World History Timeline

Creation

4000 BCE

This is when God created the heavens and the earth. He created all the animals, plants, and the first humans, Adam and Eve.

The Fall: Adam and Eve forced out of Eden and Mesopotamia

Period: 4000 BCE to 2910 BCE

The took place a few years after 4000 BC. Adam and Eve were forced out of Eden for disobeying God. In between The Fall and 2910 BC Mesopotamia was discovered and lived in. Mesopotamia is a Greek name that means, "the land between two rivers."

Noah Builds the Ark

2910 BCE

God tells Noah to build an ark to save him and his family from the coming flood.

The Flood

2790 BCE

About this time God sent the flood to destroy all life on earth except Noah, his wife, his sons, their wives, and some animals.

Maya

2600 BCE

A mesoamerican tribe located at the Yucatan Peninsula. The Maya are most well know for there creation of an accurate calendar. However they had many other achievements. They created chewing gum and study the stars. They built massive temples and pyramids for their gods. They even wrote books. One of their most famous ones is Popol Vuh which contains there rituals, beliefs and chronological events. Scholars agree that the Mayans were the most advanced civilization of their time.

African and Mesoamerican Tribes

Period: 2600 BCE to 1600

During this time period African and Mesoamerican tribes began to pop up.

Indus River Valley Civilization

2500 BCE

This is modern day India and Pakistan. The Indus River Valley Civilization is made up of 2 rivers, the Ganges River and the Indus River. They had natural protection from the Himalayan Mountains. This made it a subcontinent since it is separated from the rest of Asia. They had fertile soil, river water, and natural protection from the mountains and the Indian ocean. However, they also had monsoons and droughts. 2 religions originated here, Hinduism and Buddhism.

The Tower of Babel

2310 BCE

This is when the people of the earth try to build a tower to heaven but God stops them and mixes up their languages.

The Sumerians and Egyptians

2310 BCE

Around this time the Sumerians and the Egyptians colonize there own land around a place that today is called, "The Fertile Crescent."

Ancient China

2070 BCE

Ancient China was along the Huang He(Yellow) river. They got water from it and fertile soil from around it. Mountains, deserts, and oceans surrounded them, which gave them protection from invasion. Emperors from dynasties ruled China. They believed in the Mandate of Heaven. They also believed in the Filial Piety which is the respect of elders and parents. They had social classes which were Emperor, artisan, peasant. They used calligraphy for writing. Their teachings are Confucianism and Taoism.

The Greeks and Romans

Period: 2000 BCE to 476

During this time period the Greek and Roman civilizations were formed. These civilizations had great and similar accomplishments.

Olmec

1500 BCE

They are a mesoamerican tribe that thrived around. Mesoamerican just means that they were located in the middle of North and South America. There exact geographical location was near modern day Veracruz, Mexico. The Olmec created a numbers system for counting traded items. They also were a very artistic civilization making many sculptures of jade and stone.

The Exodus

1200 BCE

This is when the Hebrews departed from Egypt. God sent 10 plagues to make pharaoh let them go. 1st the Nile River was turned to blood, 2nd frogs came and swarmed the land, 5th lice, then flies, 4th livestock disease, then boils, 6th a hail storm, 7th locust swarmed the land, 8th an eclipse, and 10th the Angel of death which killed the first born of every household with out the blood of a lamb on the door. The plagues didn't affect the Hebrews. After the plagues pharaoh let them go.

The Hebrews

1160 BCE

They live in Israel which was also called "The Promise Land," because God promised the land of Israel to Abraham. Abraham was told by God to dwell in Canaan and take his wife Sarah. He tells him his descendants will inherit the Canaan if he only worships Him only. Abraham listens then has Isaac and he has Jacob whose name is changed to Israel. He has twelve sons and a daughter. These sons become the twelve tribes of Israel. The people of Israel are called Israelites, Jews, and Hebrews.

Bantu

1000 BCE

Located in the Sub-Sahara the Bantu were an early African tribe. They came up with the basics of Sub-Saharan religion, language and traditions. Each of the tribes after it would take some influence from the Bantu. The language Swahili actually originate from the Bantu language. The Bantu also came up the griot which were African tribal record keepers. Every tribe in Sub-Sahara, Africa inherited some attributes from the Bantu.

The Creation of the Republic

800 BCE

The Romans created the republic. A republic is a government where citizens with the right to vote choose their leaders and only certain people can be leaders. The Romans were a republic for 450 years.

