World Highlights in history 1 ~ 50 BC

Highlights in history 1 ~ 50 BC

Europe : Caesar crosses Rubicon, starts civil war 49
Caesar defeats Pompey, ending Republic 48
Caesar murdered on ides of March 44
Octavian wins Battle of Actium against Egypt 31
Octavian becomes Emperor Augustus 27
Livy: History of Rome 26 (-9)
Horace: Odes 25
Augustan building project includes new Forum 25 (-1)
Virgil: Aeneid 19
Water wheel in use all over Roman world c. 50
Caesar adopts Egyptian calendar of 365 days 46

Asia : King Herod rules Judaea 37 (-4)
Jesus Christ born c. 4
Strabo compiles Geography of known world c. 5

Americas : Earliest dated stele, Chiapa de Corzo, Mexico 36

Africa : Numidia in North Africa under Roman control 46
Egypt becomes a Roman province 30
Fire destroys great library at Alexandria 47

Rome's new rulers strike a special coin to celebrate the murder of Julius Caesar.

World Highlights in history 50 ~ 100 BC

Highlights in history 50 ~ 100 BC

Europe : All Italians receive Roman citizenship 89
Sulla establishes dictatorship in Rome 82
Spartacus leads Roman slaves' revolt 73 (-71)
Triumvirate rules Rome 60
Caesar conquers Gaul 58 (-51)
Caesar lands in Britain 55
New realism in Greek sculpture c. 100
Antikythera, astronomical calculator 80
Rome's first stone theatre 55
Cherry trees brought to Rome from Asia Minor c. 79

Asia : Pompey conquers Syria; end of Seleucid Empire 64
Romans capture Jerusalem 63
Battle of Carrhae: Parthians defeat Romans 53
Silk Road brings spinach and kohirabi to China c. 100

Americas : Hopewell phase succeeds Adena in Ohio valley c. 100

Africa : Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt 51 (-30)
Bantu migration from west to central Africa c. 100
Alexandria the largest city in western hemisphere c. 100

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, beguiles Mark Antony - but her land falls to Roman might.

World Highlights in history 100 ~ 150 BC

Highlights in history 100 ~ 150 BC

Europe : Third Punic War: Rome defeats Carthage 149 (-146)
Rome annexes Greece 148 (-146)
Rome takes Provence and Balearic Islands 123
Teutons and Cimbri invade southern France 115
Stoicism dominant philosophy among Roman elite 149
Marcian Aqueduct brings water to Rome 144
First stone bridge over River Tiber, Rome 142
Venus de Milo c. 140
Cicero, Roman orator and writer 106 (-43)
20,000 slaves crucified in Sicily after rebellion 132
Romans found colony at Narbonne, France 118
First working-class Romans given military training 107

Asia : Jews liberate Jerusalem and make it their capital 142
Parthians conquer Mesopotamia 141
Emperor Wu-ti Expands Han power in E Asia 141
Confucianism becomes state religion of China 136
Silk Road opens between China and the West c. 112
Petra, Nabataean capital, at its height 100
Chinese prince buried in jade suit of 2690 pieces 113

Americas : Teotihuacan, Mexico, at its height c. 100 (-AD 750)
Peak of Pucara culture, Lake Titicaca c. 100 (-AD 200)

Africa : Carthage razed by Rome at end of Third Punic War 146
Rome founds province of Africa 146
Ptolemaic dynasty weakens hold over S Egypt c. 100

Goddess in mortal form, the Venus de Milo stands as the epitome of Greek sculpture

World Highlights in history 150 ~ 200 BC

Highlights in history 150 ~ 200 BC

Europe : Continental Celts push back Ancient Britons c. 200
Romans defeat Macedon at Cynoscephalae 197
Romans defeat Antiochus III at Magnesia 190
Port of Delos becomes centre of Aegean trade 167
Romans develop concrete as building material c. 200
Epicurean Philosophers expelled from Rome c. 173
First water clock in Rome c. 159
Bacchanalian orgies banned in Rome 186
Earliest known paved streets in Rome 179
Public libraries in Rome c. 160
January 1 becomes start of Roman year 153

Asia : Maccabean revolt in Judah 165 (-163)
Mahabharata, Indian epic, compiled c. 200
Han reunite China c. 202 (-AD 202)
Black bean sauce popular in China c. 200

Americas : Nazca Lines, huge drawings in Peruvian desert c. 200
Maya plastered temples at Tikal, Guatemala c. 200

Africa : Rosetta Stone inscribed in Egypt c. 197

A potter's art shows the value that China's Han dynasty set on horse and horsemanship.

