Timeline project

Farming Developed

7000 BCE

The start of Ancient Mesopotamia was what created what we know now as farming. They people of the Indus River Valley's not only planted crops but also domesticated animals. They mostly planted and wheat and barley. Those are the first instances of agriculture that have been recorded and found by historians.

The Wheel

4000 BCE

The Sumerian people invented the Wheel around 4000 BCE. They originally invented it for making pottery, but around 300 years after it was finally used for chariots. It helped their civilization move a lot faster. They used it for agriculture and farming by pulling animals and crop irrigation. This invention is used in everyday lives today, and is still just as important.

Silk Created

3630 BCE

The oldest dated silk goes back to the year 3630 BCE. Silk was very important to Chinese culture at the time and it was definitely a sign of status. Instead of money, people were paid in silk. It was also a huge source of income for small farmers. They were the only ones that were up to the task of harvesting such a thing. The silk weaving in China was absolutely gorgeous, and was desired all over the world. This later spiralled into the silk trade. China would never be what it is without silk.

The start of The Bronze Age

3500 BCE

This is when some of the first bronze tools were made. It kickstarted a time of war with the use of new weapons, but it also was very helpful to farmers. They were able to use tools that were more sturdy, and overall better for what they were trying to achieve.

Invention of Numbers

3400 BCE

The Sumerians took their trade very seriously, so they needed some way to measure it. They came up with a numerical system called sexagesimal or base-60. They used this for weighing objects to decide its worth or value.

Sumerian Writing

3400 BCE

Cuneiform, Syrian writing, is the first ever writing that was created in history. They used pictures that represented words to write things down. This first started around 3400 BCE so that they could keep track of trade and other important things. As time went on, the script turned into more of an alphabet instead of pictures. But cuneiform will always be known as the first form of writing ever.

The Unification of Egypt

3150 BCE

Lower and Upper Egypt were separated for thousands of years.That was until a King named Menes decided that he wanted to unify the two. He and his army of Upper Egypt defeated Lower Egypt. This ended a political war and finally united the two regions. It also helped in spreading the Egyptian word and religion throughout Mesopotamia. The unification of Egypt was very important in spreading culture and was a very important part of Egyptian history.

Irrigation

3000 BCE

The people of Mesopotamia didn't have the technology that there is today. They relied on floods and rain to water their crops, so they created an irrigation system. They used canals that ran the water from the river directly into their fields. These were very complex structures that took many people to build, and they were very important so that they could get the food they needed to survive. These are the oldest recorded irrigation systems of any kind that were found by historians.

First Pyramid Built

2780 BCE

The first pyramid that was built in Egypt was made for King Djoser, it was called the step pyramid. His architect Imhotep, who is the first know architect to be written down in history, wanted to create a tomb for his King. The belief was that the Pharoah would need a giant tomb to live on in the after life, so that is what he created. He inspired many other architects too do the same as the line of succession went down. There are at least 118 pyramids that he inspired others to create.

The First War

2700 BCE

Around 2,700 BCE, the Sumerians and the Elamites went to war. This happened because the Sumerians wanted the resources that the Elamites had. Therefore, they were viewed as a threat to the Sumerian society and they didn't want that. In the end Sumer won and Elam lost. Historians do not know most or any of the details of this war, as it was thousands of years ago.

The First Cities

2600 BCE

Harappa is the first ever recorded city that was created. This city was very important as it shows the first ever unit of weight measurements. They used these for trading with other civilizations, and even within their own. They also had a very well planned out drainage and sewage system. They used pipes that lined the houses of villagers and went into buckets that would be taken out regularly. There was an estimated 23,000 people that lived in Harappa, so it was really a big working city.

The First Empire

2350 BCE

The Akkadian Empire is the first ever recorded empire in history. It covered most of southern Mesopotamia and thrived for decades. It started because a King named Sargon decided to conquer most of the little cities that Mesopotamia was split into. He did this until he had enough land to be considered an empire. Sargon created military strategies that ensured that his reign of Akkadia would last until his death. He made sure that Akkadia would be remembered as the first Empire in history.

Ur Falls

1980 BCE

Ur was a very very strong city, but even strong cities fall. Around 1980 BCE, Elam besieged Ur and they ended up winning. The Elamites destroyed Ur and took it for themselves. Nothing was left behind and it truly was absolutely destroyed. Every temple and important building that they made was gone and they lost most of their culture to the Elamites. They were unable to rebuild after that.

The Disappearance of The Indus River Valley

1900 BCE

The Indus River Valley was a thriving region until around 1900 BCE when the entire civilization disappeared. There was no explanation that historians could find, because they had no way of translating the writing they found. But there might have been a scientific explanation. Climate change might have had a huge impact in the Indus. The river had likely dried up and so crops and trading were unable to thrive. This led to a migration of people who had all seemed to disappear.

The Code of Hammurabi

1795 BCE

In 1792 BCE, King Hammurabi came into ruling Babylon. He is know for strengthening it into the strong city that it is known for. He did this by winning his subjects favors with building palaces and temples, protecting them from war, and pardoning them of their crimes. He is mostly known for his law code, "The Code of Hammurabi". Babylonians followed this law very strictly. All of these things that he did were what made Babylon into the rich and prosperous city that it needed to be.

First Queen of Egypt

1789 BCE

Neferusobek was the first woman pharaoh that was widely accepted as so. She adopted a full royal titulary which symbolizes having full worldly power. She was the first of her kind and inspired many other women that ended up being Pharaohs to be the same as her. Women were not accepted as rulers, but she was. Her name was found on a list of kings of Egypt many many years after her death.

Walls of Babylon

1750 BCE

King Hammurabi of Babylon wanted to preserve Babylon and make it a beautiful city. In order to do that he had to ensure the safety of his people. He did this by building walls around the territory. They weren't that sturdy but they were tall. Everything that Hammurabi did to help Babylon was what made it into the legend that people read about today.

Hatshepsut's Reign

1479 BCE

Hatsheput is the second ever known women Pharaoh in Egyptian history. She was also one of the most important Pharaohs in history purely because of her architecture and contribution to the Egyptian economy. She funded missions and helped re-establish trading routes with other territories during her reign. She is mostly known for her architecture, especially the temple she built for herself. SHe built it solely so she could be remembered and not be pushed aside.

Battle of Megiddo

1457 BCE

The Battle of Megiddo was the first war that was ever recorded in detail. The Egyptians wrote down the body count, date, and leader at the time of the war. The battle was between Egyptian forces and a group of Canaanite vassal states. The Egyptians were able to catch them off guard and win the battle with ease. This reinstated Egypt's rule over Canaan, and made the Pharaoh Thutmose be ruler of a very powerful Egypt.

The Great Wall of China

770 BCE

The Great Wall of China was built to protect China from invaders. They started building it around 770 BCE and it took around 2,000 years to build. During the time that it was being built, the silk trade was booming. They didn't want anyone invading and stealing their silk, so they built small fortifications. The wall started out as multiple separate walls, but eventually Qin Shi Huang who was the emperor at the time decided to combine them into one. The Great Wall is known all over the world.