The Creation of Democracy

500 BCE

After the tyrants in Greece lost power the idea of democracy was formed. Democracy is a Greek word meaning rule by the people. In this government the people of Greece voted on government decisions and leaders which ruled in terms.

Philip of Macedon

350 BCE

Or King Philip of Macedon is the father of Alexander III. He created the first paid army, which contained foot soldiers called the infantry, and soldiers on horse back called the cavalry. He was the one who united Greece into one empire under one ruler, him. When he died his son took the throne.

Alexander the Great

336 BCE

Aka Alexander III was born in 356 BC. He became king of Greece 20 years later. Alexander III is known as a military genius because of how many battles he has won. There isn't a lost battle in his record. He might have had a short 13 year reign but it was still great one. During his reign he created the Hellenistic culture, this is what he is the most famous for, and he conquered from all lands up to India.

Caesar Augustus

27 BCE

Or Octavian Caesar ruled Rome in 27 BC. His rule was known as the Pax Romana or the period of peace and prosperity. He created the denarius and encouraged trade. He built, aqueducts to bring water into Rome and concrete roads. He also created a civil service where anyone could apply for any government position.

The Mandate of Heaven

9

The Chinese believed that the gods decided the dynasties. When a dynasty was good that meant they had the Mandate of Heaven, but as soon as they started being mean and selfish the mandate is and the dynasty is over thrown. Then a new dynasty would begin.

Constantine the Great

313

Constantine was emperor of the Roman Empire. He was the first Christian emperor of Rome. He stopped the persecution of Christians, made it the states official religion, and allowed the people of Rome to choose their own religion. He conquered the all of Europe. Then in 324 AD he split it into two sections, Western Rome Empire and the Eastern Rome Empire, and moved the capital to a Greek city called Byzantium and changed the name to Constantinople which means the "city of Constantine."

Gupta Age

319

This is when the Gupta Dynasty ruled in India, it contained 5 rulers. This Dynasty had many advances in math and astronomy. They figured out, there were other planets besides earth, the first 5 digits of Pi and other advances in literature and art. The rulers were, Chandragupta: the battle wager, Samudragupta: the Indian Napoleon, Chandragupta II: conquered the Saurshtra peninsula, Kumaragupta I: unites India into one entity, and Skandagupta: had a large empire. This was from 319-467 AD.

Byzantine Empire

330

Also know as the Eastern Roman Empire rose when the Roman Empire fell. There name came from their capital, Constantinople which used to be a Greek city call Byzantium. This empire was a christian one. They built a church called the Hagi Sofia and Emperor Justinian created the Justinian's Code. He also recaptured most of the Western Roman Empire. However in 1453 the Ottoman Empire conquered them ending of the Byzantine Empire.

The Fall of the Rome Empire

476

Also referred to as the fall of the Western Roman Empire is when the Roman Empire ceased to exist. This was do to, lack of loyalty of soldiers, less patriotic people, money inflation, conflicts over Christianity, and the Germanic tribes started to invade Rome. These are all of the reasons for the decline of Rome. However while the Western Empire fell the Eastern Empire thrived for a little over a thousand years.

Middle Ages

Period: 500 to 1485

Or the Dark ages were a time of war, crusades, the increase of church power and feudalism.

Islam

622

Islamic people are called Muslims. This religion originated from the prophet Muhammad who is believed to be given the idea of Islam from the angel Gabriel. Islamic belief is you must do more right than wrong to go to heaven. They have many religious traditions such as the fast of Ramadan and praying at noon on Fridays to their God, Allah. Islam has 2 sects: The Shiites' belief is Muhammad's descendants should be successor. the Sunni's belief is the most pious Muslim should be successor.

William the Concuqueror

1066

He was from Norman. He believed he had a claim to the throne of England, so in 1066 A.D. he fought with King Harold of England for the throne. This event is the reason for the battle of Hastings. It was a very tough battle, but in the end King Harold and all his brothers died in battle. On Christmas, 1066, he was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey. This marks the beginning of the middle ages.

The Crusades

1096

A crusade is a military expedition called by the pope. The purpose of the Crusades was to get the Holy Land back from the Muslims. It started with the People Crusade. It was a horde of 3000 people that went 1000 miles to Byzantium unarmed. When they arrived they were massacred by the Turks. Then real soldiers from all over western Europe joined together in Constantinople and fought for the Holy Land. Eventually the Europeans captured the Holy Land and defeated the Muslims for the time being.

