Humanities 110
Basic Chronology of the Ancient World
Fall Semester
(all dates BCE; authors/works studied this semester in bold)
Click map to enlarge. Drag enlarged map to see all areas.
BRONZE AGE (3500-1150)
| Date |
Egypt |
Greece |
West Asia |
| c. 3100-2600 |
Early Dynastic period |
|
|
| c. 2600-2130 |
the Old Kingdom: building of the pyramids |
|
|
| c. 2600-2200 |
Pyramid Texts |
|
|
| c. 2040-1640 |
the Middle Kingdom |
|
|
| c. 1900 |
Tale of Sinuhe; Coffin Texts; Dialogue Between a Man and his Soul |
|
|
| c. 1800 |
Teaching of Khety (Satire of the Trades) |
|
|
| c. 1650-1200 |
|
Mycenaean Civilization [Mycenae] |
|
| c. 1550-1070 |
the New Kingdom |
|
|
| c. 1550-1070 |
Book of the Dead; Horus and Seth |
|
|
| c. 1550-1150 |
Construction of the temples at Karnak [Map 1] [Map 2] |
|
|
| c. 1250-1220 |
|
"The Trojan War" [Troy] |
|
| c. 1200-1150 |
|
Collapse of Mycenaean Civilization |
|
DARK AGE (1150-800)
| Date |
Egypt |
Greece |
West Asia |
| c. 1050-950 |
|
Greek colonization of Asia Minor (western coast of Turkey) |
|
| c. 1000-961 |
|
|
Reign of King David in Israel [Map 1] [Map 2] |
| c. 924 |
|
|
Israelites split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah |
| c. 900 |
|
Beginning of the rise of the polis (city-state) |
|
ARCHAIC PERIOD (800-480)
| Date |
Egypt |
Greece |
West Asia |
| 776 |
|
Olympic Games established |
|
| c. 750 |
|
Greek colonization of Southern Italy and Sicily begins |
|
| c. 720 |
|
Homer, Iliad |
|
| c. 700 |
|
Homer, Odyssey ; Hesiod, Theogony and Works and Days [Ithaca] |
|
| c. 680 |
|
Archilochus (lyric poet) [Paros] |
|
| c. 650 |
|
Greek colonization around the Black Sea begins |
|
| c. 600 |
|
Sappho (lyric poet) [Lesbos]; Thales (philosopher) [Miletus] |
|
| 594-593 |
|
Archonship of Solon (politician and poet) in Athens |
|
| 587-586 |
|
|
Babylonians capture Jerusalem and destroy temple; beginning of the Babylonian exile [Babylon] |
| c. 550-450 |
|
|
Genesis and Exodus |
| c. 550-350 |
|
|
Book of Job |
| 539 |
|
|
Persians defeat Babylonians and free the Israelites [Map] |
| 525 |
King Cambyses of Persia conquers Egypt |
|
King Cambyses of Persia conquers Egypt |
| 522-486 |
|
|
Reign of King Darius in Persia |
| 490-479 |
|
War between Greece and Persia [Map 1] [Map 2] [Map 3] |
War between Greece and Persia [Map 1] [Map 2] [Map 3] |
CLASSICAL PERIOD (480-323)
| Date |
Egypt |
Greece |
West Asia |
| 458 |
|
Aeschylus, Oresteia |
|
| c. 450-420 |
|
Herodotus composes his Histories of the Persian War [Map] [Halicarnassos] |
|
| 447 |
|
Parthenon begun in Athens |
|
| 441 |
|
Sophocles, Antigone |
|
| 431-404 |
|
Peloponnesian War (Athens and allies vs. Sparta and allies) |
|
| 431 |
|
Euripides, Medea |
|
| c. 424-400 |
|
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War |
|
| 405 |
|
Euripides, Bacchae |
|
| 404 |
|
Athens loses Peloponnesian War to Sparta |
|
| c. 400-300 |
|
|
Book of Esther and Book of Ezra |
