| Year |
International
Relations &
Warfare |
Politics |
Science,
Technology & Discovery |
Society &
Culture |
Economics &
Daily Life |
| c. 10000 BCE |
|
|
|
|
(1) Dog first domesticated (Middle East)
(2) Development of intensive flock management in Zagros Mountains
|
| c. 8350 BCE |
|
|
Earliest known walled city at Jericho
|
|
|
| c. 8000 BCE |
|
|
|
|
(1) Potatoes and beans first cultivated in South
America
(2) Earliest permanent farming villages in Fertile Crescent
|
| c. 7500 BCE |
|
|
First manufacture of textiles in the Middle East using flax
|
|
|
| c. 7000 BCE |
|
|
|
|
Goats, sheep, and pigs domesticated (Middle East)
|
| c. 6200 BCE |
|
|
Copper smelting in Asia Minor
|
|
|
| c. 6000 BCE |
|
|
Irrigation in Zagros Mountains
|
|
(1) Cat domesticated (Northeast Africa)
(2) Cattle domesticated (Turkey)
|
| c. 5500 BCE |
|
|
Cotton cultivated in India
|
|
|
| c. 5200 BCE |
|
|
|
|
Chickens domesticated (China)
|
| c. 5000 BCE |
|
|
Irrigation spreads to Mesopotamia
|
|
|
| c. 4500 BCE |
|
|
Sail, plow, and potter's wheel invented in Mesopotamia
|
|
|
| c. 4300 BCE |
|
|
|
Megalithic tombs in Western Europe
|
c. 4300-3100; Spread of cities in Mesopotamia
|
| c. 4000 BCE |
|
|
|
|
Horse domesticated (Eurasian steppe)
|
| c. 3800 BCE |
|
|
Bronze in Mesopotamia
|
|
|
| c. 3650 BCE |
|
|
Wheeled vehicles in Mesopotamia
|
|
|
| c. 3500 BCE |
|
|
Pottery in South America
|
|
Permanent fishing villages in South America
|
| c. 3400 BCE |
|
|
Earliest hieroglyphics in Egypt
|
|
|
| c. 3150 BCE |
|
Unification of Egypt under King Menes
|
|
|
|
| 3000 BCE |
|
|
Sumerians develop Cuneiform writing
|
|
Potatoes, alpacas, and llamas domesticated (Andes Mountains)
|
| 2900 BCE |
|
|
Defensive walls around cities become more prevalent
|
|
|
| 2700 BCE |
|
|
|
Yin and Yang theory developed in China
|
Olive trees cultivated (Crete)
|
| 2630 BCE |
|
|
c. 2630; First pyramid constructed in Egypt; Imhotep is first known architect
|
|
|
| 2600 BCE |
|
|
|
|
(1) Urbanization in Indus River Valley
(2) Preservation of fish and poultry (Egypt)
|
| 2575 BCE |
|
c. 2575-2134; Old Kingdom of Egypt
|
|
|
|
| 2528 BCE |
|
|
c. 2528; Cheops buried in First Great Pyramid at Giza
|
|
|
| 2400 BCE |
|
|
First wheeled war wagons in Mesopotamia
|
|
|
| 2350 BCE |
|
Earliest known law code in Sumer
|
|
|
|
| 2334 BCE |
|
c. 2334-2193; Sargon unifies Sumer and Akkad, creating Akkadian Empire
|
|
c. 2334-2193; First deification of kings in Sumer
|
|
| 2300 BCE |
|
|
|
|
Earliest permanent farming villages in Mesoamerica
|
| 2296 BCE |
|
|
Chinese record a comet
|
|
|
| 2200 BCE |
|
Legendary Xia Dynasty in China
|
|
|
Dogs, goats, pigs, oxen, and sheep domesticated in China
|
| 2134 BCE |
|
Collapse of central authority in Egypt; End of Old Kingdom
|
|
|
|
| 2100 BCE |
|
|
|
First Ziggurats in Sumer
|
|
| 2040 BCE |
|
c. 2040-1650; Mentuhotep restores centralized government in Egypt marking the beginning of the Middle Kingdom
|
|
|
|
| 2000 BCE |
Hittites establish empire in Anatolia (modern Turkey)
|
c. 2000 - 1450; Minoan palace civilization on Crete
|
Decimal notation in Babylon
|
(1) Stonehenge in Southern England
(2) Epic of Gilgamesh is first written myth
|
Tea and bananas cultivated (India)
|
| 1813 BCE |
c. 1813-1781; Emergence of Assyrian power under Shamshi-Adad I
|
|
|
|
|
