4.5 billion B.C.
Planet Earth formed.
3 billion B.C.
First signs of primeval life (bacteria and
blue-green algae) appear in oceans.
600 million B.C.
Earliest date to which fossils can be
traced.
4.4 million B.C.
Earliest known hominid fossils
(Australopithecus ramidis) found in
Aramis, Ethiopia, 1994.
4.2 million B.C.
Australopithecus anamensis found in
Lake Turkana, Kenya, 1995.
3.2 million B.C.
Australopithecus afarenis (nicknamed
“Lucy”) found in Ethiopia, 1974.
2.5 million B.C.
Homo habilis (“Handy Man”), first
brain expansion and first chipped
stones.
1.8 million B.C.
Homo erectus (“Upright Man”). Brain
size twice that of Australopithecine
species.
1.7 million B.C.
Homo erectus leaves Africa.
100,000 B.C.
First modern Homo sapiens in South
Africa.
70,000 B.C.
Neanderthal man (use of fire and advanced tools).
35,000 B.C.
Neanderthal man replaced by later groups of Homo sapiens (i.e.,
Cro-Magnon man, etc.).
18,000 B.C.
Cro-Magnons replaced by later cultures.
15,000 B.C.
Migrations across Bering Straits into the Americas.
10,000 B.C.
Semi-permanent agricultural settlements in Old World.
10,000–4,000 B.C.
Development of settlements into cities and development of skills such
as the wheel, pottery, and improved methods of cultivation in
Mesopotamia and elsewhere.
5500–3000 B.C.
Predynastic Egyptian cultures develop (5500–3100 B.C.); begin using
agriculture (c. 5000 B.C.). Earliest known civilization arises in Sumer
(4500–4000 B.C.). Earliest recorded date in Egyptian calendar (4241
B.C.). First year of Jewish calendar (3760 B.C.). First phonetic writing
appears (c. 3500 B.C.). Sumerians develop a city-state civilization (c.
3000 B.C.). Copper used by Egyptians and Sumerians. Western
Europe is neolithic, without metals or written records.
3000–2000 B.C.
Pharaonic rule begins in Egypt. King Khufu (Cheops), 4th dynasty
(2700–2675 B.C.), completes construction of the Great Pyramid at
Giza (c. 2680 B.C.). The Great Sphinx of Giza (c. 2540 B.C.) is built by
King Khafre. Earliest Egyptian mummies. Papyrus. Phoenician
settlements on coast of what is now Syria and Lebanon. Semitic tribes
settle in Assyria. Sargon, first Akkadian king, builds Mesopotamian
empire. The Gilgamesh epic (c. 3000 B.C.). Abraham leaves Ur (c.
2000 B.C.). Systematic astronomy in Egypt, Babylon, India, China.
3000–1500 B.C.
The most ancient civilization on the Indian subcontinent, the
sophisticated and extensive Indus Valley civilization, flourishes in what
is today Pakistan. In Britain, Stonehenge erected according to some
unknown astronomical rationale. Its three main phases of construction
are thought to span c. 3000–1500 B.C.
2000–1500 B.C.
Hyksos invaders drive Egyptians from Lower Egypt (17th century
B.C.). Amosis I frees Egypt from Hyksos (c. 1600 B.C.). Assyrians rise
to power—cities of Ashur and Nineveh. Twenty-four-character
alphabet in Egypt. Israelites enslaved in Egypt. Cuneiform inscriptions
used by Hittites. Peak of Minoan culture on Isle of Crete—earliest
form of written Greek. Hammurabi, king of Babylon, develops oldest
existing code of laws (18th century B.C.).
1500–1000 B.C.
Ikhnaton develops monotheistic religion in Egypt (c. 1375 B.C.). His
successor, Tutankhamen, returns to earlier gods. Moses leads
Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan—Ten Commandments. Greeks
destroy Troy (c. 1193 B.C.). End of Greek civilization in Mycenae with
invasion of Dorians. Chinese civilization develops under Shang
Dynasty. Olmec civilization in Mexico—stone monuments; picture
writing.
1000–900 B.C.
Solomon succeeds King David, builds Jerusalem temple. After
Solomon's death, kingdom divided into Israel and Judah. Hebrew
elders begin to write Old Testament books of Bible. Phoenicians
colonize Spain with settlement at Cadiz.
900–800 B.C.
Phoenicians establish Carthage (c. 810 B.C.). The Iliad and the
Odyssey, perhaps composed by Greek poet Homer.
800–700 B.C.
Prophets Amos, Hosea, Isaiah. First recorded Olympic games (776
B.C.). Legendary founding of Rome by Romulus (753 B.C.). Assyrian
king Sargon II conquers Hittites, Chaldeans, Samaria (end of Kingdom
of Israel). Earliest written music. Chariots introduced into Italy by
Etruscans.
700–600 B.C.
End of Assyrian Empire (616 B.C.)—Nineveh destroyed by Chaldeans
(Neo-Babylonians) and Medes (612 B.C.). Founding of Byzantium by
Greeks (c. 660 B.C.). Building of the Acropolis in Athens. Solon,
Greek lawgiver (640–560 B.C.). Sappho of Lesbos, Greek poet (fl.
