500,000 BC

Discovery of Fire

The Ancient Greeks believed that fire was a gift of one of the Titans, Promotheus, to the humans. According to Greek myths, Prometheus was punished by the gods for releasing the secret of fire to men.

This myth, along with many other stories and customs, shows how much importance ancient people attached to their control of fire.

The discovery of fire was essential to the spread of civilization. Through the use of fire, people were able to move into colder climates that were previously too inhospitable for them. This sped up the movement of early humans across the world.

Promotheus, the fire god.

 

  8,000 BC

Cultivation of Grains

People start to grow crops along River Nile in Egypt, River Tigris, and Euphrates in Mesopotamia. The basic grains grown were wheat, rice, rye, oats, millet, and barley.

Farming developed in the Middle East at around 6500 BC. The first known farming town was Jericho.

The period from 8,000 B.C. to 1850 AD was known as the Age of Agriculture.

Jericho, first farming town in the world.

 

Wheat--one of the main staple crops in the world.

 Rice cultivation.

7,000 BC

Early Use of PotteryPeople started using clay pots for storing food and drinks.

Drinking cup with squarish mouth. Found in the Cave of Ponte di Vara, Savona, Liguria. (3800 - 3500 BC)

Neolithic Grinder

 

Vase from Sesklo, Greece, dating back to 5300 - 3800 BC

6,000 BC

Early use of linenThe fibres of plants and the fleece of sheep and goats were used to make clothing. Linen cloth has been found in Egyptian tombs, used to wrap up mummies.

Paracas Llama Wool Cloth for Wrapping a Mummy

Invention of BricksPeople in Egypt and Mesopotamia made bricks from clay to build houses.

 

Brick houses in Mardin, Turkey, overlooking the Mesopotamian Plain

5,000 BC

Mesopotamian Civilization Often called "the cradle of civilization" , it is believed to have been the oldest of the ancient civilizations. The Mesopotamian Civilization was located near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. There were many significant developments during this period, like the development of agriculture, the appearance of the earliest known written language and codified laws and the advancement of commerce and sciences such as astronomy and mathematics. They also developed the world's first known calendars and cities.

Development of IrrigationPeople started digging ditches to water crops. This originated in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

Cultivation of Maize The farming of maize was started by the inhabitants of Mexico.

Early Use of CopperThe Egyptians, Sumerians, and American Indians were among the early users of copper. The ancient Romans named copper after their island Cyprus, where they found the metal.

 

A ziggurat, a type of temple structure

Babylon, a Mesopotamian city

Irrigation system in Sacsahuamá, Peru

Copper Arrowhead

4,000 BC

Development of PlowingWooden ploughs were first used by farmers to dig into soil, using the pointed ends. The farmers hold these ploughs by its two handles.

Man plowing soil with help of oxen. Note how man holds plough by its two handles.

         

An early plow

3,500 BC

Carts with wheelsThe ancient Sumerians were among the first to use wagons to carry goods and people. Solid wooden wheels were attached to carts, creating vehicles for transporting people, hauling goods and war weapons.

Formation of number systemThe ancient Sumerians invented the number system to count, measure land and to keep records of costs and prices.

Era of River Valley Civilizations (3500 BC to 1500 BC)The first civilizations all appeared in

         

slege on roller, which has become grooved with use.

wheels and axle in one piece, the axle fixed by pegs

wheels joined to axle, axle fixed into crude bearing

the valleys of rivers: Egypt along the Nile, the Mesopotamian city states along the Tigris and Euphrates, early India along the Indus River and early China along the Yellow River. This is because these ancient communities needed a reliable water supply, whether for the annual flooding of crops or for crop irrigation.

3,100 BC

Development of WritingThe ancient Sumerians were among the first to use wagons to carry goods and people. Solid wooden wheels were attached to carts, creating vehicles for transporting people, hauling goods and war weapons.

The alphabet in Egyptian hieroglyphs

         

 Cuneiform inscriptions on a stone

tablet

Inscriptions in hieroglyphs

3,000 BC

The First ClothesThe first clothed clothing was made by the Egyptians.

The Romans treated fashion very seriously, as the appearance of a person gave him dignity. Wearing the wrong types of clothing often resulted in severe criticism, especially for the women.

         

 The Japanese developed a technique of woving patterns and design into

their clothing in the 3rd century BC. The above is an example of a

Japanese brocade.

Egyptian women wore long, tight skirts of pleated linen, while the men

wore short skirts.