| 1800 BCE |
c. 1800-1750; Hammurabi establishes Babylonian Empire
|
c. 1800-1750; Hammurabi's Code is first written legal code
|
Irrigation in South America
|
Earliest prohibitions against pork among shepherd tribes in Middle East
|
|
| 1750 BCE |
|
|
|
Collapse of Indus River Valley civilization at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa
|
|
| 1700 BCE |
c. 1700-1650; Chariot-equipped Hyksos begin invasions and conquer Middle Kingdom Egypt
|
Rise of the palace civilization centered on Knossos on Crete
|
Spread of two-wheeled war chariot in Middle East
|
|
First evidence of leavened bread (Egypt)
|
| 1600 BCE |
|
(1) Rise of Mycenaean Civilization in mainland Greece
(2) c. 1600; First historical dynasty in China (The Shang)
|
(1) Canaanites invent first alphabet
(2) Pictographic writing in China
|
|
|
| 1550 BCE |
|
Ahmose reunites Egypt; c. 1550-1070; New Kingdom in Egypt
|
|
|
|
| 1500 BCE |
c. 1504-1492; Thutmose I expands Egypt into Palestine, Syria, and Nubia
|
|
Geometry developed in Egypt
|
|
(1) Silkworm domesticated (China)
(2) c. 1500 Rabbit domesticated (Europe)
|
| 1458 BCE |
|
Thutmose III ascends to Egyptian throne; First usage of the term Pharaoh
|
|
|
|
| 1450 BCE |
Mycenaean Greeks conquer Minoan Civilization on Crete
|
|
|
Brahma worship in India
|
|
| 1440 BCE |
|
|
First metalworking in South America
|
|
|
| 1400 BCE |
|
|
Iron Age begins in Asia Minor
|
|
Maize cultivation in Mesoamerica
|
| 1353 BCE |
|
|
|
Amenhotep IV introduces monotheism to Egypt
|
|
| 1350 BCE |
|
|
War chariot introduced to China
|
|
|
| 1333 BCE |
|
|
|
Tutankhaman (King Tut) reestablishes polytheism as official religion in Egypt
|
|
| 1200 BCE |
|
(1) c. 1200-400; Olmec Civilization in Mesoamerica
(2) c. 1200-1100; Bronze Age palaces destroyed throughout Mediterranean world
|
|
c. 1200-1100; Judaism established in Palestine
|
c. 1200-800; Rise of Phoenician maritime dominance in the Mediterranean
|
| 1150 BCE |
|
|
|
|
Aristocrats in Egypt use chairs
|
| 1122 BCE |
|
c. 1122-256; Zhou Dynasty in China
|
|
|
|
| 1100 BCE |
|
|
Phoenician traders begin spreading alphabet throughout Mediterranean
|
|
|
| 1070 BCE |
|
End of New Kingdom in Egypt
|
|
|
|
| 1047 BCE |
|
c. 1047-1007 BCE; Saul reigns as first Hebrew king in Judaea
|
|
|
|
| 1006 BCE |
c. 1006-965; David becomes king of Israel and conquers Jerusalem
|
|
|
|
|
| 957 BCE |
|
|
|
Solomon builds first Jewish temple in Jerusalem
|
|
| 900 BCE |
|
Etruscans establish cities in Tuscany
|
|
|
|
| 883 BCE |
c. 883-859; Revival of Assyrian power under Ashurnasirpal II
|
|
|
|
|
| 850 BCE |
|
|
|
c. 850-750; Approximate date of written transcriptions of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey from existing oral tradition
|
|
| 814 BCE |
|
Traditional date for the founding of Carthage
|
|
|
|
| 800 BCE |
|
|
(1) Hieroglyphic script in Mesoamerica
(2) c. 800-750; Development of Greek alphabet
|
Olmecs build pyramids in Central America (modern Mexico)
|
|
| 780 BCE |
|
c. 780-755; Alara establishes Napata Kingdom of Kush
|
|
|
|
| 776 BCE |
|
|
|
First Olympic Games held in Greece
|
|
| 772 BCE |
|
|
|
Construction begins on Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
|
|
| 771 BCE |
|
Destruction of the Zhou capital at Hào marks end of Western Zhou Dynasty in China; Beginning of Eastern Zhou Dynasty
