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75,000 BCE
Mt. Toba, Sumatra
About 75,000 years ago Mt.Toba erupted killing everyone in its path. This explosion created a whole in the Earth and today it is a lake with an island in the center. The ash went into the atmosphere and created a "volcanic winter". The ash was blocking the sun and it caused temperatures to drop which caused an ice age that lasted about a thousand years. The people in this area migrated to Southeast Asia, Indonesia, China and the northern shores of the Indian Ocean. -
74,000 BCE
Pebble Tools from Kota Tampan, Malaysia
In 1938 stone told were found at Kota Tampan and it was thought that this area was a tool production site. It was found that there was an ash layer on top of the pebble tools which shows that the tools were created after the eruption of Mt. Toba. This evidence shows that the tools were created by modern humans who had migrated from Africa. -
32,000 BCE
Early Petroglyphs Project Team
The Petroglyphs team worked together to study rock art in India. It was important to study the rock art because it has a connection to the development of human culture in the Palaeolithic era. -
5000 BCE
Cowrie Shells
Cowrie Shells were used as money around the Indian Ocean. These shells provide proof of Indian Ocean trade networks and the connection to land routes. -
5000 BCE
Cotton
Dated back to 5000 years ago cotton was cultivated for it's many uses. Cotton is easily washable, absorbent and cool in hot weather, and it can be died different colors. The dying of cotton allowed for colorful woodblock designs and Indian cotton fabrics because world-famous and was sold all around the ports of the Indian Ocean. -
3300 BCE
Writing
Ancient Mesopotamians began using symbols, such as pictographs, to record information. The Egyptians created hieroglyphics. -
3000 BCE
Irrigation
Before the development of the irrigation system farmers had to plant crops alongside the riverbanks because of having to carry water to the crops. The creation of the irrigation system allowed for farmers to plant crops where they wanted to. It also allowed farmers to have bigger crops that served more than just their family. This increased the food supply which allowed for people to do other jobs than just farming. -
2350 BCE
Sargon of Akkad
Sargon was a ruler who liked to boast about his success. He set out to seize control of the throne and he brought most of Mesopotamia, Elam, the mountains of Anatolia and Syria under his control. By gaining control his armies were able to gain good from these territories such as copper, stone and wood. Sargon encouraged trade contacts with regions far away like the Indus Valley which made his kingdom very wealthy. -
2000 BCE
Solar Calendar
The Egyptians had created a 365-day calendar which is used today. The Egyptians also divided the day into two twelve hour periods. -
1900 BCE
Assyrian Traders
Assyrians were an important part of the Ancient Era's international trade networks which linked them to distant regions like Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley. The Assyrians traded goods like tin and textiles from silver, which was an important trading good during this era. -
1500 BCE
Punt Reliefs
Carved into the walls of Dayr el-Bahri were hieroglyphics which gave information about Egypt's interactions with other civilizations through trade and recorded a daring adventure by one of Egypts rare female rulers. This adventure highlighted the Queen's power and wisdom and strengthened their trade connections. -
1000 BCE
Sugar Cane
Sugar cane has its origins in Southeast Asia but by 1000 BCE it had reached India. In India they cultivated sugar cane in a larger scale. People started using it in their cooking. In the next few centuries after the Classical Era sugar had spread widely through trade and migration. -
500 BCE
Hanno
Hanno sailed around the western coast of Africa and during his travels he described West Africa. He also had a mission to found cities for Phoenicians living in Africa. -
336 BCE
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great laid the foundation for centuries of interaction and cultural exchanges. He only ruled for 13 years but in those 13 years he defeated the Persian Empire, extended Greek control over lands in western Asia, Egypt, Centra Asia and the Indus Valley, founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt. By doing this trade was huge and so was art for many foreign lands. -
271 BCE
Ashoka
Ashoka was a famous Indian emperor. He converted to Buddhism and worked to spread this religion. He created art and writings about Buddhist teachings. He also encouraged and created trade relations with cultures in West and Southeast Asia. -
206 BCE
Cloves
Cloves were a good that was used in both cooking and medical practices. Cloves were traded regularly from Europe to China because of its great use. In the 206 BCE court officials used cloves to freshen their breath while they talked to the king. The trading of cloves also connected Southeast Asia to the Asian mainland and other regions. -
206 BCE
Chhien Han Shu
This is a form of texts that describe the history of China under different rulers during the Han Dynasty. The passage describes the types of goods that were exchanged, the recruitment of sailors, and the dangers of sea travel. -
138 BCE
Zhang Qian
Zhang Qian was a pioneer of the Silk road trade routes. Through his travels he opened up China to the different areas he came to. He not only told the areas about China, but they told him about their area. He was able to bring back to China foreign music, dance forms, and food, like grapes, pomegranates, watermelon and walnuts. -
Explorer 6
In 1959 the first satellite took pictures of the Earth. This is an advancement of technology because previously balloons and airplanes with cameras were taking the aerial photographs of Earth. -
Cellular phones
Cellular phones increased the worlds ability to communicate, do business, and trade goods. By doing this different areas are able to increase their economic growth. -
The Leakey Family
Mary Leakey was married to Louis Leakey. They both worked together to find and study human fossils and artifacts for evidence of early human ancestors. In 1976 Mary found trails of human-like footsteps at Laetoli. She found that they matched fossils that were found in the same area. The species that those footprints belonged to were humans that walked upright. The Leakey family have contributed a lot of information to their field of study -
Dr. Li Jin
Professor Li Jin works on the Genographic Project for East and Southeast Asia. Him and his team collect DNA samples to study the populations of East and Southeast Asia which helps them investigate the major migrations of the initial settlements of this area. The date for Dr. Li Jin is before 1997 but I do not have an exact date for that time, this date is one that was mentioned by him on the website. -
Dr. Spencer Wells
Dr. Spencer Wells is the director of the Genographic Project. He began in 1996 with collecting biological samples in Central Asia. By doing this him, and others, discovered the male and female genetic markers that allow scientists to trace ancestral human migration. -
Punt
Punt was a place that was very important to Egypt because they were a central trading post connecting it to the rest of Africa. As early as 5000 BCE there is evidence of trade between the two lands by boat along the Red Sea.
