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10,000 BCE
Paleolithic age
The Paleolithic age was the stone age. They lived in Eastern and Southern Africa. They lived in caves, had stone tools, and were hunters and gatherers. People were moving out of Africa and starting to cover the rest of the world. They lived about 2.4 to 10,000 BCE years ago. -
Period: 3500 BCE to 539 BCE
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is greek for "land between rivers". The rivers are Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It is located in modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Syria, and parts of Turkey. Mesopotamia was known as the "Cradle of Civilization". It had rivers, land, food, and was a great area to live. -
3000 BCE
Hinduism
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. There are about 33 Million different forms of one person. It is the oldest world religion. Many of the sacred texts date back to 3000 BCE, but some texts go as far back as 8000 BCE. It originated in the Indus river valley where ancient India was. The Vedas-Hindu are their sacred texts. Hinduism is all about karma and the cycle of life. If you be a good citizen and do what you are supposed to, you will have good karma. -
Period: 3000 BCE to 1500 BCE
Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were very advanced cities. They had carefully planned streets and even plumbing networks. They know how to get clean water and how to dispose of dirty water. It was a very peaceful place of 35,000 people. However, they mysteriously disappeared probably due to rivers drying up. -
Period: 2700 BCE to 2200 BCE
Old Kingdom
During the Old Kingdom the Egyptians built the pyramids. These were tombs for the Pharaohs. The Pharaohs were seen as gods and they claimed divine power. They ruled as a bureaucracy. -
2540 BCE
Pyramids of Giza
The Pyramids of Giza were created by King Khufu. They are a symbol of the Old Kingdom and a sign of power. They were also tombs for the Pharaohs. The pyramids are guarded by Sphinx. -
Period: 2334 BCE to 2154 BCE
Akkadians
The Akkadians were the first true empire. They ruled most of Mesopotamia. They also developed the first postal service, and their language is the oldest cuneiform script. -
Period: 2055 BCE to 1650 BCE
Middle Kingdom
In the Middle Kingdom the Pharaohs were expected to take more responsibility and give their people welfare. This was the time of expansion and trade. Canals were built to connect the Nile to the Red Sea. -
Period: 1894 BCE to 539 BCE
Babylonians
The Babylonians are most known for the Code of Hammurabi. The Code is a long list of rules and law the people had to follow. With each rule came a trial and a punishment. They had a rule for every situation. However, there were different punishments for men and women. And women weren't allowed to do certain things. -
1800 BCE
Judaism
Judaism was founded in 1800 BCE. Abraham made an agreement with God which is evident in the Torah. Jerusalem is a very important place for jews because that is where King David said the Holy Temple would be. The Star of David is also a very important symbol. Judaism is one of the largest religions on the planet and formed the beliefs for many other religions. -
Period: 1750 BCE to 1045 BCE
Shang Dynasty
The Shang Dynasty were the first major rulers of China. They focused on farming and ancestor worship. This was the age of bronze tools and weapons. -
Period: 1550 BCE to 1070 BCE
New Kingdom
This time period was the fall of the Egyptian Kingdom. Technology was advancing and there was a lot of economic prosperity. However, Amenhotep IV created political instability and Egypts was starting to see its end. -
1200 BCE
Sea People
The "sea people" are found all over the world in many different ancient civilizations. They were very good at destroying cities. They attacked the New Kingdom of Egypt and soon after that, Egypt's great kingdom saw its end. -
Period: 1045 BCE to 256 BCE
Zhou Dynasty
Zhou Dynasty were the first rulers to declare mandate of Heaven. The Emperor rules with divine power but if they aren't doing a good job they can be overthrown. The Zhou Dynasty was doing well. There was progress towards controlling flooding, the iron plow helped with farming, and China got their written language. -
600 BCE
Daoism: The Way of Nature
Daoism was founded by Laozi. It's all about how people interact with nature and the balance between humans and nature. Dao (道) is the underlying principle of the universe and Wu Wei (無為) is effortless action. It's about being yourself and being aligned with nature -
551 BCE
Confucianism: The Way of Virtue
Confucianism was founded by Confucius (551-479 BCE). This is a concept that talks about how to treat others and being a good person. Ren (仁) means humaneness, Li (禮) means proper behavior, and Filial piety is respect for parents and ancestors. -
403 BCE
China civil war
The Zhou Dynasty was starting to face trouble and a civil war broke out. It lasted 180 years. There were advancements in war technology that made the war long and deadly. -
280 BCE
Legalism: The Way of Law
Legalism was founded by Han Feizi (280-233 BCE). Legalism is about following laws and having punishments for your actions. Humans are selfish so they need rules and punishments to stay in line. This particular concept had a huge effect on the Qin Dynasty and state power. -
221 BCE
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty united China. They made it a single monetary system, created roads, extended rivers to transport food, and adopted legalism. They also started building the Great Wall. -
221 BCE
The Great Wall of China
The Qin Dynasty created this wall. It was meant to protect people from the north. It connects all the walls different dynasties built before him. It was finished after his death. Even though he built the wall to keep people out, China still had problems at the northern border.