|
|
|
|
| 753 BCE |
|
Traditional date of the founding of Rome
|
|
|
|
| 744 BCE |
c. 744-727; Tiglath-Pileser III succeeds in Assyria; Conquers Syria, Palestine, Israel, and Babylon
|
|
|
|
|
| 722 BCE |
Sargon II seizes power in Assyria; destroys the Kingdom of Israel
|
c. 722-481; Spring and Autumn Period in China; Decentralization and rise of powerful nobles
|
|
|
|
| 720 BCE |
|
|
Chinese record solar eclipse
|
|
|
| 700 BCE |
|
|
Aqueducts in the Middle East
|
|
|
| 671 BCE |
Assyrians conquer Egypt
|
|
|
|
|
| 660 BCE |
|
Legendary date for foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu; Celebrated in Japan as National Foundation Day
|
|
|
|
| 657 BCE |
|
Cypselus becomes first tyrant in Corinth
|
|
|
|
| 650 BCE |
|
|
|
|
First coins used by Lydians
|
| 621 BCE |
|
First written legal code in Athens attributed to Draco
|
|
|
|
| 612 BCE |
Babylonians sack Nineveh; Assyrian power collapses
|
|
|
|
|
| 609 BCE |
|
|
Nekan of Egypt launches first known circumnavigation of Africa
|
|
|
| 605 BCE |
Babylonians defeat last Assyrian army at Megiddo; End of Assyria as an independent kingdom
|
|
|
|
|
| 600 BCE |
c. 600; Greeks colonize southern France
|
|
|
c. 600; Sappho is priestess of love cult on Lesbos
|
|
| 594 BCE |
|
Solon's reforms in Athens
|
|
|
|
| 587 BCE |
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon destroys Jerusalem; Babylonian Captivity of the Jews begins
|
|
|
|
|
| 585 BCE |
|
|
Greek astronomer Thales predicts an eclipse
|
|
|
| 565 BCE |
|
|
|
Spread of Taoism in China
|
|
| 553 BCE |
|
|
|
c. 553; Death of Zoroaster; Teachings emphasizing monotheism and eschatology become official religion of Persian Empire
|
|
| 550 BCE |
|
Persian Empire unified by Cyrus II; Beginning of Achaemenid Dynasty
|
Earliest use of cast iron in China
|
|
|
| 539 BCE |
Babylonian empire conquered by Cyrus the Great of Persia
|
|
|
|
|
| 530 BCE |
|
|
Greek mathematician Pythagoras
|
|
|
| 522 BCE |
Darius I rises to power in Persia; Expands Persian Empire to its maximum extent
|
|
|
|
|
| 520 BCE |
|
|
Canal completed between the Nile River and Red Sea
|
|
|
| 515 BCE |
|
|
|
c. 515; Birth of Parmenides, who becomes founder of metaphysics
|
|
| 509 BCE |
|
Rome becomes a republic
|
|
|
|
| 508 BCE |
|
Cleisthenes' democratic reforms in Athens
|
|
|
|
| 500 BCE |
|
|
|
(1) c. 500; Polynesian culture develops in Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga
(2) Earliest versions of Sun Tzu's The Art of War
(3) Heraclitus becomes one of the earliest dialectical philosophers
|
c. 500 Honeybee domesticated (Europe)
|
| 499 BCE |
Ionian Revolt marks beginning of Persian-Greek Wars
|
|
|
|
|
| 498 BCE |
|
|
|
Pindar begins composing his Odes
|
|
| 495 BCE |
|
|
|
c. 495-483; Confucius teaches throughout China
|
|
| 490 BCE |
Athenians defeat Persians at Battle of Marathon
|
|
|
|
|
| 480 BCE |
(1) Greek fleet defeats Persian fleet at Battle of Salamis
(2) Spartan army under King Leonidas defeated by Persians at Battle of Thermopylae
|
c. 480-221; Warring States Period in China; Seven regional warlords fight for dominance in China
|
|
|
|
| 479 BCE |
Battles of Plataea and Mycale mark the end of Spartan leadership of the Greek coalition against Persia
|
|
|
|
|
| 478 BCE |
Athens founds Delian League to lead the Greek war against Persia