     

  2,800 BC

Development of the CalenderThe calender was invented by the Mesopotamians. The year was divided into 12 months, based on the cycles of the moon and the sun. Every 4 years, there was an extra month inserted to make up for the difference from the seasonal year. The Greeks and Egyptians copied this calender, with the Egyptians finally inventing one almost exactly the same later on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Calender stone from Central Mexico, leftover from the Mesoamerican civilization. The Sun God is the

figure in the center.

 

2,550 BCConstruction of the Great PyramidsThis period includes the 3rd to the 6th dynasty of Egypt. The first pharaoh, or king, of the Old Kingdom, was Zoser.

The Step Pyramid was the first pyramid built in Egypt and the burial grounds for Pharaoh Zoser. It was the first monument built of cut stone instead of bricks from sun-dried mud and was the brilliant idea of the king's advisor Imhotep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 1st Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom --

Zoser

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

2,550 BCConstruction of the Great PyramidsDuring the time of the Old Kingdom in Egypt, great pyramids were designed and built. The pharaoh Khufu, his son Khafre and grandson Menkure ordered that three pyramids be built at Giza to serve as their tombs. During the time of the Old Kingdom in Egypt, great pyramids were designed and built. The pharaoh Khufu, his son Khafre and grandson Menkure ordered that three pyramids be built at Giza to serve as their tombs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pyramids of Giza

Khunfu's Pyramid

 

 

 

2,500 BCAncient Libraries The first library was probably located in a temple at the city of Nippur, Babylonia. A number of rooms were used to store clay tablets. Ancient Egypt and China also had libraries

Invention of GlassThe origins of glass are unknown, but glass beads were used in Egypt as early as 2500 BC. Glass was also often used in Mesopotamia and Egypt to adorn furniture and vessels.

Indus Civilization (2500 BC to 1500 BC)The Indus Civilization was the first Indian civilization and lasted from 2500 to 1700 B.C. It was located in the Indus valley along the Indus River and major city centers included Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An oxcart used in China more than a thousand years ago to transport books. Imperial

libraries, which originated as royal archives, were maintained by the emperors, many of

whom were patrons of literature.

 Roman bowl made with ribbon glass

2,400 BC

1. Legend has it that there once was a man, Huangdi, who was head of the Huangdi tribe.2. He subdued the other 3 tribes then and united them together. This country was the origins of China.

3. His descendant Xia Yu formed the first dynasty in China, the Hsia Dynasty.4. But it was not until 221 BC when the first emperor appeared in China. He was Qin Shihuang, who is also known for building the Great Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xia Yu, the legendary descendant of Huangdi, founder of the Hsia Dynasty.

2,300 BCInvention of 'Paper'In Ancient Egypt, 'paper' was made from the papyrus plant. The stalk was first split, sliced, pressed and dried into sheets.

Egyptian paintings done on papyrus 'paper'. This was

not considere

d to be real

paper because it was

done by weaving together spliced

stalks of papyrus. Technical

ly, it is considere

d to something akin to

cloth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph of the papyrus plant

2,050 B.C.

Middle Kingdom in Egypt

The Middle Kingdom lasted from 2050 to 1800 B.C. It was ruled by the 11th and 12th dynasties with its capital at Thebes. One of the greatest achievements during this time was the Temple of Amen at El Karnak, the largest known temple that was ever built even up till today. During this time, the Nile river was also greatly used for trading. They also used irrigation systems to aid in farming.

Polychrome glass cosmetic vessel, found at Tell al-Amarna, Egypt, dating from 1370 BC.

                  

 

 

Egyptian temple at El Karnak, dedicated to Amun

1,570 B.C.

New Kingdom in Egypt

After Egypt's Second Intermediate period from 1800 to 1570 BC, the New Kingdom was established. This Kingdom lasted until only 1090 BC. Its capital was at Thebes, although various rulers moved the capital to El Amarna and Memphis. Egypt experienced the greatest expansion of its lands during this period. Using new warfare techniques, the Egyptians conquered surrounding lands and war captives, who became slaves, were used to build new cities and temples.

Arrowheads the Egyptians Used

Farming Along the Nile

1,550 B.C.

Shang Dynasty (China)

This was the first dynasty in China which had archaelogical evidence in the form of bones and shells where pictographs (which later developed into Chinese) were carved onto them. The Shang people had advanced brozne-making techniques. They claimed to be the descendants of the Hsia dynasty, but this period remains, to this date, only a legend as not enough evidence has been found to prove its existence.

 Archaelogists hard at work,

excavating artifacts

 Tortoise shell with pictographic

words. The cracks on them were used to prophecize the future.

1,500 B.C.

