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Timeline

y 4 million-1 million years ago: Era of first hominids (Australopithecus)y 2.5 million-200,000 years ago: Era of Homo erectusy 200,000 years ago: First appearance of Homo sapiens (originated in Africa; had larger brains and

greater intelligence than early hominids so could more easily adapt to different climates)

y 60,000 BCE: Human migration to Australia and New Guineay 40,000 years ago: First appearance of Homo sapiens sapiensy 13,000 BCE: Human migration to North America from Siberiay 10,000-8000 BCE: Early experimentation with agriculturey 8000-7000 BCE Beginnings of agriculture in south Asiay 8000-7000 BCE: Origins of agriculture in Mesoamericay 7250 BCE-5400 BCE: atalHyk goes from small village to 5,000 people

o dense populations + labor specialization + complex social relations = atalHyk wasthe worlds first city

y Origins of maize cultivation in Mesoamericay 4000-3500 BCE: Appearance of cities in southwest Asia

o Sumerians built worlds first cities around 4000 BCEy ~3500 BCE: Sumerians first invented wheel; had wheeled carts by 3000 BCE

o better than animals; facilitated/promoted long-distance trade; became standard means ofoverland transportation

y ~3500 BCE: Sumerians built watercraft that let them go to Persian Gulf and beyondo by 2300 BCE: trading regularly with merchants of Harappan society

during Babylonian empire, Mesopotamians traded w/ Anatolia, Lebanon, Arabia,Egypt, Persia, Afghanistan, & northern India (all directions)

y ~3500 BCE: Mesopotamian metalworkers learned to alloy copper & tin to make bronze (hard andstrong, which pure copper is not), which became the preferred metal for military weaponry

o bronze was more expensive, but over time (long time), farmers used it for knives/bronze-tipped plows (before used tools made of bone, wood, stone, or obsidian)

y 3200-2350 BCE: Era of Sumerian dominance in Mesopotamia (but around for long time before)o Sumerians built worlds first citieso By 2500 BCE, Sumer ruled/dominated by city-states ruled by kings

y 3100 BCE: Unification of Egypty 3100-2660 BCE: Archaic Period of Egyptian historyy 3000 BCE: Origins of agriculture in South America; Origins of agriculture in New Guineay 3000 BCE: Austronesian migrations to New Guineay 3000 BCE-1000 BCE: Era of Indo-European migrationsy 2750 BCE: Gilgamesh was fifth king of city or Uruk

o Epic of Gilgamesh shows interests/concerns of Mesopotamia (friendship, loyalty,ambition, fear of death, and longing for immortality)

y 2660-2160 BCE: Egyptian Old Kingdomy 2600-2500 BCE: Era f pyramid building in Egypty 2500-2000 BCE: High point of Harappan societyy 2500-1450 BCE: Early kingdom of Kush with capital at Kermay 2350-1600 BCE: Era of Babylonian dominance in Mesopotamiay 2334-2315 BCE: Reign of Sargon of Akkad

o took control of trade routes/taxed traded goodsAkkad = wealthiest/most powerful city inthe world

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o empire held all of Mesopotamia at its highpoint (all the way to Mediterranean/BlackSea!), but fell ~2150 BCE b/c of rebellion within and outside invaders

Sargon influenced/inspired Hammurabiy 2200-1766 BCE: Xia dynastyy 2040-1640 BCE: Egyptian Middle Kingdomy 2000 BCE: Beginnings of Bantu migrationsy 1900 BCE: Hittites migrated to Anatoliay 1900 BCE: beginning of Harappan decliney 17th/16th century: Hittites built powerful kingdom and established close relations with

Mesopotamian peopleso trade w/ Babylonians and Assyrians

y 1792-1750 BCE: Reign of Hammurabio Hammurabi relied on centralized bureaucratic rule and regular taxation rather than

suppression and plunder; more efficient/predictable government

y 1766-1122 BCE: Shang dynastyy 1595 BCE: Babylonian empire falls to Hittite assaultsy 1550-1070 BCE: Egyptian New Kingdomy

1500 BCE: Beginning of Aryan migration to Indiay 1500-700 BCE: Austronesian migrations to Pacific islandsy 1500-500 BCE: Vedic age; Lapita societyy 1479-1425 BCE: Reign of Pharaoh Tuthmosis IIIy 1473-1458 BCE: Reign of Queen Hatshepsut (coruler with Tuthmosis III)y 1450-1200 BCE: Era of Hittite dominance in Anatolia

o ~1300 BCE: Hittites in Anatolia developed techniques for making strong irontools/weapons (before iron was considered too brittle)

Assyrians made lots of use of them when building empireo Less expensive than bronzebecame new metal of choice for weapons/toolso 8th/7th century BCE was Assyrian highpoint, at which it contained Mesopotamia, Syria,

much Anatolia, and most of Egypt

o unpopular rule + impossible to maintaino internal unrest/conflicts + external assault = end of Assyrian empire

y 1400-900 BCE: Composition of the Rig Veday 1353-1335 BCE: Reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten)y 1200-100 BCE: Olmec societyy 1122-256 BCE: Zhou dynastyy 1000 BCE: Early Aryan migrations into the Ganges River valleyy 1000 BCE: Emergence ofvarna distinctionsy 1000-970 BCE: Reign of Israelite king Davidy 1000-500 BCE: Formation of regional kingdoms in northern Indiay 1000-300 BCE: Chavn culty 970-930 BCE: Reign of Israelite king Solomony 900 BCE: Invention of iron metallurgy in sub-Saharan Africay 800-400 BCE : Composition of the principal Upanishadsy 760 BCE: Conquest of Egypt by King Kashta of Kushy 750 BCE: Establishment of first Aryan cities in the Ganges valleyy 722 BCE: Assyrian conquest of the kingdom of Israely 605-562 BCE: Reign of Nebuchadnezzary 600-550 BCE: New Babylonian empire (aka Chaldean empire)y 586 BCE: New Babylonian conquest of the kingdom of Judah

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y mid-6th century BCE: Mesopotamians largely lost control of own affairs and foreign conquerorstook over/absorbed them into own empires

o people beyond Mesopotamia also had advanced weapons/were developing techniques foradministering large territories

y 558-330 BCE: Achaemenid dynastyy 521-486 BCE: Reign of Dariusy 500-479 BCE: Persian Warsy 500 BCE: Aryan migrations to the Deccan Plateauy 403-221 BCE: Period of the Warring Statesy 334-330 BCE: Invasion and conquest of Achaemenid empire by Alexander of Macedon

(Alexander the Great)

y 323-83 BCE: Seleucid dynastyy 247 BCE-224 CE: Parthian dynastyy 200-750 CE: Teotihuacan societyy 224-651 CE: Sasanid dynastyy 300-700 CE: Mochica societyy 300-1100 CE: Maya society