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The earliest period of human history (what historians call the Old Stone Age or the Paleoithic age) begins. This period last for 1,990,000 years. In this era, people lived in small nomadic groups where they hunted and gathered.
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Nomadic bands learned to farm. By producing their own food, they could rmain in one place. Farmers thus settled into permanent villages and developed a new range of skills and tolls.
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The Sumerians had few natural resources, but they made the most of what they had. They lacked building materials, such as timber or stone, so they built with earth and water. They made brics of clay which were the building vlocks for great cities like Ur and Erech.
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The Sumerians invent what may be the earlies known form of writing. Cuneiform grew out of a system of pictographs that priests used to record goods brought to temple storehouses. As their writing evolved, the Sumerians were able to use it to record not only grain harvest but also myths, prayers, laws, treaties, and business contracts.
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King Menes and his successors used the Nile as a higway linking north and south. They could send officials or armies to towns along the river. The Nile thus helped make Egypt the world's first unified state.
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The Bronze Age is a period of human culture between the Stone Age and the Iron Age. It is characterized by the use of weapons and implements made of bronze.
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The history of ancient Egypt is divided into three main periods: the Old Kingdom (about 2700 B.C.-2200 B.C.), the Middle Kingdom (about 2050 B.C.-1800 B.C.), and the New Kingdom (about 1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.). Athough power passed from one dynasty to another, the land generally remained united.
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The pyramids were tombs for eternity, and because Egyptians believed in an afterlife, they preserved the bodies of their dead rulers and provided them with everythng they would need in their new lives. Workers hauled and lifted millions of limestone blocks, some weighing two tons or more, without iron tools or wheeled vehicles to complete the pyramids. Building a pyramid took so long that often a pharaoh would begin to build his tomb as soon as he inherited the throne.
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Sargon invaids and conquers the city-states of Sumer. He builds the first empire known to history.
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The Babylonian Empire emerged around 1790 BC. It is the empire of Mesopotamia in the Euphrates River valley.
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Hammurabi, king of Babylon, takes steps to unite the Babylonian empire and publishes the Code of Hammurabi. It's goals were to cause justice to prevail in the land and to destroy the wicked and evil so that the strong may not oppress the weak. It was the first attempt by a ruler to codify all of the laws that would govern a state.
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Hitties learn how to extract iron from ore. The tools and weapons they made with iron were harder and had sharper edges than those made out of bronze or copper. Becas iron was plentiful, the Hitties were able to arm more people at less expense.
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A printing press was invented in China by Bi Sheng. It was made of movable clas as well as metal lettering.
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Israelites set up a kingdom (called Israel). Kind David united the feuding Israelite tribes into a single nation.
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Phoenicians gained fame as sailors and traders. They occupy a string of cities along the eastern Mediterranean coast, in the area that is today Lebanon and Syria.
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After Assurbanipal's death, neighboring people joined forces to crush the once dreaded Assyrian armies. King Nebuchadnezzar revives the power of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar rebuilds the canals, temples, wallls, and palaces of Babylon.
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Thick walls built by Nebuchadnezzar fail to hold back new conquerors. Babylon falls to the Persian armies of Cyrus the Great.
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King Darius sets up a common set of weights and measures to improve trade. By setting up a single Persian coinage, Darius created economic links among his far-flung subjects.