History of Ancient World

Cuneiform Writing was Invented

3400 BCE

Cuneiform originated from Mesopotamia and is the world's oldest writing system. It is not a language, but it is a writing system using between 600-1,000 characters. To write cuneiform, all that was needed was a reed and clay which was found by the rivers along the Mesopotamian cities.

Hieroglyphics writing was invented

3200 BCE

This writing system was invented by the Egyptians shortly after the Cuneiform writing system was invented by the Mesopotamians. Hieroglyphics used picture symbols that represented different objects and one single symbol could stand for an entire word which was called an ideogram. Hieroglyphs were written on temple walls and tablets and also written on papyrus reed. Picture symbols were used because most ancient Egyptians were unable to read or write.

Upper and Lower Egypt become Unified

3100 BCE

The Upper and Lower Egypt become one under a Pharaoh named Pharaoh Narmer. King Narmer is credited with uniting Egypt into one kingdom. Before King Narmer unified the two, they had been divided. Lower Egypt was the Nile Delta region in the north was primarily rural and agricultural while the Upper Egypt had a more developed culture and cities. Upper Egypt was the Nile Valley region that was located in the South.

Pyramid of Djoser was Built

2600 BCE

The Pyramid of Djoser, also known as the "Step Pyramid," was the first pyramid ever build in Egypt. It is located outside of the Giza Plateau and it was built by Pharaoh Djoser which is where the name "Pyramid of Djoser" originates from. A fun fact about the Pyramid of Djoser is that this is the only pyramid in the Old Kingdom that 11 of the King's daughters were buried inside.

Pyramid of Giza was Built; One of the Great Pyramids

2500 BCE

In 2560 BC, the Pyramid of Giza was built by architect Khufu. This pyramid is estimated to have approximately 2,300,000 stone blocks creating the pyramid and weighs anywhere from 2-30 tons each. This pyramid, along with two other pyramids (Pyramid of Menkaure and the Pyramid of Khafre) are precisely aligned with the Constellation of Orion. The shape of each of the Pyramids are thought to represent the rays of sunshine shining on the Earth.

Bow and Arrows in Mesopotamia

2350 BCE

In 2350 BC, King Sargon began using a bow that was put together by gluing different layers of wood from different types of trees together. This was because it allowed the bow to have different strength properties and different elasticity. This bow was designed for hunting and vital for combat.

Queen Hatshepsut was Reigned

1480 BCE

Queen Hatshepsut became Queen after her father died and her husband became Pharaoh Thutmose II. After Thutmose II became sick, Hatshepsut had taken over his rulings of Egypt and became the leader of Egypt. Pharaohs were always a male role which is why Hatshesput is best known for being the most powerful woman pharaoh. She ruled Egypt and remained in power for 20 years. She constructed many buildings and monuments in Egypt and has many statues of herself at these sites.

Death of Joan of Arc

1431 BCE

Joan of Arc is best known for leading the French against the English in the Hundreds Years War at such a young age. At age 13, she had said that she was getting spiritual visitations and hearing voices that were telling her to come free France and begins to dress like a male because of military repercussions. She had been accused of being a witch for dressing like a man and but because she proclaimed she received permission from not only the Vatican but God too.

King Tut's Death

1330 BCE

King Tut's full name is Tutankhaten and became king of Egypt at age nine where he ruled for approximately 10 years. King Tut became a Pharaoh after his father passed away and when he married his sister, Ankhesenpaaten. He is best known for being the world's best known Pharaoh.

Ramses II was Reigned as Pharaoh

1279 BCE

Ramses II was the son of Pharaoh Sethi and Queen Tuya which means he was born into the Royal Court. After his father had passed away and when his older brother died at age 14, he was next in line to become Pharaoh of Egypt. He led the Egyptian army against several enemies such as the Syrians, Libyans, and Nubians. Ramses II is also known as being a great builder and rebuilt many of the existing temples that are found in Egypt while also building structures of his own such as the Ramesseum.

Decline and Fall

1000 BCE

During the time of 1000 BC, the Bronze Age world came to an end rather quickly and abruptly. While that civilization had ended, a much more simpler one takes its place which was part. There were many troubles in migrations that originated from Central Europe. The Eclipse of Knossos and the rise of the Mycenaean Greeks unified seapower in which individual states had their own trading and fighting ships.

The Olympic Games

776 BCE

Once a year, the Greek Olympic games are held and this began in 776 BC. During the first 15 games, running was the only sport; the first 13 contained only the station foot race and the longer distance running was introduced during the 14th Olympics. People all over the Greek came to watch the games and the main stadium where the games were held, held approximately 45,000 people. Fun fact: married women were prohibited from watching the Games under a death penalty.

The Persians Invade- Battle of Pelusium

525 BCE

In 525 BC, the Persian Empire that was led by King Cambyses II invaded Egypt and they defeated the Egyptian army during the Battle of Pelusium for the control of Egypt. Once the Persian Empire conquered Egypt, it became the largest empire in the entire world and Persia ruled over Egypt for 100 years.

Persians Go Down, Greeks Come Up: Battle of Marathon

490 BCE

The Battle of Marathon is where you find the Greeks defeating the Persians in 490 BC. This battle was fought between an Athenian army aired by a small force from Plateau and the invading Persian force of Emperor Darius I. The battle was primarily caused due to the Lonian Revolt which is when the Greeks in the region revolted.

The Parthenon was Created

438 BCE

The Parthenon is a temple that is located on the hill of Acropolis at Athens. This building is dedicated to Goddess Athena Parthenon (Athena the Virgin). Architects Ictinus and Callicrates built the Parthenon under the guidance and supervision of Phidias who is a sculptor. The Parthenon embodies many architectural refinements giving the building a sculptural and plastic look. Although this building has taken on much damage over the centuries, it still remains standing today.

Alexander the Great Secures His Kingdom in Greece

334 BCE

Alexander the Great's journey of conquering Greece began in 334 BC and was officially conquered in 332 BC. Alexander's father, Philip II of Macedon, hired Aristotle who is one of history's greatest philosophers to educate little Alexander. in 15 years o conquest, Alexander never lost a single battle because his military tactics and strategies were pristinely thought of. After securing his kingdom in Greece, he won a series of battles crossing into Asia battling with the Persians.

Battle of Corinth

146 BCE

The Battle of Corinth followed the rising of Rome. As Rome continued its conquest of Greece, the Greeks were finally defeated during the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC. Rome completely destroyed the city of Corinth using this as an example to other Greek cities. From this point, the Greek continued to be ruled by Rome. However, the Greek culture remained the same and there was no heavy influence from the Roman culture to the Greeks.

Fall of Greece, Rise of Rome

215

When Alexander the Great passed away, there became a huge gap in power and his power was divided and soon the divisions began fighting. While the Greeks were in decline, Rome was uprising and a new civilization in Italy (Romans) rose to power. Soon, Greeks began to see the Romans as a threat and certain parts of Greece began to become allies with Carthage to defeat Rome.

Hundred Years' War- Kingdoms of France vs. Kingdoms of England

1337

This war began in 1337 BC and ended in 1453 BC between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of England. It is called the Hundred Years' War because this war lasted a little over 100 years (116 years) and all battles were fought in France. During this war, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians and was tortured and killed by them as well. England could not capture France beause France was too populated and had a significant amount of more people than England did, therefore was defeated.