World Highlights in history 200 ~ 250 BC

Highlights in history 200 ~ 250 BC

Europe : Hannibal of Carthage crosses Alps with elephants 218
Second Punic War, Carthage invades Italy 218 (-201)
Wars between Rome and Macedonia 215 (-205)
Scipio enters Carthaginian Spain 210 (-206)
Rome gains control of Spain 206
First comedy and tragedy staged in Latin 240
First Roman prison built at Tullianum 250
Oil Lamps introduced in Greece c. 230
Via Flaminia, road from Rome to Rimini, built 220

Asia : Mauryan Empire reaches its height 250
Kingdom of Parthia founded by Arsaces I 247 (-AD 277)
First emperor of China, Shi Huang-Di 221 (-210)
Great Wall of China completed 204
Earliest Buddhist monuments in India 250
7000 terracotta soldiers guard Emperor Shih's tomb 210

Americas : Decline of Chavin civilisation in Peru c. 250
Strong Olmec influence at Monte Albán, Mexico c. 250

Africa : Carthage defeated by Rome in First Punic War 241
Scipio defeats Hannibal at Zama 202
Bantu farmers settle Congo delta region c. 200

Hannibal leads Carthaginians against Rome in the struggle for Mediterranean supremacy.

World Highlights in history 250 ~ 300 BC

Highlights in history 250 ~ 300 BC

Europe : Gauls Invade Greece and Thrace 279
First Punic War: Rome fights Carthage 264 (-241)
Rome's first major sea victory, over Carthage 260
Archimedes 287 (-212)
First appearance of Roman denarius 268
Colossus of Rhodes built 282
First public combat of gladiators in Rome 264

Asia : Antioch, Syria, founded 300
Celts settle Galatia, Turkey 279
Asoka establishes Buddhist empire in India 272 (-32)
First urban sites in South-east Asia 250
Beginning of Yayoi culture, Japan c. 300
Anthology by Chinese poet Ch'u Yuan 274
Buddhism in Sri Lanka 250

Americas : Emergence of lowland Maya centres, Guatemala c. 250
Decline of Olmec civilisation in Mexico 250

Africa : Pharos (lighthouse) of Alexandria built c. 280
Ethiopian port of Adulis a major trading centre 250

The silver denarius, showing the goddess Roma, replaces cast copper as Roman money

World Highlights in history 300 ~ 350 BC

Highlights in history 300 ~ 350 BC

Europe : Romans establish authority over other Latin cities 338
Battle of Chaeronea: Macedon wins Greece 338
Alexander the Great's campaigns 334 (-326)
Theatre at Epidaurus, Greece, built 340
Aristotle founds Lyceum 335
Ptolemy founds school of philosophy in Athens 306
Coins in use by Celts c. 300
Via Appia, early Roman road, begun 312

Asia : Alexander routs Persians at Gaugamela 331
Ch'in state in China begins to destroy rival states 328
Alexander dies in Babylon 323
Chandragupta establishes Mauryan Empire, India 322
Seleucid Empire in Persia 304 (-64)

Americas : Religious stelae, Izapa, Mexico c. 300 (-AD 100)
Peak of Gallinazo culture, Peru c. 300 (-AD 300)

Africa : #Persia recaptures Egypt 342
Alexander captures Egypt 332
Ptolemies rule Egypt from Alexandria 323 (-30)
Great library established at Alexandria c. 307

Along Rome's ruler-straight Via Appia the legions march to gain control in south Italy

World Highlights in history 350 ~ 400 BC

Highlights in history 350 ~ 400 BC

Europe : Celts sack Rome 390
First plebeian elected Consul in Rome 366
Philip II, King of Macedon 359 (-336)
Trial and death of Socrates 399
Plato founds Academy 387
Plato: Republic c. 380
Aristotle joins Plato's Academy 367
Domestic hen common in Mediterranean c. 400

Asia : Persian King Artaxerxes III suppresses revolt 358
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus built 352
Confucianism, Taoism in China c. 350 (-200)
China develops new methods of crop rotation c. 350
Crossbow invented in China 350

Americas : Salinar culture flourishes in Peru c. 400 (-200)
Clay figurines, Chupicuaro, Mexico c. 400 (-AD300)

Africa : 30th Dynasty in Egypt, last native line 380 (-342)
Use of iron spreads in southern Africa c. 350

Chickens and eggs for sale, from a street vendor shown in a mosaic from a Roman villa.