|
|
|
|
|
| 472 BCE |
|
|
|
Aeschylus's tragedy Persae performed
|
|
| 466 BCE |
Delian League decisively defeats Persian fleet at Battle of Eurymedon River
|
|
|
|
|
| 461 BCE |
|
Golden Age of Athens begins; Pericles funds massive public works in city
|
|
|
|
| 458 BCE |
|
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus becomes dictator of Rome then retires; One of the founding myths of Roman Virtue
|
|
|
|
| 457 BCE |
c. 457-445; First Peloponnesian War; Sparta dominant in Peloponnesian Peninsula
|
|
|
|
|
| 455 BCE |
|
|
|
Anaxagoras teaches atomistic theory of the natural world
|
|
| 450 BCE |
|
|
|
|
Reindeer domesticated (Central Asia)
|
| 441 BCE |
|
|
|
First stage success of Euripides in Athens
|
|
| 440 BCE |
|
|
|
Sophocles' tragedy Antigone
|
|
| 438 BCE |
|
|
|
Phidias completes Parthenon
|
|
| 431 BCE |
Second Peloponnesian War begins
|
|
|
Euripides' Medea
|
|
| 430 BCE |
|
|
|
(1) Death of Empedocles, who developed Four Elements theory of the natural world
(2) c. 430; Herodotus writes his History
|
Hippocrates teaches in Athens
|
| 429 BCE |
|
|
|
c. 429, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex
|
|
| 428 BCE |
|
|
|
Euripides' Hippolytus; portrays struggle between sexual desire and asceticism
|
|
| 426 BCE |
|
|
|
Euripides' Andromache
|
|
| 423 BCE |
|
|
|
Aristophanes' comedy The Clouds
|
|
| 421 BCE |
|
|
|
Aristophanes' comedy The Peace
|
|
| 420 BCE |
|
|
|
c. 420-413; Sophocles' Electra
|
|
| 415 BCE |
Athens sends massive expeditionary force to Sicily; Athenians are decisively defeated
|
|
|
Euripides' The Trojan Women
|
|
| 411 BCE |
Outnumbered Athenian fleet defeats Spartans at Battle of Cynossema
|
|
|
Aristophanes' anti-war satire Lysistrata
|
|
| 405 BCE |
With Persian aid, Spartan fleet decisively defeats Athenians at the battle of Aegospotami
|
|
|
|
|
| 404 BCE |
Athens surrenders, marking end of Peloponnesian War
|
Sparta establishes government of the "Thirty Tyrants" and suspends democracy in Athens
|
|
|
|
| 403 BCE |
|
Thrasybulus overthrows "Thirty Tyrants" and reestablishes democracy in Athens
|
|
|
|
| 401 BCE |
|
|
|
(1) Posthumous production of Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus
(2) Death of Thucydides, who leaves behind The History of the Peloponnesian War
|
|
| 399 BCE |
|
|
|
Trial and death of Socrates
|
|
| 385 BCE |
|
|
|
Plato establishes his Academy
|
|
| 371 BCE |
Thebes defeats Sparta at Battle of Leuctra; Spartan helots freed
|
|
|
|
|
| 367 BCE |
|
|
|
Aristotle begins study at Plato's Academy
|
|
| 359 BCE |
|
Philip II becomes king in Macedon
|
|
|
|
| 350 BCE |
|
|
|
|
c. 350; Earliest Mayan city-states
|
| 343 BCE |
c. 343-341; Rome subdues Campania in First Samnite War
|
|
|
|
|
| 340 BCE |
Athens forms Hellenic League to resist Philip II of Macedon
|
|
|
|
|
| 338 BCE |
Philip II of Macedon defeats Greek army at Battle of Chaeronea; End of independent Greek city-states
|
|
|
|
|
| 336 BCE |
Philip II of Macedon assassinated; Alexander rises to power in Macedon
|
|
|
|
|
| 335 BCE |
Alexander destroys the rebellious city of Thebes and enslaves its population
|
|
|
Aristotle opens the Lyceum
|
|
| 334 BCE |
Alexander the Great Invades Asia Minor and defeats Persians at Granicus River
|
|
|
|
|
| 332 BCE |
Alexander conquers Palestine and Egypt
