forgetting

Human structures are buried, collapsed, or reclaimed by forest. Plastic persists. Concrete crumbles.

1 million years

First stone tools

Raccoon descendants begin modifying rocks for cutting. Intentional material culture emerges outside hominids.

5 million years

Fire tamed

The procyonid lineage learns to maintain lightning-caused embers for warmth and protection.

15 million years

Shelter construction

Permanent wood and stone structures appear. Smoke rises from central fires. The first villages form.

50 million years

The New Civilization

A non-human species achieves writing, metallurgy, and urban planning. Earth’s second civilization rises.