The first three ages of history, the first 1500 years, are dominated by the pharaonic system in Egypt, and the volatile kingdoms of Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Babylon). Regrettably there seems to be no fully agreed chronology of ancient Egypt. The dynasty numbers don't help much since at times they seem to have ruled in parallel. For dates in the Egyptian chronologies I have relied on this listing from University College London. It is admitted that: "Dates are only certain after 664 BC. The earliest dates are often very unsecure."
−2450 to −2300; Egypt: Fifth Dynasty. Userkaf, Sahure, Neferirkare, Shepseskare, Neferefre, Niuserre, Menkawhor, Djedkare, Unas.
−2400; Four-wheeled wagons are used for warfare in Mesopotamia.
−2400: "In Lothal (c. −2400), the ancient port city of the Harappan
civilization, shell objects served as compasses to measure the angles of the
8-12 fold divisions of the horizon and sky in multiples of 40-360 degrees,
and the positions of stars."
−2350; Ptahhotep
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according to the first two sites linked to here was an advisor at the court of Isesi (or Izezi) of Egypt,
the 8th king of the 5th Dynasty (ruled −2388 - −2356), though dates given vary considerably.
The Prisse papyrus, now in the Louvre Paris, contains the Maxims of Ptah Hotep (also termed the
'Precepts' or 'Instruction') which is a short manual of moral counsels, written in his old age to advise
his son and successor on principles of good, and politic, conduct, and based on traditional sayings.
−2350; Earliest known code of laws by King Urukagina of Lagash, Sumer.
−2300 to −2181; Egypt:
Sixth Dynasty.
Teti, Pepy I, Merenre, Pepy II.
−2334; Sargon I of Akkad, conquers Mesopotamia, Akkadian empire dominates for 150 years.
Sargon of Akkad Legend
& c−2,300 (similar to
Moses basket story).
−2300; China: Rice introduced to N. China from the Indus valley.
Mesoamerica: Permanent farming villages and pottery appearing.
−2250; Babylonian Laws and Contracts
&
(c.−2250 - −450).
Akkadian Precepts
& c.−2,200
(similar to Ptahhotep).
−2200; China: Domestication of dogs, goats, pigs, oxen and sheep; milling of grain.
Start of Xia (Hsia) dynasty (−2205) ruling most of chinese territory.
−2193; Collapse of Akkadian empire, due to invasion of Gutian tribes from Zagros Mts.
−2181 to −2,025; Egypt: First Intermediate Period. Dynasties 7 to 11. Many minor Kings.
−2150; Egypt: suffers famine and unrest as Nile flood fails for several years in succession. (?biblical?)
−2136;* Chinese astronomers, record a solar eclipse.
−2134; Egypt: Collapse of power ends the Old Kingdom period. First Intermediate Period of local struggles.
−2125; King Utukhegal of Erech (Uruk),
Sumerian King List.
−2112; Sumer: Ur-Nammu founds 3rd dynasty of Ur.
−2100; Sumer: First ziggurats built at Ur, Eridu, Uruk, Nippur.
−2025 to −1,700; Egypt: Middle Kingdom. Dynasties 11 and 12. Mentuhotep II (11th dynasty) reestablished unity of Egypt.
Literary composition: The Prophecy of Nerferty set in the reign of Shefru.
−2000; Sumer: Ur goes into decline after attack by the Elamites (−2004);
Babylonia develops decimal notation.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
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the first written myth, survives in fragmentary form on Sumerian tablets c.−2000m, but in its most complete form
on Assyrian tablets c.−650.
Proverbs, Hymns and Poems,
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& c.−2000 and earlier.
Crete: Emergence of the Minoan palace civilisation; ships with single square sails.
Greece: Merchants from Phylakopi on the island of Milos trade in the local volcanic glass obsidian.
Egypt: Abortive attempts to domesticate the gazelle, antelope and oryx.
Arabia: Figs. Africa: Watermelons. India: Tea, Bananas, Apples.
England: Stonehenge megalithic circle completed.
−1982; Egypt: Death of King Amenemhet (Ammenemes) II, succeeded by his son Senusret I.
−1900; Babylon: Plimpton 322
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clay tablet of Old Babylonian period −1900/−1600 showing figures relating to the right triangle rule
(now known as 'Pythagorean triples').
