-
10,000 BCE
The First Americans
Scientists have various ideas about how people came to the Americas. Some think that people may have come from Asia in large canoes. However,most think that the humans arrived by land. -
6000 BCE
Early humans learn to farm.
Around 8,000 years ago ,gatherers in Mexico began growing food plant, including squash and Lima beans. -
3100 BCE
The African Link in Trade
Africa has a long history of trade, going back as far as 3100 B.C.,when the great civilization of Egypt arose. Egyptian traders sailed throughout the Eastern Mediterranean sea and the red sea to bring home cedar log, silver, and horses. Following routes south from Egypt, they traded for Ivory, spices, copper, and cattle. -
1700 BCE
The Judeo-Christian Tradition
Around 1700 B.C. a system of beliefs called Judaism arose among the Israelites ,a nomadic people of the Middle East.Judaism was the first major world religion to teach monotheism or the idea that there is one god. -
1000 BCE
First cultures in North America
Around 3,000 years ago,various groups began to emerge in an area stretching from the Appalachian mountains to the Mississippi Valley. -
500 BCE
Greek and Roman Traditions
In the fifth century B.C..the Greek city-state of Athens experienced a sudden explosion of learning and creativity.Perhaps its most remarkable achievement was the birth of democracy. -
221 BCE
The East Asian Trade Link
As early as 221 B.C.,a strong ruler had unified China into a single empire.Later rulers added to the empire until it covered a large part of Asia.Highways,canals,and a postal system linked China Together. -
476
New Horizons
After a period of decline,the Roman Empire fell to invaders in A.D.476.Europe fragmented into many small states.The 1,000 year period after the fall of Rome is known as the middle ages. -
600
Rise of islam
The rise of Islam was linked to the trade. Muhammad was the founder of Islam. in the 600's it was formed on the Arabian peninsula. Muhammad the prophet only taught that there was only one true god. In the Quran the Muslims believed that is was the exact word of god revealed to Muhammad. -
1000
East African Trade Centers
About A.D. 1000, trade centers began to appear in eastern Africa. The most powerful was Zimbabwe and soon became the center of a flourishing empire in the 1400's. -
1200
West African Trade Centers
Shifting trade routes and disruptions caused by war gradually led Ghana to weaken.In the 1200s,the kingdom was absorbed into the empire of Mali. Mali reached its height under the Muslim ruler Mansa Musa.As Mali prospered,its great city of Timbuktu became a center of learning.Merchants from Mali traded throughout the region kola nuts,food,and,of course,gold. -
1300
Spice Trade and the Silk Road
Chinese silks,bronze goods,pottery,and spices flowed west from China along a route known as ancient times.It was not really a single road but a series of routes that stretched about 5,000 miles from Xi'an in China to Persia. -
1400
The Age of Exploreation
The renaissance,the rise of nations,and the expansion of trade set the stage for this new era was a brother of the king of Portugal known to history as Henry the Navigator.A deeply religious man,Henry hoped not only to expand Portuguese power but also to spread Christianity to new lands. -
1500
Native Americans spread across North America
Well before 10,000 B.C,Native Americans had spread across North America. They had adapted to the various climates and living conditions of the lands in which they settled.By A.D 1500,when the Europeans reached America,The native Americans living in North America were a richly diverse group of people with distinct ways of life. -
1500
The Muslim Trade Link
From the earliest times,trade inked groups who lived at great distances from one another.As trade developed, merchants established regular trade routes.These merchants carried their culture with them as they traveled.By the 1500s,a complex trade network linked Europe ,Africa ,and Asia