World Highlights in history 400 ~ 450 BC

Highlights in history 400 ~ 450 BC

Europe : Peloponnesian War , Sparta defeats Athens 431 (-404)
Celts reach northern Italy 400
Euripides: Medea c. 444
Sophocles: Antigone c. 442
Parthenon completed 432
Hippocrates revolutionises ideas on medicine c. 430
Democritus publishes first atomic theory 405
Aristophanes: The Frogs 405
Twelve Tables of Law, Rome 450
Plague in Athens kills one in four citizens 430

Asia : Nehemiah, reforming Governor of Jerusalem 445
Warring States Period in China 403 (-221)
Ramayana, Hindu epic, in written form c. 425
Scholar formulates 4000 rules for Sanskrit c. 400
Iron-working introduced in Korea 400

Americas : Peak of Chavin influence in Andes c. 450 (-250)

Africa : Egyptian rebels revolt against Persian rule 404
Iron-making in sub-Saharan Africa c. 450
City of Carthage rebuilt on grid plan 400

Warriors of Sparta, long the mainstay of Greece's armies, finally crush mighty Athens

World Highlights in history 450 ~ 500 BC

Highlights in history 450 ~ 500 BC

Europe : Greek and Persian at war 490 (-479)
Greek navy destroys Persians at Salamis 480
Celtic La Tène culture emerges in Europe c. 480
Battle of Plataea: Greek army defeats Persians 479
Delian League formed, later Athenian Empire 478
Age of Pericles Initiates democracy in Athens 461
Port of Piraeus, Athens, rebuilt c. 493
Athenians mass-produce triremes c. 483
Classical age of Greek culture begins c. 480
Pindar: Odes c. 476 (-462)
Aeschylus: Prometheus Bound 460

Asia : Xerxes I succeeds Darius as King of Persia 486 (-464)
Prince Vijaya founds new kingdom in Sri Lanka 473
Xerxes I assassinated 465
Chinese produce cast iron c. 500
Bronze Dong Son drums, northern Vietnam 500
Parchment replaces clay tablets in Persia 460

Americas : Early hieroglyphics at Monte Albán, Mexico c. 500
Paracas culture influenced by Chavin, Peru c. 500

Africa : Nok civilisation in Nigeria from c. 500 (-AD 200)
Abortive Egyptian revolt against Persian rule 454
First Suez Canal c. 500
Camels replace horses in Sahara c. 500

Terracotta heads of the Nok culture, Nigeria, have a lasting influence on West African art

World Highlights in history 500 ~ 600 BC

Highlights in history 500 ~ 600 BC

Europe : Solon reforms laws of Athens 595
Sparta under Cleomenes the leading Greek city c. 510
Rome a republic: last Etruscan king expelled 510
Cleisthenes: democratic reforms in Athens 509
Aesop: Fables c. 600
First stone temple in Greece, at Kerkyra (Corfu) c. 580
Athens black-figure pottery c. 580; red figure c.520
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus c. 560

Asia : Taoism in China 600
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem 586
Confucius born 551 (-479)
Persian Empire founded by Cyrus II 550
Persians destroy Babylonian Empire 539
Birth of Buddhism 528
Darius I rules Persian Empire 522 (-486)
Brahmanas, commentaries on the Vedas 600
Sutras, rules for Vedic life, formulated c. 600

Americas : Adena culture in N. America builds earthworks c. 600
Olmec centre of La Venta abandoned c. 600
Tres Zapotes, new Olmec centre c. 550

Africa : Nubian capital moved to Meroë c. 600
First treaty between Rome and Carthage 510

Confucius in China, and the Buddha in India, found a new philosophy and a new faith

World Highlights in history 600 ~ 700 BC

Highlights in history 600 ~ 700 BC

Europe : Scythians spread to east Europe c. 700
Athens replaces king with elected archons 683
Vases painted with scenes from life, Athens c. 700
Hesiod: Works and Days 650
Sappho poet of Lesbos c. 610

Asia : Babylon falls to Assyrians 689
Legend says Japan founded by Jimmu 660
Zoroaster in Persia 650
Medes and Babylonians destroy Assyria 614
Lydia becomes major power 605
Pataliputra capital of Magada kingdom, N. India c. 600
Nebuchadnezzar II builds Ishtar Gate, Babylon 605
Nebuchadnezzar builds Hanging Gardens c. 600

Americas : Bering Straits peoples develop Arctic fishing life c. 700
Emergence of chiefdoms in Mexico c. 600

