History Timeline: Social Studies

  • 10,000 BCE

    Stone Age

    Three main periods of the Stone Age: the Paleolithic, the Mesolithic, and the Neolithic. This just means old stone, middle stone and new stone. The first societies were clans and hunter-gatherers.
  • 8000 BCE

    Neolithic Revolution

    People started to settle down and created villages. This was the start of agriculture. Clan life had ended because to have farmland, one must have a permanent home. The hunter-gatherers had settled down into villages.
  • 7000 BCE

    Catalhoyuk

    This was a part of the Neolithic area. This is a part of what is now Turkey. This is a great example of what it looked like when hunter-gatherers decided to settle down. There were no roads and buildings were built very close to each other.
  • 6500 BCE

    Harappa and Mohenjo-Dara

    These were two cities in the Indus River Valley. These were expertly planned cities that flourished in the area. There were wide, straight streets and had thick walls that surrounded the city. Buildings were made of brick and on average had 3 floors.
  • 6000 BCE

    Faiyum

    Located in Southern Egypt, this was an agricultural center. It was just like a farm, it had sheep, goats and wheat. It was a settled and thriving region.
  • Period: 3500 BCE to 479 BCE

    The Bronze and Iron Ages

    Ancient civilizations in this time grew in power and influence. Empires quickly began to emerge around the world.
  • 2686 BCE

    The Old Kingdom

    The period of prosperity. This was in Egypt. This was also known as the Age of the Pyramids.
  • 2686 BCE

    The Old Kingdom

    The Old Kingdom was described as a period of prosperity in Ancient Egypt. However, it was followed by a period of disunity. The king of Egypt at the time became a living god who ruled and introduced monarchy.
  • 2330 BCE

    Sumerian Empire

    This was the earliest known empire. This was sometimes known as the Akkadian Empire. They were the first to introduce imperialism. This was the forceful action of taking villages and homes.
  • 2220 BCE

    The Babylonian Empire

    Central-southern Mesopotamia. Following the collapse of the Akkadian Empire. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were located here. There were a few different leaders that ruled the Babylonian Empire.
  • 2055 BCE

    Mentuhotep II took the throne

    He attacked the city of Herakleopolis. This victory gave him power over all of Egypt.
  • 2000 BCE

    The Mayan Empire

    Art, architecture, mathematical and astronomical systems.
    Pre-columbian Empire. It had the only fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas. The Mayan Empire was located in the Central Americas.
  • 1700 BCE

    Shang Dynasty

    This was the first recorded dynasty in China. There is documentary evidence and archeological evidence for this as well. It ruled parts of northern and central China.
  • 1700 BCE

    Minoan civilization was destroyed.

    Minoan civilization was destroyed by an earthquake that hit Crete. They rebuilt, but then an eruption from the volcano hit.
  • 1550 BCE

    The New Kingdom

    Famous Pharaohs lived here in the New Kingdom. This was also known as the Egyptian Empire. Some significant achievements of the New Kingdom are the building of the tombs and the great pharoahs of this time.
  • 1550 BCE

    The Late Bronze Age

    This was a time of economic prosperity at the Phoenician trading centers. This refers to the decline and fall of the Modern Day Meditteranean.
  • Period: 1550 BCE to 539 BCE

    The Phoenicians

    The Phoenicians were not so much a military empire, but a commercial empire. They lived on the east coast of the Meditteranean.
  • 1508 BCE

    The Napoleon of Egypt

    Thutmose III helped Egypt's army expand. Egypt because powerful and wealthy during this time.
  • 1508 BCE

    Queen Hatshepsut

    She ruled from 1508-1458 BCE. Queen Hatshepsut means "Foremost of Noble Ladies." She is known as one of the most successful pharaohs in all of Egypt by Egyptologists.
  • 1386 BCE

    Amenhotep III

    Amenhotep III became one of the most famous Pharaohs of Egypt after his father, Thutmose IV passed away.
  • 1336 BCE

    Akhenaten

    He was a pharaoh of Egypt for 17 years and died in about 1336 BCE. Akhenaten means "living spirit of Aten." He is noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian religion of many gods and worshipping one god.
  • 1332 BCE