Vedas

The Vedas is a collection of Hindu hymns written in Sanskrit. It set the principles for one of the world's oldest religions - Hinduism. Rig Veda was the first

 Sanskrit Text

work in this collection, consisting of 1,028 hymns dedicated to the gods.

A hymn written in Sanskrit

1,200 B.C.

Formation of Indian Civilization (1200 BC - 500 BC)

Today's India is not the descendant of ancient Indus Valley societies. A civilization grew up along the banks of the Indus River, starting as early as 7000 BC. By 2500 BC the civilization of the Indus Valley was as advanced in its own way as those of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Then, in about 1500 BC, invaders came from the north. These invaders were called Aryans. They scattered or destroyed the cultures of the Indus Valley and otherwise found nearly all the rest of India easily open to subjugation. It was after the Aryan conquest that the complex and colorful Hindu civilization was created. The Aryans did not unify India politically, although they did so culturally. By 500 BC the Aryans had established numerous monarchies in northern India. The Aryan conquerors and their descendants produced the remarkable literature of Hinduism,

 Agni, the Vedic God of fire

beginning with the Vedas. The Aryans and their descendants designed the rigid caste structure with which India has lived for so many centuries.

1,122 B.C.

Zhou Dynasty (China)

The Zhou dynasty ruled China for about 900 years and was one of the turning points in Chinese civilization.China became one of the most advanced societies during this time, and their bronze-making techniques reached a peak.

Span of the Zhou empire

 Bronze vessels used in rituals

 Pendant decorated with Kui

dragonsns

1,100 B.C.

The Age of Greece (1100 BC - 323 BC)   

The beginnings of Greece was in the form of the Minoan culture, named after the legendary King Minos, on the island of Crete. From here, this great civilization spread to the rest of Europe, resulting in what we term the Greek civilization today.

Era of Mesoamerican                 Civilization (1100 BC - 1492 AD)

The Mesoamerican civilization included the settlements in America and Mexico and they were distinguished by a well-developed system of Precolumbian writing. Their civilization arose much later than those in the Middle EastThe earliest known Mesoamericans were the Olmecs of Central Mexico, who lived in humid lowlands of the present Veracruz and Tabasco states from about 1200B.C.

 The Statue of Zeus

 Mesoamerican Figure

776 B.C.

The Olympic Games

The modern Olympic Games originated in Greece, where it was an ancient athelete contest. It was supposedly started at Olympia, named after Mount Olympus, the home of the Greek gods. The first Olympic games were initially dedicated to Zeus, the king of all gods.

 The symbol for the Olypmic games

 An ancient Discus thrower

today. The five rings represent the five major continents, and at least one colour is on every nation's flag. Based on a design by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. First flown in Belgium, Antwerp in 1920.

 40,000 people flocked to the Games every year, which went on even during wartime--truces were simply declared!

 Scene of the torch lighting relay. The aim was to light the altar of

the deity. This event is still maintained in today's Olympic

games and is a prerequisite to the start of the Olympic Games.

753 B.C.

Founding of Rome

Romulus and Remus, who were twin sons of Mars, the god of war, and Rhea Silvia, a human were ordered to be drowned at birth by the wicked King Amulius. But they were rescued by a mother wolf and brought up by her. Years later, they returned and killed Amulius. But over a dispute over a sacred ceremony, Romulus killed Remus, thus becoming king of Rome.

 Romulus and Remus together with their mother wolf

 Rome was heavily influenced by other cultures, one of which was

the Greeks. This monument (top), dedicated to the Emperor

Augustus, has a design similar to the Greek temple, the Parthenon.

(below)

 Wall carving depicting daily Roman life.

700 B.C.

First aqueduct

 The Pond du Gard, in Nimes, France. built in 19 BC. A roman aqueduct 160 feet high.

This structure was created to transport water from distant sources to urbanized areas. One of the first known aqueducts was constructed by Assyrian King Sennacherib in about 691 BC for the capital city of Nineveh. The Romans were acknowledged to be the ancient world's leading builder of aqueducts.

 

Each different Greek city had its own set of coinage. The Greeks depicted their gods, animals or even their heroes on coins, with

the most popular animal being the owl. Later on, they also starting

having their rulers' faces on coins.

First Coins

King of Lydia, ancient king of Greece, was the first monarch to advocate the use of coins to trade.

600 B.C.

Birth of Taoism

Until the arrival of Buddhism in China, Taoism was the chief religious and philosophical system of the everyday population. Basis of Taoism is ascribed to a mysterious teacher, Lao-tzu, who supposedly wrote the basic text, also known as the 'Lao-Tzu' or 'Tao-te Ching'.