−1872 to −1,853; Egypt: Reign of King Senusret III (Sesostris).
Digs canal through the first cataract of the Nile. Egyptian forces invade Palestine and Syria to protect trade.
−1842; Egypt: King Amenemhet III, reigns 45 years (to −1,797;). Develops mines in Sinai, and irrigation systems.
−1813; Assyria: Emerges as major power under King Shamshi-Adad I (to −1,781).
−1800; India: Indus valley civilisation declines; cities of Mahenjo-daro and Harapa collapse (c.−1,750).
S. America: Pacific coast irrigation agriculture begins. U-shaped ceremonial centres built.
Middle East: Prohibitions against eating pork develop.
−1797; Egypt: Amenemhet IV rules 10 years as last King of the 12th (Theban) dynasty.
−1792; Babylon: Hammurabi (6th King of the 1st dynasty) accedes, makes Babylon capital.
Hammurabi
& (−1810 - −1750),
The Code of Hammurabi
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& −1780.
−1766; China: King Tang founds the Shang dynasty, overthrowing Xia rule.
−1700; Crete: Knossos becomes dominant centre of Minoan
&, civilisation.
Middle East: Abraham, first Hebrew patriarch, leaves Ur to found new nation in Canaan (between Syria and Egypt);
monotheist; son Isaac, grandson Jacob. Two-wheeled horse-drawn chariot invented.
Europe: Rye, grown in E. Mediterranean, becomes main bread grain for Celts, Slavs and Teutons of N
where growing season is shorter.
Egypt: Moscow papyrus
−1700, contains results on volume of truncated pyramid. Leavened or raised bread invented.
Babylon: The Ludlul Bel Nimeqi
c.−1700 (similar to the Book of Job).
−1650; Egypt: Ahmes or Rhind papyrus
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& (c.−1,650)
papyrus, scribed by Ahmes (aka Ahmose) and collected by Rhind, copied from an earlier work (c.−2,000?),
our chief source of information on Egyptian mathematics.
Edwin Smith papyrus −1650,
oldest known medical document (based on earlier work c.−3,000?).
−1640; Egypt: Hyksos tribesmen from Syria and Palestine invade and conquer lower Egypt,
starting Second Intermediate Period; introduce wheel and bronze.
−1626; Crete: Minoan civilisation seriously affected by eruption on Thera (Santorini).
−1600; Greece: Emergence of Mycenaean civilisation, a culture of heroes and warfare.
Middle East: Canaanites (modern Lebanon and Israel) invent the first alphabet; syllabic script of 28 letters.
China: Pictographic writing developed. Egypt: Cat domesticated.
Babylon: Babylonian Proverbs.
−1595; Babylon: sacked by the Hittites (Indo-Europeans from Turkey) under King Mursilis I (d.−1,590).
−1557; China: Shang dynasty makes Zhengzhou its capital.
−1550; Egypt: Hyksos driven out by Kamose and his brother Ahmose, aka Ahmosis I
who was the last pharaoh to build a pyramid, and is first king of the 18th dynasty. Start of New Kingdom Period.
Book of the Dead
earliest c.−1,550, is initiation literature into the mystery of the afterlife.
−1500; Egypt:
Djehutymes (Thutmose or Tuthmosis) I
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becomes ruler (−1,504). Extends conquests to Palestine, Syria, Upper and Lower Nubia.
Development of geometry for reestablishing field boundaries after annual floods.
India: Aryan nomads from Eurasian steppes enter India.
China: Use of horse-drawn vehicles. Silk-weaving. Shang dynasty based at Anyang on the Yellow river (Huanghe);
royal burials there include human sacrifice.
−1492; Egypt: Thutmose II becomes King and reigns with his wife/half-sister Hatshepsut; successful
military campaigns aganst the Syrians and Nubians. Land of Punt.
−1479; Egypt: Hatshepsut
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rules as regent for Thutmose III; builds two obelisks at Karnak and great temple near Thebes, portraying an
expedition to the land of Punt.
−1458; Egypt: Tuthmosis III
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The title pharaoh meaning great house becomes established. Defeats the rebel ruler of Kadesh in Syria at the battle
of Megiddo (c.−1,456). Fought 17 campaigns in Palestine and Syria, built temple at Karnak (and 'Cleopatra's needle').
−1450; Crete: Conquered by the Mycenaeans bringing Minoan period to an end.
