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Gobekli Tepe in Turkey shows overwhelmingly that there was complex civilization around 12,000 years ago (9600 BC--7300 BC). There was impressive stone architecture, carvings of animals, some extinct, and at some point the inhabitants completely buried the entire complex (which was vast) in dirt, and for reasons unknown, abandoned the site. It was discovered fairly recently by a Turkish farmer kicking rocks in his field, and formal excavations began in 1995.
But until then the thought was that civilization began about 5,000 years ago in Sumeria. So all the scientists and archaeologists and historians had to radically rethink the origins of civilization, and what that meant. I think the same probably applies to what we refer to as the iron Age, and other ages for that fact.
Our knowledge is only as good as that which we can see, touch or read. There's probably numerous paradigm changing things yet to be found that will alter lots of that which we believe to be the current dominant thought. Pays to keep an open mind.
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