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445
Empires Dominate Jerusalem
The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt in 445 B.C. Soon, however, other empires dominated the region: First the Persians, then the Greeks, and then the Romans. -
500
Indo-Europeans Migrate
The Indo-Europeans were a group of nomadic peoples who may have come from the steppes, dry grasslands that stretched north of the Caucasus. The Caucasus are the mountains between the Black and Caspian seas. They lived in tribes that spoke forms of a language that we call Indo-European. -
515
A Second Temple
Work on the second temple was completed in 515 B.C. -
563
Buddhism Origins and Beliefs
Buddhism developed out of the same period of religious questioning that shaped modern Hinduism and Jainism. , Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism. He was never allowed to go outside of the palace until he was 29. Outside of the palace he saw an old man, a sick man, then a corpse, and finally a wandering holy man who seemed at
peace with himself. Siddhartha decided to spend his life searching for religious truth and an end to life’s suffering. -
Jan 1, 750
Hinduism Origins and Beliefs
Hindus see religion as a way of liberating the soul from the illusions, disappointments, and mistakes of everyday existence.
Between 750 and 550 B.C., Hindu teachers tried to
interpret and explain the hidden meaning of the Vedic hymns. The teachers’ comments were later written down and became the Upanishads.
Reincarnation - Rebirth. An individual soul or spirit is born again and again until perfect understanding is achieved.
Karma - Good or bad deeds that influence specific life circumstances. -
Jan 1, 752
Siege of Samaria
In 725 B.C. the Assyrians began a relentless siege of Samaria, the capital of Israel. By 722 B.C., the whole northern kingdom had fallen to the Assyrians’ ferocious assault -
Jan 1, 1000
Phoenicia: The Alphabet
During the 2nd millenium BC, Phoenicians needed a way of recording transactions clearly and quickly, so the Phoenicians
developed a writing system that used symbols to
represent sounds. -
Jan 1, 1020
Israel
From about 1020 to 922 B.C., the Hebrews united under
three kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. The new kingdom was called Israel. For 100 years, Israel enjoyed its greatest period of power and independence. -
Jan 1, 1190
Hittie Empire falls
Despite its military might, the Hittite empire fell quite suddenly around the year 1190 B.C. As part of a great wave of invasions, tribes attacked from the north and burned the Hittite capital city. -
Jan 1, 1200
Minoan's Cultures End
The Minoan civilization finally ended about 1200 B.C. The reasons for its end are unclear. The civilization had withstood previous disasters. In about 1700 B.C., an earthquake destroyed most Minoan towns and cities. Then in 1470 B.C. a series of earthquakes rocked Crete. The quakes were followed by a violent volcanic eruption on Thera.
the neighboring island of Thera -
Jan 1, 1500
The Hitties Iron Technology
Around 1500 B.C., the Hittites were the first in Southwest Asia to work with iron and harden it into weapons of war. Knowledge of iron technology traveled widely with the Hittites in both their trade and conquests -
Minoans Trade in the Mediterranean
The Minoans dominated trade in the eastern Mediterranean from about 2000 to 1400 B.C. They lived on Crete, a large island on the southern edge of the Aegean Sea. The Minoans
produced some of the finest painted pottery of the time. They traded that pottery, along with swords, figurines, and vessels of precious metals, over a large area. Minoans also exported their art and culture. These included a unique architecture, burial customs, and religious rituals. -
Israel Splits
Solomon’s building projects required high taxes and badly strained the kingdom’s finances. After Solomon’s death, the Jews in the northern part of the kingdom, which was located far from the south, revolted. By 922 B.C., the kingdom had divided in two. Israel was in the north and Judah was in the south -
The Babylonian Captivity
In 738 B.C., both Israel and Judah began paying tribute, peace money paid by a weaker power to a stronger, to Assyria. By paying tribute, Israel and Judah hoped to ensure that the
mighty Assyrian empire would not attack. -
King Cyrus
In 539 B.C., the Persian king Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon. The next year, Cyrus allowed 40,000 exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild Solomon's temple. Many, however, stayed in Babylonia.
