The World is known as Aerth, and has existed for a minimum of 42,000 years according to the elvenfolk; however there is evidence that the Aerth is actually much older than legends would suggest, and predates the existence of sentine life. This is hotly argued by religous scholars who insist that the chosen people were created at the dawn of the world, but who can't agree with which religion or which people were actually responsible. As such, interest in 'prehistory' artifacts and fossils is of great interest to many cultures, some of which even study them.
The scientific method has taken hold in society; mana is the primary source of power and technological innovation, with many modern developments such as firearms, radio and cellular communication, television, and such having a mystical equivalent. Alchemy has developed to the point of chemical analysis. The nuclear bomb has been replaced with the idea of devices that obliterate mana explosively from an environment.