World eras can be useful for worldbuilders, as they immediately provide a wealth of elements to incorporate into a setting. However designers choosing an era will want to be wary of including anachronistic elements that can cause internal inconsistencies, especially if that era is highly specific or highly relevant to any narratives.

Historical Eras

Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age): Approximately 2.6 million to 10,000 years ago. Humans were hunter-gatherers, developing simple stone tools and gradually migrating across the globe.

Mesolithic Era Approximately 10,000 to 8,000 years ago. A transitional period marked by the beginning of domestication of animals and plants.

Neolithic Era (New Stone Age): Approximately 8,000 to 3,000 years ago. Marked by the development of agriculture, domestication of animals, and the rise of settled communities, laying the groundwork for civilizations.

Bronze Age: Approximately 3300 to 1200 BCE. Characterized by the use of bronze tools and weapons, leading to advancements in technology and warfare.

Iron Age: Approximately 1200 BCE to the beginning of the 1st millennium CE. The widespread adoption of iron led to significant developments in agriculture, weaponry, and societal structures.

Ancient Greece: Approximately 800 to 146 BCE. A period of remarkable philosophical, artistic, and political development, laying the foundations for Western civilization.

Roman Empire: Approximately 27 BCE to 476 CE. A vast empire that dominated much of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, known for its engineering, law, and administrative systems.

Early Middle Ages: Approximately 500 to 1000 CE. A period of rebuilding and consolidation following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, characterized by feudalism and the rise of the Catholic Church.

High Middle Ages: Approximately 1000 to 1300 CE. A period of economic growth, urbanization, and cultural flourishing, marked by the Crusades and Gothic architecture.

Late Middle Ages: Approximately 1300 to 1500 CE. A period of social and economic upheaval, including the Black Death, Hundred Years’ War, and the decline of feudalism.

Renaissance: Approximately 14th to 17th centuries. A period of cultural and intellectual rebirth, characterized by humanism, art, and scientific exploration.

Age of Exploration: Approximately 15th to 17th centuries. European powers embarked on voyages of discovery, leading to colonization, trade, and global exchange.

Early Modern Period: Approximately 1500 to 1800. A transitional period marked by the rise of nation-states, absolutism, and the Scientific Revolution.

Enlightenment: Approximately 17th to 18th centuries. A philosophical and intellectual movement emphasizing reason, individualism, and progress.

Industrial Revolution: Late 18th to early 19th centuries. A period of rapid industrial and technological advancement, transforming societies and economies.

Imperialism: Late 19th to early 20th centuries. European powers established empires across the globe, leading to colonization and exploitation.

World War I: 1914 to 1918. A global conflict that caused widespread devastation and marked a turning point in world history.

Interwar Period: 1919 to 1939. A period of economic instability, political tensions, and the rise of extremist ideologies. Dieselpunk worlds

World War II: 1939 to 1945. A global conflict that resulted in the defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, and the emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers.

Cold War: Approximately 1947 to 1991. A geopolitical and ideological rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, characterized by proxy wars and nuclear tension.

Post-Cold War Era: 1991 onwards. A period marked by globalization, technological advancements, and shifting geopolitical power dynamics.

Information Age: Late 20th century onwards. Characterized by the rapid development of information technology and its impact on society, economy, and culture.

Near Future Eras

Near future eras occur within the next few hundred years and depending on the world can vary widely in tone and genre. They are often characterized by emerging new technologies. Space travel is typically still contained to near orbit and possibly Mars and the asteroid belts, however in most cases worlds set in these eras focus on life on Earth.

Cyberpunk: A near future that envisions the utter dominance of capitalism and massive corporations at the expense of common people.

Solarpunk: A near future that envisions an agriculturally-centered society with a focus on maintaining healthy ecosystems through sustainability and new technologies.

Post-Apocalyptic: Typically near future settings that imagine life after an apocalyptic event.

Mid future eras often focus on the immediate local solar system and the power struggles that occur after humanity has left the confines of Earth and begun to venture farther abroad. Colonization of Mars, the asteroid belts, and other locations within the solar system has likely occurred. The colonization of alien planets in nearby solar systems may be in its infancy. Often these settings focus on the various factions within the solar system and their power struggles. First contact with alien species may or may not have occurred.

Far future eras depict a setting that spans the cosmos. Often humans and aliens intermix in galaxy-spanning civilizations and conflict between interstellar factions can carve across solar systems.