Birth of Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism was a major religion in ancient Persia, supposedly founded in the 7th century BC by a legendary man named Zoroaster, or Zarathustra. It was the official religion of the Sassanid Empire in Persia from the 3rd to 7th centuries AD. With the rise of Islam in Persia in the 7th century, most Zoroastrians were persecuted and they fled to India. The religion

Zoraster, founder of Zoroastrianism

survives today under the name of Parsiism.

594 B.C.

Laws of Solon

The founding of Greek democracy in ancient Athens is credited to a lawgiver named Solon, who lived from the late 7th to the early 6th century BC. He put an end to the wealthy aristocrats' complete control of the government and advocated that control of the government be shared among the people. He divided society into four classes and instituted economic and political reforms. He also cancelled debts and freed people imprisoned for debt.

Solon, founder of democracy

575 B.C.

Creation of the caste system (India)

The caste system was a social division system in India and contained 4 classes.a)the priest (brahmans) - white colourb)the warrior (kshatriyas) - red colourc)the peasant (vaishya) - brown colour; included traders and merchants where trade was not considered an impure activityd)serf (shudra) - black colour; included dasas and the artisans. They were despised because of their contact with the elements and were not allowed to hear or study the Vedas.

The serfs included many of the native people, the dasas, who were very skilled artisans and those Aryans who

Indian Warriors!

had intermarried. A person is born into a caste and according to Hinduism, the only way to move up in the caste system in the next lifetime is to do good in the present one. Professions are heriditary in the caste system and reflect a division of labour. The caste system also has taboos on commensality (eating together) as well as marriage limits; one can only marry within one's own caste.

563 B.C.

Birth of Buddhism

Statue of Buddha, at Dunhuang, China

This religion was founded in India in 6th century BC by a Hindu prince named Siddhartha Gautama who rejected wealth and instead turned to meditation. As a result, he achieved a spiritual awakening and became Buddha.

A descendant of the Bo tree that Buddha meditated under.

The Dhamekh Stupa. It is believed that Buddha first preached his sermon here.

550 B.C.

Beginnings of classical Greek philosophy

The first Greek philosopher was Thales, a native of Miletus in Asia Minor in the 7th and 6th centuries BC.He tried to explain the world through natural causes instead of blaming everything on supernatural means. He believed water was the fundamental element of matter. The greatest of the Greek philosophers were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.

Jainism

Vardhamana Mahavira founded Jainism, one of India's major religions, in the 6th century BC. The movement began as a protest against Vedic Hinduism, the orthodoxy of the Indian era.

Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great

King Cyrus II, known as Cyrus welded the Medes and the Persian tribes into a single Persian, or Achaemenid, empire in the middle of the 6th century BC the Great.

 Socrates, the famous Greek

philosophe

King Cyrus

525 B.C.

Early Tragedy and Comedy

Western theatre tradition originated in Greece. They were initially in the form of celebratory songs and dances in honor of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and merrymaking. These later evolved into the earliest plays. Eventually, there grew to be a religious festival known as the Dionysia, where playwrights would submit their plays for competition. The best entries received prizes, and their writers were honoured like athletes or soldiers.

Roman theatre was developed on the basis of Greek theatre.

Souvenirs of the Greek theatre

510 B.C.

First World Map

The first known world map was drawn by Greek mapmaker Hecateus.

These 2 maps were the work of Hecateus, and shows what the Greeks thought the world looked like then.

509 B.C.

Rome becomes a republic.

After countless wars with the different Greek city states, Rome finally became a republic when Lucius Lunius Brutus drove out the last Etruscan king from the city in 509 BC. The republic formed consisted of a Senate, and the nobles and aristocracy elected two representatives, the consuls, annually, to rule Rome. This system of

Julius Caesar, the Roman general who united Rome when it fell into disorder and became a dictator in 4

BC. That was the end of the Roman republic and the beginning

government would last for the next 500 years.

Roman soldiers

of the Roman empire.

500 B.C.

Early abacus

It was probably invented in ancient Babylon; from there it spread to ancient Egypt, China, and the Indus River valley before making its way to the ancient Greek and Roman world. The abacus's usage was known in Egypt as early as 500 BC. The first abacus was said to be just a tray, covered with dust or sand on which. figures or tally marks could be made. Another saying about the abacus was that it was invented by the Chinese and the timing is also the same; at 500 BC. Historians are not sure yet about who is the actual inventer, particularly as they've not managed to find any Babylonian or Egyptian abacus that have survived through the ages.

