The events that occurred between the completion of a long stage of the development of mankind, called the Prehistoric period and the beginning of the Middle Ages, are usually considered in the framework of the chronology of the Ancient World. A brief summary of this very extensive list of historical events formed the basis of this article and will help in general outline the paths traveled by the people of our planet in that ancient era.
General classification procedure
It is customary to divide the chronology of the history of the Ancient World into several periods, each of which is marked by certain important events on the path to progress, to which, consciously or not, mankind strove along the whole path of its development. The followers of different historical directions adhere to several classification systems, but most often the epochs preceding the period of the Middle Ages are conditionally divided into periods called centuries:
- Copper-stone, it is also called Eneolithic ─ the second half of the III millennium BC. e. ─ beginning of the II millennium BC e.
- Bronze ─ II millennium BC ─ I millennium BC e.
- Iron ─ the end of the first millennium BC e. ─ 780s BC e.
- Classical antiquity ─ 776 BC e ─ end of the 4th century A.D. e.
Such a chronology of the Ancient world is very arbitrary. The fact is that between the historical periods there were no clear distinctions and the characteristic signs of the past era could sometimes be found in the features of subsequent centuries. Nevertheless, it allows you to fully present the chronology of the events of the Ancient World and the paths along which the development of human society followed. Consider the main stages of each of the periods indicated above.
Century of stone and copper
The second half of the 3rd century BC is considered to be the dawn of the Copper-Stone Age. e., when along with still widely used stone tools began to use copper products. During this period, it was mined from natural outcrops and smelted without any additional impurities.
The dawn of the era was marked by the heyday of the first Sumer civilization in southern Mesopotamia, leaving behind the earliest known cuneiform writing system from science. In the same period, the first dynasty of the pharaohs of the ancient Egyptian state was formed, the founder of which was the pharaoh Narmer. It was on the banks of the Nile that humanity then took the most significant steps on the path to progress. Here at the end of 3 millennium BC. e. a prototype of the modern calendar appeared and papyrus came into use ─ the predecessor of modern paper.
Further milestones
Among other important stages of this early period in the chronology of the Ancient world, one should single out such a moment as the appearance of about 2800 BC. e. in the southern part of Mesopotamia, the proto-Elamian civilization, which then spread its influence to the territory of modern Iran. In 2750 BC e. on the island of Crete, the development of the Minoan civilization begins, a monument of which is the ruins of the palace that have been preserved to this day, which was for its time the greatest breakthrough in construction.
In the middle of the millennium, civilization flourishes on the Hindustan Peninsula, where a unique ancient culture is created on the banks of the Ganges. The copper-stone stage of the chronology and periodization of the history of the Ancient World ends with the most important achievement of people of that era ─ the domestication of a wild horse, which happened about four millennia ago.
The most important achievement of the Bronze Age
A new stage in history was due to technological advances, thanks to which people learned to get bronze from copper and tin. This alloy allowed them to significantly improve both the tools and their military weapons. In the chronology of the events of the Ancient World, the beginning of bronze smelting dates from the beginning of the 2000s BC. e. and opens up a period called the Bronze Age.
This period should include the first samples of alphabetic writing discovered in Sinai dating from 1800 BC. e. After 200 years of unprecedented prosperity reaches the Chinese script of the Shang Dynasty. Then, in the eastern part of the Mediterranean coast, the Hittite tribes that lived in Asia Minor established their dominance.
The historical period ended in disaster
In the middle of the millennium, India is completing the creation of the Regveda ─ a collection of religious hymns, which served as the basis for the formation of ancient Indian philosophy. In Central Europe at this time, the Gelstat culture reached its peak, the carriers of which were the Celtic tribes, and in the Balkans - Illyrians and Thracians.
The end of the millennium was a period called the catastrophe of this eventful century, as it was marked by the collapse of many cities and entire states, which entailed a loss of writing and a general cultural decline. The reason for this was what happened in the period 1206-1145. BC e. migration of the Mediterranean peoples, the victims of which were the Khet and Mycenae kingdoms, as well as Syria. Even in the history of Greece, this period entered as the Dark Ages.
Starting to use iron
Around 1110 BC e. humanity entered an era when iron replaced bronze. This stage in the chronology of the history of the Ancient World is called the Iron Age. Despite the fact that the use of iron has not lost its significance in the entire subsequent history of mankind, it was included in the name only for a limited time period, which was replaced in 776 BC. e. classic antiquity came. However, before proceeding to its description, we note some important stages of the Iron Age.
In 1046 BC e. in China, the rule of the Zhou Dynasty was established, which lasted eight centuries and was marked by many achievements in the field of science and culture. In particular, the development of Chinese medicine is largely connected with this period. Another important event of the era was the formation in the period 1020-930. BC e. The kingdom of Israel, united under the rule of the first king Saul. One of the main initiators of this process was the prophet Samuel, who played the role of the spiritual leader of the Jewish people.