    New Kingdom with "Living Image of Amun"

    "Living Image of Amun" Tutankhamun was one of the most famous pharaohs. In 1922, his tomb was discovered.
  • 1332 BCE

    King Tutankhamun

    He ruled during the time known as the New Kingdom. His name means "the living image of Amun." He ruled from 1332-1323 BCE. His tomb was discovered in 1922.
  • 1325 BCE

    The Aztec Empire

    Migrated to Mexico, more specifically Mexico City, Mexico. This empire was established about 200 years before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores. They marveled at the ruins of the civilizations before them as they traveled.
  • 1300 BCE

    The Inca Empire

    Western coast of South America, of what is now Chile and Peru. They were skilled politicians and were able to govern a realm that was roughly 12 million people. They built roads that connected Chan-Chan in the north to Talca in the South.
  • 1095 BCE

    The Fall of Shang Dynasty

    King killed by Zhou kingdom. The last Shang dynasty ruler was an evil tyrant. Zhou kingdom claimed that they overthrew the Shang dynasty for moral reasons.
  • 525 BCE

    Persian Empire

    King Cyrus died in 525 BCE. Cambyses who was King Cyrus' son, took power and the Persian Empire grew even higher. By 500 BCE, it was the largest empire in human history at that time.
  • 500 BCE

    Persian Empire Pt 2

    The Persian Empire was the largest empire in history. The most civilized area was in the Mediterranean region. The three "superpowers" were Egypt, Persia and Greece.
  • 49 BCE

    The Roman Civil War

    Caesar began Civil War with an illegal military. He crossed the Rubicon River to get to Italy. This was a forbidden action for any general leading an Army. Caesar was believed to be a hero by the Roman plebians.
  • 27 BCE

    The Roman Empire

    Greek ships arrived in Italy. It was discovered that Etruscans lived there. Rome had patriarchies. There was the Patriarch of the De Medici family.
  • 1095

    The Crusades

    Rome called for a war to take back the Holy Land from the empire of Islam. It was a series of religious and political wars fought for control of the Holy Land. Muslims unified against the Christians.
  • 1397

    The Black Plague

    The Black Plague hit Europe during the Dark ages. Sailors were found dead on ships. "Black death" It was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history.
  • 1478

    The Spanish Inquisition

    Desire to create religious unity and weaken political authorities. The main purpose of this was to enhance the power of the monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church.
  • 1492

    Colubus arrived to the Americas

    Set foot on Main Land of North and South America on his 4th voyage. He hypothesized that there was an all-water route to Asia. He never thought the world was round, otherwise he wouldn't have gone west to get to the east.
  • 1500

    The Columbian Exchange

    Widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human population, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World in the 15th and 16th centuries.
  • Jamestown Colony

    First permanent English Colony in America and it was located in Virginia.
  • John Smith

    "Captain" He was the colony's leader. He had a "no work, no food" policy. He was instrumental in trading food with the Native Americans. Legend has it that he married Pocahontas.
  • John Rolfe

    Brought tobacco to Virginia. He grew very wealthy from this and eventually went back to England.
  • The First American Slaves

    Arrived in Virginia. From the kingdom of Ndongo in Angola.They would have to work for 7-14 years and then they would be freed.
  • Colonial Government

    First representative government- Jamestown.
    Set a price for tobacco. The assembly that was first made was called the House of Burgesses and its first meeting was on July 30, 1619. Its first order of business was to set a minimum price for the sale of tobacco.
  • The Mayflower

    Ended up in Massachusetts, and formed the Plymouth colony. It brought over the Pilgrims to America. They were some of the first settlers in America, besides the Native Americans that lived on the land for years.
  • English Bill of Rights

    It was argued that the English Bill of Rights protected British subjects from being taxed without the consent of a truly representative Parliament.
  • French and Indian War

    "Seven Years War". This was a massive European War between England, Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia and Sweden. This eventually led to the Revolutionary War.
  • Sugar Act

    In an effort to raise revenue and also interfere with the French in the Carribean. A 6 pence tax on each gallon of molasses was imposed in 1733.
  • The Stamp Act

