The Thirteenth's time line flow (POSSIBLE SPOILERS)

[Eloah]

A "thousand thousand" is also used poetically in the game to mean a large but non-specific number. And to "precede" is to come before. Therefore, the span of time prior to the first calamity, which at the point of writing was a mystery.

The exact line is speculating the "evolution of [mankind] in the thousand thousand years preceding the first calamity", so setting up the question of an evolutionary vs mythical origin for the human races - although in this case the mythical seems to have won out.

I am aware, I was updating my response to better fit what I was actually trying to imply. Instead of just trying to look "smart" but showcasing how ill informed I was.

Updating in a phone is not fun, T.T