−1440; S. America: Waywaka, Peru, metalwork tools and ornaments of beaten gold.
−1425; Egypt: Amenhotep (Amenophis) II is new ruler. Campaigns in Judea and on the Euphrates.
Egypt: Tuthmosis IV. (fl.−1,400 - −1,390), allies Egypt with Babylon and the Mittani by marriage,
campaigns in Phoenicia and Nubia. Mesoamerica: Olmec civilisation, farming maize.
Middle East: industrial smelting of iron in Asia Minor, beginning of 'Iron Age'.
−1391; Egypt: Amenhotep III, builds temple of Amun in Luxor, development of Thebes.
−1353; Egypt: Akhenaten
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& (aka Amenhotep IV, d.c.−1362)
and his queen Nefertiti
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&, built new capital at Amarna, and
instituted religion of sun-worship.
Asia Minor: Hittite king Suppiluliumas expands empire from Anatolia to borders of Lebanon.
−1350; China: war chariot introduced.
−1333; Egypt: Tutankhamun
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18th dynasty), tomb discovered 1922 by Carnarvon and Howard Carter.
−1323; Egypt: The priest Ay, vizier and advisor to the Tutankhamun, marries his widow and becomes pharaoh.
−1319; Egypt: The soldier Horemheb becomes pharaoh, by military coup, and marrying the sister of Nefertiti.
Returns capital to Thebes and restores the old religion.
−1317; Egypt: Ramesses I founds 19th dynasty.
−1306; Egypt: Sethos (Seti) I (c.−1318 - c.−1304) built the temple of Abydus and the hypostyle
hall at Karnak.
−1290; Egypt: Rameses II
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(−1304 - −1237, 19th dynasty);
King Lists
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& Vth dynasty and Rameses II;
narrowly avoids defeat by Hittites at battle of Kadesh in Syria (−1285); makes peace with Hittites by marriage
(−1270); enhances Luxor, Karnak, Thebes, builds the rock temples at Abu Simbel.
It is thought by some historians that during his reign the Israelites fled from slavery in Egypt to settle in
Canaan (c.−1200), led by Moses according to the Pentateuch.
−1224; Egypt: Merneptah (c.−1236 - c.−1223) quells uprisings in Syria and Palestine.
He is succeeded by a series of relatively insignificant pharaohs, ending the 19th dynasty.
The last of these is a woman, Tausat (Tawsert).
−1200; Egypt: Sethnakhte begins 20th dynasty; making of fine linen from stalks of flax.
Mesoamerica: Olmec ceremonial centre built at Tres Zapotes (S. Veracrux) featuring huge stone heads (excavated 1930s).
−1187; Egypt: Rameses III (−1198 - −1166, 2nd pharaoh of 20th dynasty, 32-year reign),
repels invasions by Lybians and 'Sea Peoples'; scientific ideas in medicine begin to replace magic.
−1184; Traditional date for the sack of Troy by the Mycenaean Greeks under Agamemnon.
−1115; "In −1115, the Chinese invented the first geared mechanism, the South Pointing Chariot,
which was also the first to use a differential gear." (??)
−1125; Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar I becomes king.
−1122; China: King Wu of Zhou overthrows chinese emperor Di-xin. Zhou (Chou) dynasty founded −1111,
lasts until −256.
−1100; Assyria: Tiglath-Pileser I conquers Hittites, confronts Phoenicians.
−1070; Egypt: End of New Kingdom Period. 21st-23rd dynasties struggle against internal disorder for 350
years (?).
−1020; Israel: Hebrew leader Saul (11th century) first king of Judea.
−1006; Saul kiled in battle with Philistines at Mt. Gilboa. David (died between −1018 and −993)
king of Israel until c.−965.
−1000; S. and Central America: Maya settle the Yukatan peninsular; maize introduced in the Andes.
Europe: Iron Age reaches Hallstatt region (Austria).
−965; Solomon (c.−1015 - −977) king of Judea until −928; Queen of Sheba.
Rehoboam succeeds, but Judea splits, Jeroboam king of Israel.
−945; Egypt: Shoshenq I
the first of nine pharaohs of Lybian origin [22nd dynasty −935 - −730], may be the pharaoh Shishak
mentioned in the Bible; −924 invades Judea and loots Jerusalem.