World history

Mesopotamia

12,000 BCE

Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq. In the broader sense, the historical region of Mesopotamia also includes parts of present-day Iran, Turkey, Syria and Kuwait.

Neolithic Age

9998 BCE

The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is characterized by the beginning of a settled human lifestyle. People learned to cultivate plants and domesticate animals for food, rather than rely solely on hunting and gathering.

Out of Africa Theory

9600 BCE

This theory states that Homosapiens developed first in Africa and then spread around the world between 100 and 200,000 years ago, superseding all other hominid species.

Hinduism

8000 BCE

Hindus believe in the doctrines of samsara (the continuous cycle of life, death, and reincarnation) and karma (the universal law of cause and effect). One of the key thoughts of Hinduism is “atman,” or the belief in soul. This philosophy holds that living creatures have a soul, and they're all part of the supreme soul.

Paleolithic Age

8000 BCE

In the beginning of the Paleolithic Age, hominid populations began making stone tools. Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and the Neanderthals were all residents of the Paleolithic Age.

Mesopotamia

5400 BCE

Mesopotamia is a region of southwest Asia in the Tigris and Euphrates river system that benefitted from the area’s climate and geography to host the beginnings of human civilization.

Sumerians

4500 BCE

Sumerians were an ancient civilization founded in the Mesopotamia region of the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Known for their innovations in language, governance, architecture, and more, Sumerians are considered the creators of civilization as modern humans understand it.

7 characteristics of Civilization

4000 BCE

There are 7 characteristics that define a civilization.
Stable food supply.
System of government.
Highly developed culture.
Written language.
Social structure.
Religious system.
Advances in technology.

Early River Valley Civilizations

3300 BCE

Early river civilizations were all hydraulic empires that maintained power and control through exclusive control over access to water. This system of government arose through the need for flood control and irrigation, which requires central coordination and a specialized bureaucracy.

Paleolithic Age

3300 BCE

Paleolithic people were hunter-gatherers who used stone tools. They lived in small, nomadic groups, and they ate what they could gather and hunt for themselves. They had religious beliefs based on spirits and the natural world. They tended to have egalitarian societies.

Neolithic Age

3000 BCE

The Neolithic period is characterized by the beginning of a settled human lifestyle. People learned to cultivate plants and domesticate animals for food, rather than rely mainly on hunting and gathering.

The Old Kingdom

2700 BCE

The Old Kingdom is known especially as the era when ancient Egyptian civilization first rose to become a thriving nation, with a single administration governing the whole country under a single ruler – the pharaoh. The first royal pyramids were constructed in this period.

Indus River Valley Civilization

2600 BCE

The Indus cities are noted for their urban planning, a technical and political process concerned with the use of land and design of the urban environment. They are also noted for their baked brick houses, elaborate drainage systems, water supply systems, and clusters of large, nonresidential buildings.

Early River Valley Civilizations

2600 BCE

Examples of early river valley civilizations include the Indus Valley Civilization, Ancient Egypt (on the Nile), Mesopotamia (along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers), and Chinese civilization along the Yellow River.

Pyramids of Giza

2537 BCE

The Pyramids of Giza was created by King Khufu. The Great Sphinx guards the pyramids. It was a powerful symbol of the Old Kingdom.

Akkadians

2334 BCE

The Akkadians are known for many things. The Akkadian Empire was the first true empire by modern understanding, ruling a huge part of Mesopotamia. They developed the first postal system, delivering clay tablet messages in clay envelopes. The Akkadian language is the oldest surviving cuneiform script.

The Middle Kingdom

2039 BCE

The Middle Kingdom was a time of increasing stability and prestige for Ancient Egypt. There was great political stability as Upper and Lower Egypt were unified, and a distinct culture began to develop in the form of literature and art, especially block statues and carved temples.

Assyrians

2025 BCE

The Assyrian Empire is considered the greatest of the Mesopotamia empires due to its large expanse, and developments of government and military. At the peak of their power, the Assyrians were a formidable, and at times barbaric, military force that was known for overpowering their enemies.

Babylonians

1894 BCE

Ancient Babylonia left behind some wonderful artifacts. They used the innovations of the Sumerians, added to them, and built an empire that gave the world, among other things, codified laws, a tower that soared above the earth, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Judaism

1800 BCE

Judaism is a monotheistic religion developed among the ancient Hebrews. It is characterized by a belief in one transcendent God who revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life based on Scriptures and rabbinic traditions.

Shang Dynasty

1750 BCE

he Shang made many contributions to Chinese civilization, but four in particular define the dynasty: the invention of writing; the development of a stratified government; the advancement of bronze technology; and the use of the chariot and bronze weapons in warfare.

The New Kingdom

1550 BCE

Known especially for monumental architecture and statuary honoring the gods and pharaohs, the New Kingdom, a period of nearly 500 years of political stability and economic prosperity, also produced an abundance of artistic masterpieces created for use by nonroyal individuals.

Judaism

1500 BCE

Judaism, monotheistic religion developed among the ancient Hebrews. Judaism is characterized by a belief in one transcendent God who revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions. Judaism is the complex phenomenon of a total way of life for the Jewish people, comprising theology, law, and innumerable cultural traditions.

Zhou Dynasty

1045 BCE

During the Zhou dynasty, China underwent quite dramatic changes. Iron, ox-drawn plows, crossbows, and horseback riding were all introduced; large-scale irrigation and water-control projects were also instituted for the first time, greatly increasing the crop yield of the North China Plain.

Period of the Warring States

258 BCE

The Warring States Period describes the three centuries when various rival Chinese states battled viciously for territorial advantage and dominance. Ultimately the Qin state was victorious and established the first unified Chinese state.

Qin Dynasty

221 BCE

It was China's first unified state whose power was centralized instead of spread among different kingdoms in the north and south. Although it lasted only about fifteen years, the Qin dynasty greatly influenced the next two thousand years of Chinese history.