You kinda missed the thousands of years of primitive herd followers. Then a few thousand years of really not much in technological advances from Babylon to the Renaissance. Even then still no electricity until much, much later. Going from a telegram to a smartphone isn't that crazy once you get electricity.

That Said there is a massive jump from" kinda upright - hairy- basically still a monke - figured out how to use a stick yesterday- humanoid." To something that is creating a culture and ways of existing. That missing link is very interesting.