610–c. 580 B.C.). Lao-tse, Chinese philosopher and founder of
Taoism (born c. 604 B.C.).
600–500 B.C.
Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar
builds empire, destroys Jerusalem
(586 B.C.). Babylonian Captivity of
the Jews (starting 587 B.C.). Hanging
Gardens of Babylon. Cyrus the
Great of Persia creates great empire,
conquers Babylon (539 B.C.), frees
the Jews. Athenian democracy
develops. Aeschylus, Greek
dramatist (525–465 B.C.).
Pythagoras, Greek philosopher and
mathematician (c. 582–c. 507 B.C.).
Confucius (551–479 B.C.) develops
ethical and social philosophy in
China. The Analects or Lun-yü
(“collected sayings”) are compiled
by the second generation of
Confucian disciples. Buddha (c.
563–c. 483 B.C.) founds Buddhism
in India.
500–400 B.C.
Greeks defeat Persians: battles of
Marathon (490 B.C.), Thermopylae
(480 B.C.), Salamis (480 B.C.).
Peloponnesian Wars between
Athens and Sparta (431–404
B.C.)—Sparta victorious. Pericles
comes to power in Athens (462
B.C.). Flowering of Greek culture
during the Age of Pericles (450–400
B.C.). The Parthenon is built in
Athens as a temple of the goddess
Athena (447–432 B.C.). Ictinus and
Callicrates are the architects and
Phidias is responsible for the
sculpture. Sophocles, Greek
dramatist (496–c.406 B.C.).
Hippocrates, Greek “Father of
Medicine” (born 460 B.C.). Xerxes I,
king of Persia (rules 485–465 B.C.).
400–300 B.C.
Pentateuch—first five books of the
Old Testament evolve in final form.
Philip of Macedon, who believed
himself to be a descendant of the
Greek people, assassinated (336
B.C.) after subduing the Greek
city-states; succeeded by son,
Alexander the Great (356–323 B.C.),
who destroys Thebes (335 B.C.),
conquers Tyre and Jerusalem (332
B.C.), occupies Babylon (330 B.C.),
invades India, and dies in Babylon.
His empire is divided among his
generals; one of them, Seleucis I,
establishes Middle East empire with
capitals at Antioch (Syria) and
Seleucia (in Iraq). Trial and
execution of Greek philosopher
Socrates (399 B.C.). Dialogues
recorded by his student, Plato (c.
427–348 or 347 B.C.). Euclid's work
on geometry (323 B.C.). Aristotle,
Greek philosopher (384–322 B.C.).
Demosthenes, Greek orator
(384–322 B.C.). Praxiteles, Greek
sculptor (400–330 B.C.).
300–251 B.C.
First Punic War (264–241 B.C.):
Rome defeats the Carthaginians and
begins its domination of the
Mediterranean. Temple of the Sun at
Teotihuacan, Mexico (c. 300 B.C.).
Invention of Mayan calendar in
Yucatán—more exact than older
calendars. First Roman gladiatorial
games (264 B.C.). Archimedes,
Greek mathematician (287–212
B.C.).
250–201 B.C.
Second Punic War (219–201 B.C.):
Hannibal, Carthaginian general
(246–142 B.C.), crosses the Alps
(218 B.C.), reaches gates of Rome
(211 B.C.), retreats, and is defeated
by Scipio Africanus at Zama (202
B.C.). Great Wall of China built (c.
215 B.C.).
200–151 B.C.
Romans defeat Seleucid King
Antiochus III at Thermopylae (191
B.C.)—beginning of Roman world
domination. Maccabean revolt
against Seleucids (167 B.C.).
150–101 B.C.
Third Punic War (149–146 B.C.):
Rome destroys Carthage, killing
450,000 and enslaving the remaining
50,000 inhabitants. Roman armies
conquer Macedonia, Greece,
Anatolia, Balearic Islands, and
southern France. Venus de Milo (c.
140 B.C.). Cicero, Roman orator
(106–43 B.C.).
100–51 B.C.
Julius Caesar (100–44 B.C.) invades
Britain (55 B.C.) and conquers Gaul
(France) (c. 50 B.C.). Spartacus
leads slave revolt against Rome (71
B.C.). Romans conquer Seleucid
empire. Roman general Pompey
conquers Jerusalem (63 B.C.).
Cleopatra on Egyptian throne
(51–31 B.C.). Chinese develop use
of paper (c. 100 B.C.). Virgil, Roman
poet (70–19 B.C.). Horace, Roman
poet (65–8 B.C.).
50–1 B.C.
Caesar crosses Rubicon to fight
Pompey (50 B.C.). Herod makes
Roman governor of Judea (47 B.C.).
Caesar murdered (44 B.C.). Caesar's
nephew, Octavian, defeats Mark
Antony and Cleopatra at Battle of
Actium (31 B.C.), and establishes
Roman empire as Emperor
Augustus—rules 27 B.C.–A.D. 14.
Pantheon built for the first time under
Agrippa, 27 B.C. Ovid, Roman poet
(43 B.C.–A.D. 18).
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