Africa : Assyrians conquer Egypt 671
Princes of sais reunite Egypt 664 (-332)
Carthage builds up fleet 650
Greeks founds colony of Cyrene c. 630
Nebuchadnezzar defeats Egypt at Carchemish 605
Sheep in West Africa 700
Iron tools and weapons used in North Africa c. 700

The Assyrian war machine conquers Babylon and Egypt then falls itself to Babylon

World Highlights in history 700 ~ 800 BC

Highlights in history 700 ~ 800 BC

Europe : First Olympic Games 776
Nuraghi (stone castles) in Sardinia c. 770
Legendary founding of Rome by Romulus c. 753
Greek settlers colonise Sicily south Italy c. 720
Odyssey and Iliad completed in modern form c. 750
First hexameter verses on Greek pottery c. 730

Asia : Hinduism spreads south and east c. 800
Eastern Chou dynasty at Loyang 770
Sargon II of Assyria conquers Babylon, Judah 722
Sennacherib restores Nineveh as Assyrian capital 705
Babylonians study eclipses and planets 750
First coins struck from electrum in Lydia 700

Americas : Monte alban, Oaxaca, Mexico founded c. 800
Olmec style figurines made at Tlatilco, Mexico 800 (-300)

Africa : Nubian's conquer Egypt 750
Pyramid tombs of Nubian Kings at Nuri, Sudan c. 700

A feeding stag is shown on one of the first coins, made by Lydians of west Turkey

World Highlights in history 800 ~ 1000 BC

Highlights in history 800 ~ 1000 BC

Europe : Dark Age in Greece follows Mycenaean fall c. 1000
Greek settlers colonise Aegean coast c. 1000
Etruscans in north Italy c. 900
First iron-using societies, Hallstatt, Austria c. 800
Scythes, Russia, horse-riders and farmers c. 1000
Greeks adopt Phoenician alphabet c. 750

Asia : Aryan invasions northern India c. 1000
Life of Rama, hero of Hindu epic Ramayana c. 1000
Hindu cultural centres appear along Ganges c. 950
Solomon dies: Judah and Israel split 928
New Assyrian empire major power in middle East 911
Rice of the Medes 835
Kingdom of Phrygia 800
Astronomical observatory in China c. 1000
Maps, dictionary in China c. 1000
Solomon builds first temple in Jerusalem 953

Americas : La venta becomes new Olmec centre c. 900
Emergence of chavin culture in Peru c. 850
Copper smelting, Andes 1000

Africa : Kingdom of Napata, north-east Africa, founded c. 900
Phoenicians found Carthage 814

Life of Rama, Hero of Hindu Epic Ramayana

World Highlights in history 1000 ~ 2000 BC

Highlights in history 1000 ~ 2000 BC

Europe : Mycenaean civilisation dominant in Greece c. 1600
Sack of Troy ends Trojan War c. 1250
Minoan Crete: frescoes, bull leaping at Knossos c. 1700
Linear A writing in Crete c. 1700; Linear B c. 1400
Amber trade from Baltic to Mediterranean c. 1500

Asia : First Assyrian Empire 1814 (-1754)
Hammurabi, King of Babylon: law carved on stele c. 1750
Collapse of Indus Valley cities c. 1700
Hittites sack Babylon 1595
Shang dynasty dominant in China c. 1580 (-1079)
Hittite Empire 1450 (-1200)
Israelites return to Canaan 1250
David unites Jews, capital at Jerusalem c. 1010
Chopsticks in China 2000
Pork taboo in Near East 1800
Farmers' Almanac, Sumerian reference book c. 1500

Americas : First agricultural villages in Oaxaca, Mexico c. 1700
Agriculture spreads through North America c. 1200
Huge heads, Olmec centre of San Lorenzo c. 1200 (-900)

Africa : Hyksos invade Egypt, conquer delta c. 1670 (-1560)
New Kingdom in Egypt c. 1570 (-1070)
Female pharaoh Hatsheput c. 1503 (-1482)
Pharaoh Tutankhamen born c. 1371 (-1352)
Akhenaten institutes worship of one God c. 1370
Ramesses III defeats Sea Peoples 1190

Craftsmen in Shang China cast bronze pots to offer food to their ancestors' spirits.

