Ancient History Events

Sumer Started (Mesopotamia)

4000 BCE

Sumer is the oldest civilization we know of. It consisted of a city state between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.The sumerians developed the first form of writing that was made of dashes engraved in clay tablets.

Harappa is founded (Indus)

2600 BCE

Harappa was a large city in the Indus River Valley region that had about 23,500 people living in it. The people of this civilization achieved great things for their time, like a sewage system and natural air conditioning. These people mysteriously disappeared centuries later.

The Pyramid of Giza is built (Egypt)

2560 BCE

The pyramid of Giza is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It stands at 455 feet tall and about 755 feet wide. The pyramid was originally covered in white limestone, but it has since been stolen and removed for other buildings.

Fall of the Harappans (Indus)

1900 BCE

Trade with Mesopotamia stopped, and skeletons have been found laying in the streets of Harappa. Some skeletons were found holding hands and small children. There are numerous therioes of what happened to the Harappans, but we don't know for now.

Hammurabi Rules Babylon (Mesopotamia)

1795 BCE

Hammurabi was a cruel leader of Babylon. He went on frequent conquests and had a very strict law system for his citizens to follow. He extended the Babylonian empire to own most of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Ramses The Great Ruled (Egypt)

1279 BCE

Ramses II was one of the great leaders of the ancient world. He made Egypt a much richer place to live from all the conquering he did of other civilizations. He also left behind many monuments like the Tomb of Nefetari.

Olmec Civilization Started (Americas)

1200 BCE

The Olmecs were the first to make a civlization in the Americas. They were based in what is now Mexico and left behind lots of art and cultural items. The most notable of which is the "colossal heads."

First Iron Weapons (Mesopotamia)

1200 BCE

The Hittites were the first to make iron weapons, which made a huge difference in Mesopotamia. The Hittites were able to conquer almost anyone, because the iron could completely break bronze weapons. The Hittites lost control when other civilization also learned iron working.

Warring Sates Period (China)

403 BCE

This is a period of time from 403 BCE to 221 BCE when China was split into states who were constantly at war with each other. The major states were Yan, Zhao, Wei, Han, Qin, Chu, Qi. The warring states period was ended by the Qin who conquered all the other states and unified China in 221 BCE.

Terracotta Army is Buried (China)

210 BCE

Qin Shi Huangdi, who ended the warring states period, is buried in a tomb defended by about 8,000 clay soldiers. The soldiers are positioned on the Eastern side of his tomb, to defend him in the afterlife. All the soldiers are individual and possibly modeled after real soldiers.

The Rosetta Stone is Carved (Egypt)

196 BCE

The Rosetta Stone was a rock with three languages (Heiroglyphics, Greek, and Demotic) all saying the same thing. It was written so governmental leaders and priests could read all three languages. Hieroglyphs were used for official documents and religious texts, Greek was the spoken language, and Demotic was the script they used.

Silk Road Established (China)

120 BCE

The Silk Road was a trade network established during the Han Dynasty. It was well known for trading silk (obviously) because China was the only civilization that knew how to produce it. The Silk Road stretched from China to Europe.