|
Alexander the Great founds Alexandria in Egypt
|
|
|
|
| 331 BCE |
Alexander defeats Persians at Gaugamela; Effectively destroys Persian army
|
|
|
|
|
| 330 BCE |
(1) Alexander the Great enters Babylon; Conquers Persian Empire
(2) Darius III assassinated by Persian satrap Bessus
|
|
|
|
|
| 329 BCE |
Alexander the Great reaches India
|
|
|
|
|
| 326 BCE |
Macedonian army defeats King Porus at the battle of The Hydaspes River; Alexander the Great's army mutinies and refuses to march farther into India
|
|
|
|
|
| 325 BCE |
|
|
|
|
First historical reference to sugar cane by Nearchus
|
| 324 BCE |
|
|
|
Menander introduces 'New Comedy' to Greece
|
|
| 323 BCE |
(1) Alexander's general Ptolemy establishes control of Egypt
(2) Alexander the Great dies; Wars of the Diadochoi (Successors) begin
|
|
|
|
|
| 322 BCE |
|
Chandragupta Maurya establishes the Mauryan Empire in northern India
|
|
|
|
| 312 BCE |
Seleucus establishes Seleucid Empire in Mesopotamia
|
|
Appius Claudius Caecus begins construction of the Appian Way in Rome
|
|
|
| 301 BCE |
Antigonus dies at battle of Ipsus; Dissolution of Alexander's empire is confirmed
|
|
|
Zeno introduces Stoic philosophy in Athens
|
|
| 300 BCE |
|
|
(1) Euclid's Elements
(2) c. 300; Coal technology in Greece
|
c. 300 BCE; Epicurus founds school of philosophy in Athens
|
c. 300; Rise of horse-nomadism among Turko-Mongol tribes of Central Asia
|
| 290 BCE |
Rome completes conquest of Samnites; Effectively controls Italy
|
|
|
Approximate date for the construction of the Library of Alexandria
|
|
| 289 BCE |
|
|
|
Chinese ruler/philosopher Mencius dies; Responsible for refining Confucianism
|
|
| 283 BCE |
|
|
|
Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria
|
|
| 281 BCE |
|
|
|
Completion of the Colossus of Rhodes, one of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
|
|
| 272 BCE |
Rome conquers Tarentum and unifies Italian Peninsula
|
|
|
|
|
| 270 BCE |
|
|
c. 270; Aristarchos of Samos proposes heliocentric universe
|
|
|
| 264 BCE |
First Punic War begins between Rome and Carthage
|
|
|
|
|
| 260 BCE |
|
|
|
(1) c. 260; Mauryan king Ashoka converts to Buddhism
(2) c. 260; First gladiatorial games in Rome
|
|
| 256 BCE |
|
End of Eastern Zhou Dynasty in China
|
|
|
|
| 241 BCE |
First Punic War ends after Carthaginian defeat at the battle of the Aegates Islands; Rome conquers Sicily and makes it the first Roman province
|
|
|
|
|
| 238 BCE |
|
Arsaces establishes independent kingdom of Parthia
|
|
|
|
| 221 BCE |
|
China united by the first emperor Shih Huang-ti; Beginning of Qin Dynasty and Imperial China
|
|
Chinese Emperor Shih Huang-ti outlaws and persecutes Confucianism
|
|
| 219 BCE |
Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage begins
|
|
|
|
|
| 217 BCE |
Roman army ambushed and destroyed at Battle of Lake Trasimene
|
|
|
|
|
| 216 BCE |
Hannibal's Carthaginian army destroys 16 Roman legions at Battle of Cannae
|
|
|
|
|
| 212 BCE |
|
|
Archimedes dies during siege of Syracuse; Regarded as one of the greatest ancient scientists
|
|
|
| 210 BCE |
|
Chinese Emperor Shih Huang-ti dies; Buried in massive mausoleum with the Terracotta Army
|
|
|
|
| 206 BCE |
Roman army under Scipio Africanus defeats Carthaginians at battle of Ilipa; Rome conquers Hispania
|
Han Dynasty establis |
