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Period: 3500 BCE to 3000 BCE
First Civilizations
The earliest definitive civilizations start to emerge in Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. They had early forms of written language, and settled along rivers, probably for agricultural reasons. They had built temples and started empires in what is now the Middle East and northern African regions. -
Period: 3000 BCE to 1800 BCE
Supe River Valley
Smaller civilizations began popping up along rivers and other bodies of water. They developed maritime economical systems mainly based on fishing or agriculture. Art forms became more popular and important to cultures. -
2600 BCE
Pyramids and Peru
The Egyptian Pyramids were being built around this time. There is also evidence that early Peruvian civilizations had started to emerge near this time. -
Period: 2070 BCE to 1600 BCE
Xia (shyah) Dynasty
The first known dynasty in China. They created ways to control bodies of water and prevent floods. -
2000 BCE
Indus Valley civilization
More intricate cities began to develop in the Middle East, near what is now Pakistan. They had their own written languages. They had also built large buildings believed to be palaces, temples, and much more. Historians believe that their civilizations had a sense of social classes and separation based on wealth or status. -
Period: 1406 BCE to 771 BCE
Zhou (joh) Dynasty
The Zhou Dynasty was a subsequent Chinese dynasty that developed more spiritually and politically. They created tombs and burial sites for both rulers and rituals. They had a distinct monarch with the title "Son of Heaven" that was said to bridge the gap between humans and divinity, and "maintain social harmony among his people." -
1200 BCE
Military Innovation
Military skills used in Egypt and Mesopotamia, such as chariots, spread to China, where it was combined with metallurgy. This was the start of the Shang dynasty, a powerful Chinese dynasty. -
Period: 1200 BCE to 400 BCE
Olmec civilization in Mesoamerica
The Olmec people carved statues out of enormous blocks of basalt that resemble heads of potential leaders or important figures. The Maya Temple of the Great Jaguar was built in the later periods of this timeframe was on of the biggest and most intricate statues/builds of any first civilization. -
221 BCE
China's First Emperor
Writing had become a powerful development in human evolution. China's first emperor Qin Shihuangdi was rumored to have killed hundreds of scholars and writers, destroying all their works as well. He was afraid their writings would expose parts of his leadership that he didn't want enemies using against him, like civil wars and such.