Egypt

Agriculture Begins

6000 BCE

Hunter-gatherers start turning to settled agriculture along the Nile Valley

Simple Village

4000 BCE

At Naqada, near modern Luxor, a simple village culture flourishes

Walled Towns

3500 BCE

Rectangular brick houses replace circular huts at Naqada, and other Egyptian sites. Walled towns appear

Sailing Boats

3300 BCE

By this date Egyptians are using both river- and ocean-going sailing boats

Hieroglyphics

3200 BCE

The first known examples of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing date from this time

Old Kingdom Begins

2950 BCE

Egypt's Early Dynastic Period begins when the First Dynasty is established under the Pharaoh Menes

365-Day Calendar

2900 BCE

Egyptian astronomer-priests devise the first 365-day calendar

Papyrus

2800 BCE

Egyptian scribes begin to write on papyrus made from the crushed stems of a fibrous plant along the banks of the Nile River

Great Pyramid

2550 BCE

The Great Pyramid at Giza is built as a 480-foot-high tomb for Pharaoh Khufu

Cats

2500 BCE

The cat is first domesticated in Egypt

First Intermediate Period

2125 BCE

Egypt's Old Kingdom gives way to a time of troubles called by modern scholars the "First Intermediate Period"

Middle Kingdom

2040 BCE

Beginning of the Middle Kingdom as Mentuhotep II, ruler of Upper Egypt, conquers Lower Egypt to reunite the country

Second Intermediate Period

1640 BCE

Egypt's Middle Kingdom comes to an end and the Second Intermediate Period begins as the Hyksos kings take power in northern Egypt. They bring with them the horse-drawn chariot

New Kingdom

1550 BCE

Ahmose reunites Egypt, driving out the Hyksos and begins the New Kingdom

Hatshepsut

1473 BCE

Queen Hatshepsut becomes Egypt's second female pharaoh

Tutankhamen

1333 BCE

The boy-king Tutankhamen comes to power in Egypt

Ramses II

1290 BCE

Accession of Ramses II, whose 66-year reign marks the peak of Egyptian power

The Exodus

1220 BCE

The Israelites leave Egypt on the migration to Canaan known as the Exodus

New Kingdom Ends

1070 BCE

Egypt's New Kingdom comes to an end as civil war divides the nation

Persian Empire

530 BCE

Persian Emperor Cambyses conquers Egypt

Alexander the Great

332 BCE

Alexander takes control of Egypt, and the following year founds the city of Alexandria on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.

Alexander the Great dies

305 BCE

In the power vacuum following Alexander's death, Ptolemy, Egypt's Macedonian governor, proclaims himself pharaoh; the Ptolemaic Dynasty that he founds will rule Egypt until 30 BCE

Euclid

300 BCE

Euclid, a Greek mathematician working at the court of Ptolemy I in Alexandria, outlines the main principles of geometry

Rosetta Stone

196 BCE

Text celebrating Pharaoh Ptolemy V are carved on the Rosetta Stone in Greek and Egyptian scripts; 2,000 years later they will be key to deciphering hieroglphics

Cleopatra

51 BCE

Cleopatra becomes ruler of Egypt as coregent with her brother. The two become involved in a power struggle that Cleopatra wins with the help of the visiting Julius Caesar

Library of Alexandria

40 BCE

Mark Antony gives Cleopatra 200,000 volumes to add to the library in Alexandria, making it the greatest library in the world

Antony & Cleopatra

30 BCE

Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide, and Rome annexes Egypt

Ptolemy dies

168

Egyptian astronomer and geographer Ptolemy dies. His legacy is the Earth-centered view of the universe that becomes known as the Ptolemaic-System

Anti-Christian rioting

248

Anti-Christian rioting breaks out in Alexandria

Christianity - Official Religion

391

Christianity is proclaimed the official religion of Egypt. Many temples of the old gods are destroyed

Hypatia is murdered

415

Hypatia, a mathematician and philosopher of Alexandria, is murdered by a Christian mob, perhaps on the instructions of Cyril, archbishop of Alexandria, who resented her influence

Rashidun Caliphate

639

The Arabs conquest of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria seriously weakens the Byzantine Empire

The Koran

651

Caliph Uthman brings Muhammad's teachings together to form a single sacred volume, the Koran.

First Muslim Civil War

656

Ali ibn Abi Talib eventually becomes caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, but his succession is disputed. Outbreak of the first civil war between Ali and dissident Muslims led by Muawiya, governor of Syria

Umayyad Caliphate

661

The civil war ends with Ali's murder and Muawiya's recognition as caliph. His Umayyad descendants hold power over the Islamic world for the next 90 years.

Trade

750

Arab merchants from North Africa trade across the Sahara, exchanging salt, glass, and horses for African gold, ivory, and slaves

Abbasid Caliphate

750

As-Saffah, a descendent of Ali, mounts a successful revolt against the Umayyads. He massacres almost the entire Umayyad family and establishes his own Abbasid Dynasty, which reigns throughout the Middle East and North Africa

Paper

750

The first paper mill is established in the Islamic empire

"Arabic" Numerals

760

The Arabs adopt Indian numerals, they are the "Arabic" numerals in general use today

Fatimid Dynasty

969

Fatimid general Jawhar conquered Egypt

House of Knowledge

1005

The House of Knowledge, a science library, is founded in Cairo

Caliph al-Hakim

1009

Caliph al-Hakim orders the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Saladin

1171

Saladin establishes himself as Egypt's first Ayyubid sultan

al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque

1318

The al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque is completed in 1335, and is considered Cairo's best-preserved building from the Mamluk Sultanate

Ottoman Empire

1517

Ottoman sultan Selim I captured Cairo from the Mamluks and transferred the center of power in Egypt to Constantinople.