World Highlights in history 2000 ~ 3000 BC

Highlights in history 2000 ~ 3000 BC

Europe : Olives, vines, cereals grown in Aegean area c. 3000
Rye and oats grow wild in north Europe c. 3000
Start of bronze age in Europe c. 2300
First Minoan palaces built in Crete c. 2200
Stonehenge, England, reaches final form c. 2100

Asia : Royal graves at Ur c. 2500
Indus Valley civilisation at peak: Mohenjo-daro c. 2500
King Sargon of Akkad founds first great empire c. 2370
Epic of Gilgamesh c. 2500
Ziggurat of Ur c. 2100

Americas : Maize grown in Argentina c. 2700
Pottery in Ecuador, Colombia c. 3000 Mexico c. 2300
Weaving in Peru c. 2500

Africa : Old Kingdom in Egypt c. 2686 (-2181)
Middle Kingdom in Egypt c. 2040 (-1782)
Step Pyramid c. 2650
Pyramids, Sphinx at Giza c. 2550 (-2490)
Poisoned arrows for hunting at Gwisho, Gambia c. 3000

Holy site and calendar of the seasons, Stonehenge nears completion after 1000 years

World Highlights in history 3000 ~ 4000 BC

Highlights in history 3000 ~ 4000 BC

Europe : Wheeled vehicles in central Europe c. 3500
Standing stones in Britain and France c. 3200

Asia : Earliest cities develop in Mesopotamia c. 3500
Development of civilisation along Indus Valley c. 3000
Wheel and potter's wheel in Sumer, Indus Valley c. 3400
First Writing, cuneiform, at Uruk, Sumer, c. 3300

Americas : Farmers in Peru grow cotton; c.3500 maize c. 3200
Amazon pottery the earliest known in Americas c. 4000

Africa : First towns in Egypt c. 3500
King Menes unites Egypt, with Memphis as capital c. 4000
Hieroglyphic writing in Egypt c. 3100
Flutes, clarinets used in Egypt c. 2500

Recorded history begins when Mesopotamian scribes devise the first system of writing.

World Highlights in history 4000 ~ 6000 BC

Highlights in history 4000 ~ 6000 BC

Europe : Farming Spreads widely in Europe c. 5200
First ships appear on Mediterranean c. 5000
Plough first used in south-east Europe c. 4500
Chamber tombs built in France c. 4500
First metal objects, in gold and copper c. 5000
Pottery and caved figurines in Balkans c. 5000

Asia : Catal Huyuk, Anatolia, a town of 5000 people c. 6000
First farming in India c. 6000
Domesticated plants, animals in China c. 6000
Wet-field rice in China c. 5000
Earliest pottery made in China c. 6000
Word's first temple at Eridu, Sumer c. 4500

Americas : Peanuts and beans grown in Peru c. 6000
Maize grown in Tehuacán Valley, Mexico c. 5000
Ceremonial Platforms built in Aspero, Peru c. 4000

Africa : Cattle herding in still-fertile Sahara c. 5000
Farming begins in Egypt c.5000
Pottery and linen made in Egypt c. 5000

The Vinca, Early farmers in the Balkans, model stylised cult figures out of clay

World Highlights in history 6000 ~ 8000 BC

Highlights in history 6000 ~ 8000BC

Europe : Agriculture spread into south-east Europe c. 6500
First pottery in Europe c. 6000

Asia : Jericho a town of 2000 inhabitants c. 8000
First farmers bring revolution in human culture c. 8000
Domestication of cattle and pigs c. 7000
first irrigation, Tigris and Euphrates valleys c. 6000
Pottery,spinning, weaving, copper in near East c. 7000
Plaster human statues, Ain Ghazal, Jordan c.6500

Americas : Squash, beans, chili peppers grown in Mexico c. 7000
Potatoes and other root crops grown in Andes c. 7000
Root vegetable manioc (Cassava), Amazon c. 7000

Africa : Pastoral farmers in Libya and Algeria c. 7000
Rock paintings in central Sahara c. 6000

Inhabitants of the earliest towns such as Jericho build walls and towers for defence.

World Highlights in history 8000 ~ 10,000BC

Highlights in history 8000 ~ 10,000BC

Europe : Ice recedes: hunter-gatherers colonise N.Europe c. 10,000.
First settlement of islands in Mediterranean c.9000

Asia : Food plants grown in fertile crescent c. 10,000.
Peas, beans, water chestnuts grown in Thailand c.9750
Sheep domesticated in fertile crescent c. 8500.
First pottery made in Japan c. 10,000

Americas : Hunter-gatherers, in nomadic groups c. 10,000 (-7000) .
First experiments with farming in Andes c.8500.

Africa : Hunter-gatherers, in nomadic groups c. 10,000
Stones used to rub husks off grain, Egypt c. 9000 .
Nile burials show evidence of wounds and war c. 9000

As the ice-sheets retreat, wild bees yield honey for the early groups of hunter-gatherers