EMERGENCE OF HUMANS
Homo sapiens appear in Africa
TIMELINE OF ANCIENT HISTORY
Explore key events from the dawn of civilization to the modern era.
PREHISTORIC PERIOD (300,000 - 10,000 BCE)
300,000 BCE
Origin of Homo sapiens
70,000 BCE
Human migration
OUT OF AFRICA
First major wave of human migration from Africa to Asia and beyond
50,000 BCE
Upper Paleolithic begins
CULTURAL REVOLUTION
Period of advanced stone tool industries, cave art, and expanded social networks
45,000 BCE
Early symbolic thought
EARLY HUMAN ART
Earliest evidence of symbolic thought and artistic expression
40,000 BCE
Cave art flourishes
CAVE PAINTINGS
Remarkable cave paintings appear in Europe (Lascaux, Chauvet)
24,000 BCE
Ice Age peak
LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM
Period of maximum extent of ice sheets, with sea levels 120 meters lower than present day
~18,000 BCE
Magdalenian Culture
EUROPE
Flourishing of the Magdalenian culture in Western Europe, known for sophisticated bone/antler tools and renowned cave art (e.g., Lascaux, Altamira).
~12,700 BCE
Bølling-Allerød Warming
GLOBAL CLIMATE
A significant warming period begins after the Last Glacial Maximum, leading to ice sheet retreat and ecosystem changes.
~10,900 BCE
Younger Dryas Begins
GLOBAL CLIMATE
An abrupt return to near-glacial conditions interrupts the post-glacial warming trend, lasting over a millennium.
~10,900 BCE
Impact Event (Theoretical)
NORTH AMERICA [THEORETICAL]
Hypothesized comet/asteroid impact or airburst event proposed as a trigger for the Younger Dryas cooling and associated environmental changes.
~10,800 BCE
Megafauna/Clovis Changes
NORTH AMERICA
Accelerated extinction of large mammals (mammoths, mastodons) and significant transformation/decline of the Clovis Paleo-Indian culture coincides with Younger Dryas onset.
~9,700 BCE
End of Younger Dryas
GLOBAL CLIMATE
Rapid warming resumes, marking the end of the last major cold period of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene epoch.
EARLY NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION (10,000 - 5,000 BCE)
9,600 BCE
World's oldest temple
GÖBEKLI TEPE
Construction of massive stone pillars arranged in circles with carved animals and symbols in modern-day Turkey
9,500 BCE
Agricultural innovations
EARLY CULTIVATION
First evidence of intentional plant management and early farming techniques developing across fertile regions
9,000 BCE
Agricultural beginnings
FERTILE CRESCENT
First evidence of deliberate cultivation of wild grains like wheat and barley in the Middle East
9,000 BCE
Mehrgarh Settlement
SOUTH ASIA
Early agricultural settlement in the Indus Valley region, precursor to the Indus Valley Civilization
8,500 BCE
Early settlement
JERICHO
Development of one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited settlements with protective walls and a tower
8,000 BCE
Domestication of Cattle
NEAR EAST
Domestication of cattle for meat, milk, and labor in the Near East region
8,000 BCE
Göbekli Tepe Buried
ANATOLIA
The monumental structures at Göbekli Tepe are intentionally buried under layers of earth, preserving the site.
8,000 BCE
Animal domestication
SOUTHWEST ASIA
Evidence of early domestication of sheep, goats, and other animals for food, materials, and labor
7,000 BCE
Vinča Culture
EUROPE
Advanced Neolithic culture in Southeast Europe known for sophisticated pottery and early copper metallurgy
7,000 BCE
Large settlement
ÇATALHÖYÜK
Large Neolithic settlement in Anatolia with houses built adjacent to each other and entered through roofs
6,600 BCE
Jiahu Symbols
CHINA
Early symbolic markings found on pottery in Jiahu, China, possibly representing an early form of proto-writing
6,500 BCE
Ceramic technology
POTTERY INNOVATION
Widespread adoption of fired pottery for storage, cooking, and artistic expression across the Near East
6,200 BCE
Farming spread
EUROPEAN EXPANSION
Agricultural techniques and domesticated crops spread into Europe through the Balkans and along the Mediterranean
5,900 BCE
Proto-cities emerge
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
Larger settlements show evidence of specialized crafts, social hierarchies, and organized public spaces
EARLY URBAN CIVILIZATIONS (5,000 - 3,000 BCE)
5,500 BCE
Early metallurgy
COPPER WORKING
First evidence of copper smelting in the Balkans and Middle East, marking the beginning of human metalworking
5,000 BCE
Irrigation agriculture
MESOPOTAMIA
Development of sophisticated irrigation systems in Mesopotamia, enabling large-scale agriculture in arid regions