Literary masterpieces of the Iron Age
The most famous historical monument of the Iron Age were the epic poems of the ancient Greek poet Homer ─ “Iliad” and “Odyssey”. Their important historical significance lies in the fact that the legendary gods and heroes are represented in the historical realities of that era, which served as rich material for researchers. In the same period, the rise of the cities of Ancient Greece began, affected by migration after the Bronze Age catastrophe, which was mentioned above.
The entry of mankind into the period of classical antiquity
The next, very long stage in the chronology of the Ancient world was classical Antiquity. This term means a rather long period of the history of the peoples of the Mediterranean, during which the two leading civilizations of that era ancient Greek and ancient Roman, were closely intertwined.
Its beginning is considered to be the first Olympic Games, held in 776 BC. e. in Greece, on the southern coast of the Balkan Peninsula. The venue was the main sanctuary, called Olympia, which gave the name to sports, which were then held until 394 AD. e.
The emergence of the three great states of antiquity
A little later, in 753 BC. e., another event occurred that also took a prominent place in the chronology of the Ancient World and influenced the entire course of world history: a small village appeared on the Tiber River, called Rome and giving rise to the formation of the most powerful and developed civilization of Antiquity. It reached its historical peak in the 2nd century AD. e., when under the jurisdiction of the Roman emperors were the peoples living in the territories from Ethiopia in the south to modern England in the north and from Portugal in the west to Iran in the east.
Ten years later, King Tiglathpalasar III came to power in Assyria, making it an empire that lasted nearly 2 thousand years and conquered many peoples of the Near and Middle East. A century later, in Japan, Emperor Jimmu took over the throne , creating a powerful empire and recognized for this as one of the main deities of the national pantheon.
Further events of the era
In 586 BC e. the Babylonian conquerors destroyed the First Jerusalem Temple, built 364 years earlier by King Solomon, and two decades later a prince named Buddha was born in India, who became the founder of one of the main world religions. The same era gave the world another major religious figure in the East: in 551 BC. e. the famous Confucius was born, who became the father of another religious movement ─ Confucianism.
In 539, an event occurred that was joyful for the Jews languishing in Babylonian captivity: they were liberated by the Persian king Cyrus the Great and, returning to their homeland, began to rebuild the temple. Soon after, in 525, another eastern despot ─ Cambyses II, who replaced Cyrus, conquered Ancient Egypt.
The victories of democracy and the military conquests of that era
Summarizing the chronology of the Ancient World, it is difficult to cover all the events of that era, but, of course, one of the most important was the establishment in Athens of the world's first democratic government, in which every free citizen had the opportunity to become a member of the highest legislative body ─ the National Assembly. This largely served as an incentive for the development of science and art in the country.
The next significant event in the era of classical Antiquity was the conquest of the invincible Hitherto Persian Empire by the young king Alexander of Macedon, who went down in world history as one of the most prominent commanders. This happened in 331 BC. e., and after 5 years, he consolidated his fame by defeating the Indian king Por.
Achievements of Ancient China and the Conquest of Rome
The beginning of the III century BC was marked by a number of important events that occurred in China. In 221 BC e. Emperor Qin Shihuangdi unites separate provinces into a single state and begins to surround him with a protective wall. A little later, his successors opened the Great Silk Road by starting trade with the Western world, and shortly afterwards, China presented the world with its most valuable invention - paper. It is generally accepted that it first appeared in 250 BC. e.
Half a century later, the Mediterranean countries become the center of world events. During this period, the series of conquests by the Roman Empire of the territories adjacent to it begins. In 146 BC e. Greece fell under the swords of its legionnaires, and two decades later, Turkey and Gaul. In 49 BC e. a bloody civil war erupted, shaking Ancient Rome and culminating in the assassination of Julius Caesar. However, the conquest of Egypt that soon followed turned the country into the most powerful of all the empires of the Ancient world.
The coming into the world of Jesus Christ
In the chronology of historical milestones of the era of classical Antiquity, one of the most important places is the birth of Jesus Christ, which opened to humanity a new era in its history. It was with him that the chronology began, which people use to date.
For the sake of objectivity, we note that a number of biblical scholars attribute this event not to the zero year, as is commonly believed throughout the world, but to 4 BC. e. Following this is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, also having a double dating: 33 g. e. or happened four years earlier. In 70, Jerusalem was captured by the troops of the Roman emperor Titus and, according to the prediction of Jesus Christ, was destroyed.
The connection of history and modernity
In the scientific world, the completion of the chronology of the empires of the Ancient World is considered to be the boundary between the 4th and 5th centuries, when the Roman state decayed. However, many researchers consider the transition from the Ancient World to the Early Middle Ages as a period of late Antiquity.
That is why it is difficult to name the exact date for the completion of the historical process, which became the topic of this article. Many scientific works were devoted to him, the most famous of which is E. Bikerman's monograph “The Chronology of the Ancient World”. Published in 1975, it is considered one of the best study guides on this subject.
In addition to the scientific community, issues related to the formation of world civilization are of interest to the general public. Discoveries in this area are devoted to regular publications in the media. The school curriculum also pays significant attention to the study of the chronology of the history of the Ancient World (Grade 5 is the period when it is studied). Knowledge of the paths along which mankind went to the heights of its progress is necessary for a correct assessment of modern social processes.