Ancient History Timeline
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 (Ardipithecus ramidus) 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 (“Skillful Man”). First brain expansion; is believed to have used stone tools.
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.
8000 BCE
Mesolithic Period
(8300-7000)
Earliest evidence of burials found in Franchthi Cave in the Argolid, Greece
7250 BCE
Evidence of food producing economy, simple hut construction, and seafaring in mainland Greece and the Aegean
7000 BCE
Neolithic Period
(7000-3000 BCE)
First "Megaron House" at Sesclo, in central Greece
5700 BCE
Evidence of earliest fortifications at Dimini, Greece
3400 BCE
4500 - 2500 BCE: Farming introduced to Britian, small settlements occur, sophisticated stone tools appear, pottery, etc
4000 - 3000 BCE: communal burial begins in Britian
3200 BCE: First stone henges and circles begin to be built
3500 BCE: First ceremonial centers appear in Britian
Houses of Vasiliki and Myrtos
Messara Tholoi
House of Tiles at Lerna
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: http://xoomer.alice.it/bxpoma/akkadeng/cuneiform.htm (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.). 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.
3000 BC - Menes unifies Upper and Lower Egypt, and a new capital is erected at Memphis.
3000 BCE -- Aegean Bronze Age or Early Bronze Age (3000-2000)
http://www.odysseyadventures.ca/articles/knossos/knossos_minotaur.htm
Minoan Prepalatial or: EMIA, EMIB (3000-2600 BCE)
Early Cycladic Culture
(3200-2000)
Early Helladic Period
(3000-2000)
2600 BCE -- Minoan Prepalatial Period or: EMIIA, EMIIB, MMIII
(2600-2000 BCE)
2700 BCE -- 365 -day calendar is invented ( for Egyptians new year started with June)
2900 BCE -- First Egyptian hieroglyphs
c2686-2613 BCE -- Third Egyptian Dynasty. Zoser builds first pyramid, Step Pyramid at Sakkara, with the great help of the chief architect and priest Imhotep.
2600 BCE -- Kufu (Cheops) builds the great Pyramid at Giza, followed by Chephren with a second pyramid and the Sphinx and Mycerinus with another pyramid.
Timeline of Ancient Mesopotamian Kings of Ur
- First Dynasty of Ur c. 2563-2387 B.C.
- 2563-2524... Mesannepadda
- 2523-2484... A'annepadda
- 2483-2448... Meskiagnunna
- 2447-2423... Elulu
- 2422-2387... Balulu
c2500 BC -- Minoan civilization develops.