4,500 BCE
Long-distance trade
TRADE NETWORKS
Extensive trade networks develop across the Near East, exchanging raw materials, finished goods, and ideas
4,000 BCE
Uruk Period begins
FIRST SUMERIAN CITIES
Rise of the first true cities in southern Mesopotamia, with Uruk becoming the world's largest urban center
4,000 BCE
Proto-writing
ADMINISTRATIVE TOKENS
Development of clay tokens, seals, and counting devices for record keeping in Mesopotamia
3,500 BCE
Wheel invention
MESOPOTAMIAN INNOVATION
The wheel is invented, first for pottery making (potter's wheel) and later adapted for transportation
3,500 BCE
Early Dynastic Egypt
PREDYNASTIC DEVELOPMENTS
Formation of early Egyptian states in the Nile Valley prior to unification
3,300 BCE
First writing system
SUMERIAN CUNEIFORM
Development of cuneiform writing in Mesopotamia, the world's earliest known writing system
3,100 BCE
Egyptian unification
NARMER'S CONQUEST
Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under King Narmer (Menes), founding the First Dynasty
2,900 BCE
Sumerian city-states
URBAN CENTERS
Development of major city-states like Ur, Uruk, and Lagash in Mesopotamia
BRONZE AGE CIVILIZATIONS (3,000 - 1,200 BCE)
2,700 BCE
Egyptian Old Kingdom
PYRAMID AGE
Beginning of the Old Kingdom period in Egypt, known for monumental architecture including the Step Pyramid and Great Pyramids
2,600 BCE
Great Pyramid of Giza
KHUFU'S MONUMENT
Construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest of the Egyptian pyramids and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
2500 BCE
Indus Valley Civilization
HARAPPAN CULTURE
Urban civilization in South Asia with sophisticated city planning, drainage systems, and standardized weights and measures
2500 BCE
Epic of Gilgamesh
SUMERIAN LITERATURE
Composition of one of the earliest known literary works, telling the story of the king of Uruk and his quest for immortality
2334 BCE
Akkadian Empire
SARGON'S CONQUEST
Sargon of Akkad creates the world's first multi-ethnic empire, uniting Mesopotamia under a single ruler
2,000 BCE
Minoan Civilization
CRETE
First advanced European civilization develops on Crete
IRON AGE & CLASSICAL PERIOD (1,200 BCE - 500 CE)
1,050 BCE
Phoenician Alphabet
WRITING INNOVATION
Development of the first widely used consonantal alphabet, ancestor of many modern scripts
1,000 BCE
Phoenician city-states
MARITIME TRADE
Phoenicians expand Mediterranean trade networks
753 BCE
Founding of Rome
ROMAN BEGINNINGS
Traditional date for the founding of Rome
500 BCE
Classical Age
GOLDEN AGE OF GREECE
Advances in philosophy, art, and science in Athens
221 BCE
Unification of China
QIN DYNASTY
Qin Shi Huang unifies China and begins the Great Wall
27 BCE
Roman Empire
AUGUSTUS
Roman Republic transitions to the Roman Empire
476 CE
Fall of Rome
END OF WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE
Romulus Augustulus is deposed, marking the fall of the Western Roman Empire
POST-CLASSICAL PERIOD (500 - 1500 CE)
632 CE
Islamic Expansion
RISE OF ISLAM
Beginning of Islamic expansion across the Middle East and North Africa
800 CE
Holy Roman Empire
CHARLEMAGNE
Charlemagne crowned as Holy Roman Emperor
1200 CE
Angkor Empire
SOUTHEAST ASIAN POWER
Angkor Empire reaches its peak in Southeast Asia
EARLY MODERN PERIOD (1500 - 1800 CE)
1492 CE
Age of Exploration
COLUMBUS
Columbus reaches the Americas, beginning European colonization
1600 CE
Scientific Revolution
MODERN SCIENCE
Scientific method and empirical research transform knowledge
MODERN ERA (1800 - PRESENT)
1804 CE
Napoleonic Era
NAPOLEON
Napoleon Bonaparte crowned Emperor of France
1914 CE
World War I
GLOBAL CONFLICT
First worldwide industrial war begins
1991 CE
End of Cold War
MODERN WORLD
Soviet Union dissolves, ending the Cold War
2001 CE
September 11 Attacks
WAR ON TERROR
Terrorist attacks in the United States lead to global conflicts and security changes
2008 CE
Global Financial Crisis
ECONOMIC RECESSION
Worldwide economic downturn triggered by the collapse of the housing market
2011 CE
Arab Spring
MIDDLE EAST REVOLUTIONS
Wave of pro-democracy protests and uprisings across the Arab world
2019 CE
Global Pandemic
COVID-19
Worldwide health crisis that transformed global society and economies
2022 CE
European Conflict
RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
Largest conventional military conflict in Europe since World War II
2023 CE
AI Revolution
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Rapid advances in AI technology transform industries and raise new ethical questions