Mongol Empire

1200

The Mongol Empire is one of the largest and most powerful empires of all time. It territory was roughly the same size as Africa. The Mongols were lead by a man now called Genghis Khan and his successors. This empire would destroy whole cities that wouldn't submit to them. This left whole cities decimated. All of the laws Genghis Khan made were from a book called "Yassa" meaning "order." This empire also reopened the silk road and band theft. Marco Polo traveled to and studied the empire.

Magna Carta

1213

Or the Great Charter, was a document made by barons in 1215 A.D. They made the king of England at the time, King John, sign it. It's a document that limits the king from breaking the law or doing things without the people's consent. For example it keeps him from raising taxes or making laws without consulting the nobles. It also keeps him from punishing people without them going to trial first. It even gives the citizens the ability to impeach the king if they feel they need to.

Aztec

1300

Located around swamp land around Lake Texcoco the Aztecs were a mesoamerican tribe. They were polytheistic and had hundreds of gods. They offered human sacrifices to them and they consider it to be honor to do so. The Aztec created a tax system by making people pay tribute to there king. They also created chinampas which are gardens that they made float on water. They used them to plant crops such as corn, beans, cotton, potatoes, peppers and more. There finest warriors were called Jaguars.

The 100 Years War

1337

The 100 years war lasted from 1337 - 1453. So technically it was 116 years. It started because of territorial problems between England and France. The first battle was a naval one called the Battle of Sluys. The British fleet dominated in this battle destroying almost the whole French fleet and so for the rest of the war England controlled the English Channel. This is important because it shows the beginning of the hundred years war and how powerful England was in the beginning.

The Black Death

1347

Or the Black Plague was a deadly and infectious disease that killed that is estimated to have killed millions. It was spread by rats and fleas. Some people used the disease as an advantage in warfare. They would launch black death dead bodies into walled cities to infect and kill the inhabitants. Some thought the disease was sent by God to punish the world for sin. The disease ended it reign in 1351.

Prince Henry of Portugal

Mar 4, 1394

He started a school for navigation which updated maps and helped create the caravel A caravel is a boat with special sails that allow it to sail with and against the wind. This ship enable people to be able to sail anywhere there's water and to get to the new world and back.

The Renaissance

Period: 1400 to 1600

Started in the 1400s. The word Renaissance means rebirth. So the Renaissance is the rebirth of Europe with the invention of the printing press being the driving point. Because of this great invention many literary works were now accessible to everyone, such as the bible. The renaissance is know for its people of the arts such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Shakespeare. Also many humanistic literature was written during this time since this time mostly focused on humanism.

Inca

1438

Located in modern day Peru the Inca were a mesoamerican tribe. They created the sundial clock. They built 20,000 miles of roads. The Inca were also polytheistic and had many gods, however there main god was the sun and they believed they were descendants of the sun and moon and that the king was the direct descendant of the sun. They are the most famous for Machu Pichu, a religious city that never was finished. Today, it is studied and visited by many.

The Age of Exploration

Period: 1450 to 1750

This was a time of creating new trade routes and the discovery of the new world. There were also man technical improvements oceanic travel such as the caravel and the compass.

Christopher Columbus

1451

Columbus was an Italian explore. He is famous for discovering America even though he was really trying to find a new route to Asia, to find new land and commence trade, by going west. To be able to even go on a voyage he need a sponsor so King Phillip II of Spain, and his wife, gave Columbus the money to go to and find a new route to Asia. Even though he didn't find Asia he still made the king and queen.

Amerigo Vespucci

1451

He was an Italian cartographer and explorer. He was the first to realize that North and South America were not apart of Asia but were an entirely different Continent. The name America is actually a feminized version of his name. They named it after him because his writings about the new world were more well known than Columbus' who originally discovered was the first to discover America.

Ferdinand Magellan

1480

Ferdinand Magellan was the first person to circumnavigate the globe. On his way he found the spice islands and discovered the Pacific Ocean. He called it that because of the stillness after leaving the rough straight.

The Reformation

1500

Was a religious divide in the Catholic Church. People were demanding changes of to Catholicism's rules because they were unhappy with what the church was doing. So, a monk, Martin Luther, who when reading the bible realized that what the church was doing didn't line up to the Bible, wrote 95 theses, things the church was doing wrong. However when he took it to court instead of a few reforms he was named a heretic. This caused the church to split some siding with him and others with the Catholic.