    The Stamp Act was wildly unpopular in the colonies and it was repealed the following year in 1766. This was passed from Parliament.
  • The Townshend Acts

    Raise revenue in the Colonies. It was a series of acts passed in 1767 by the Parliament of Great Britain relating to the British colonies in America. The acts are named after Charlie "Champagne Charlie" Townshend.
  • The Boston Tea Party

    They dumped tea into the harbor. This happened on December 16, 1773. The Sons of Liberty were disguised as Native Americans boarded a ship that were loaded with tea and dumped the tea on the ship into the harbor.
  • The First Continental Congress

    This happened after the Intolerable Acts. The Patriots viewed the acts as an arbitrary violation of the rights of Massachusetts. In September of 1774, they organized the First Continental Congress to protest.
  • The Battles of Lexington and Concord

    Samuel Adams and John Hancock captured in these battles. This is when Paul Revere warned the countryside that the British were coming according to the lanterns that were hung.
  • The American Revolutionary War

    This was a time when the British colonists in America rose up and fought in war against the ruler of Great Britain. It lasted from 1775-1783.
  • Battle of Bunker Hill

    Took place on Breed's Hill. Americans attacked the British. This was the first time the Army under the control of George Washinton saw action. This battle is misnamed. The battle actually took place on Breed's Hill, not Bunker Hill.
  • The Declaration of Independence

    The Declaration of Independence was signed on this day. This was the day that America declared its freedom from Great Britain and we became our own country.
  • U.S. Constitution

    Describes how the U.S. government would look. It provides 3 branches. It became law in 1778 when the last state ratified it. The men who made the Constitution knew that it had to be flexible and be able to be changed in the future.
  • The Life of Thomas Jefferson

    1st Secretary of State to George Washington. 1796- Vice President to John Adams. Elected as our President in 1800.
  • George Washington

    1st President. He was the Commander of the Colonial Army before he became the president. The Army under his control first saw action in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. After his successes in the Revolutionary War, he was chosen to be our first President of the United States of America.
  • The Cotton Gin

    Built by Eli Whitney. Removed seeds from cotton plants. They were used by slaves.
  • Lewis and Clark Expedition

    The Lewis and Clark Expedition established relations with dozens of Native American tribes, without their help, they would have starved and died. They could've gotten lost in the Rocky Mountains as well.
  • The War of 1812

    James Madison was President. The war was caused by economic sanctions by the British and the French against the U.S.
  • The Treaty of Ghent

    Officially ended The War of 1812. The U.S. did not gain or lose territory.
  • The Indian Removal Act

    "Indian colonization zone". Indian territory located in present-day Oklahoma. Andrew Jackson was long known as the advocate for the Indian Removal Act. He spent years leading brutal campaigns against the Native Americans. Hundreds of thousands of acres of land was transferred from Native Americans to white farmers.
  • The Trail of Tears

    Made journey on foot to Indian territory. 16,000 Native Americans were marched over 1,200 miles of rugged land.
  • The Dakota Uprising

    Treaty of Traverse de Sioux. Said Dakota would cede their Minnesota and Dakota lands to the U.S. government.
  • The Civil War

    Northern Victory that ended the institution of slavery. The North and South were separated and were fighting over the issue of slavery. Abraham Lincoln is known for abolishing slavery at the end of the Civil War. The Northern victory of this war kept the country together.
  • Fort Sumter

    The Confederate army opened fire. This was a large part of the Civil War at the time. This happened on April 12, 1861, on an island in the bay off the Carolina coast.
  • Reconstruction of the South

    Rebuilding of the South after the war. The Northern victory of the Civil War gave almost 4 million slaves their freedom. The rebuilding of the South brought new challenges without the South having slavery. The South passed "black codes" as a way to keep blacks from having rights and still acted as slavery.
  • Radical Reconstruction

    Slaves given rights as voters and gained a voice in government. This happened in the North. African Americans gained a voice in the government for the first time in history. Nearly a decade after this, The KKK came to be and would reverse the changes that the Radical Reconstruction brought to the country.