A picture of the modern day Chinese abacus. It is made up of a rod diving two rows of beads; the upper row contains 2 beads, each

representing 5; the lower rows contains 5 beads, each

representing 1. Using the abacus, addition, subtraction,

multiplication and division of numbers can be done and it is still

used today in many Asian countries.

499 B.C.

Persian wars (499 BC - 479 BC)

In the early decades of the 5th century BC, Persia launched two major invasions against the Greek city-states. The most intense series of conflicts lasted about 100 years, from 546 to 448 BC.

The Persian soldier usually fought on foot. Their first charge including firing a round of arrows at their enemies from behind a shield. Most enemies died from this before they could fight with the Persians! The Persians were also excellent horsemen.

The Persian horseman was never without his arrows on a calvary charge!

The Spartans started military training from the age of 7. Their

living conditions were so bad and they were given so little food that

boys were encouraged to steal food. Those who were caught were punished severely; not for stealing,

but for getting caught!

460 B.C.

Age of Pericles (460 BC - 430 BC)

This was the golden age of ancient Athens. One lasting achievement was the construction of architectual masterpiece Acropolis, on a plateau in the city. The most distinctive building was the Parthenon.

The Parthenon, built for Athena, Goddess of war and wisdom and protector of the city.

The Acropolis, a complex of temples built to honour the gods.

Pericles, the renowned Greek philosopher

440 B.C.

First atomic theory

The notion that all matter consists of fundamental particles called atoms was first put forward by Greek philosophers Leucippus and his disciple Democritus, in 5th century BC. They believed that all matter consisted of tiny particles that could no longer be broken down. 'Atom' in Greek means indivisible.However, the other Greek philosophers did not subscribe to these beliefs; instead, they thought that matter was made up of four elements, air, water, fire and earth.

Democritus was responsible for further developing the atomic theory formed by Leucippus.

438 B.C.

Construction of the Parthenon

This temple was dedicated to the Greek goddess of war and wisdom, Athena, also known as Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin).

Construction of the Parthenon. But now, it lies in ruins...

350 B.C.

Building of Roads

Rome was the first empire to build roads to facilitate the transportation of goods in trade. The oldest road was Via Appia, which connected Rome to the other cities. It was built in 312 BC. The Roman road system ran for more than 85,000 km from Persia to Spain.

221 B.C.

Ch'in Empire (China) (221 - 206 BC)

This was the dynasty that gave China its name. Its ruled lasted for only 15 years. It was named after the state of Ch'in, the strongest of the 7 city states left after the dissolution of the Zhou dynasty. The ruler of the Ch'in empire was Shih Huang Ti, and he was the first ruler in China to call himself an emperor. Warrior in a standing position

The Groom with the chariot

The General (left) and Robed Warrior (right) during the Ch'in Dynasty.

214 B.C.

Great Wall In China

Although sections of the wall had already started construction in the 4th century BC, the wall was joined together in the beginning of 214 BC under reign of Emperor Shih Huang Ti to form a wall surrouding China. This became the Great Wall. It was actually intended to be a massive fortification to keep out invaders such as the Hsiung-nu, possibly ancestors of the Huns, who terrorized the Chinese and constantly tried to invade their lands.

70 B.C.

Use of Water Wheels

The Romans used water-wheels to grind grain and crush olives for use in the manufacture of oil. These paddle wheels turned with the horizontal movement of water currents and were used to help do work.

51 B.C.

Rule of Cleopatra in Egypt (51 BC - 30 BC)

Cleopatra was the daughter of Egyptian King Ptolemy XII. She was one of the most fascinating women of all time. She had great intelligence and beauty and used both to further Egypt's political aims. Julius Caesar, the Roman general, had a son with her while he stayed in Egypt for two years. Mark Anthony was her husband. When he lost in the power struggle for the control of Rome to Octavia, she commited suicide rather than see Egypt be taken over by Octavia. She was thus the last independent ruler of ancient Egypt.

This was how Cleopatra looked like. Compare them to the Hollywood movie actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was acting out her role. What do you think of them?

4 B.C.

Birth of Jesus

Jesus Christ, in the religion of Christianity, is the son of God, who was born to Virgin Mary on earth. His coming was to be the saviour of men and he was born in a manger one night as the inn his mother in was too full and had no rooms to let out. 3 shephards out in the fields met an angel, who informed them of this birth so they went to Bethlehem and indeed found that Jesus had been born. Jesus preached for three years on earth, explaining how one could reach heaven.

Jesus was born in a manger. Here we also see the 3 wise men

Jesus Christ was the son of God, whose purpose in descending to earth was to teach the people the

ways of God.