16363 bce1 Chronology 10,000bce-601bce, Last revision: 12Mar94 Paul Harvey ------------------------------------------------------------------------- [10,000-601bce (before conversion era): last revision: 12Mar94] 10,000: Neolithic Age: domestication of plants/animals/earth/humans, in Meso- potamia/SE Asia/Mexico, Ice Age glaciers retreat, Mediterranean climate (dry summer) develops in Med/Cali/SW Aus/Chile/S Af, deserts appear in subtropics 8000: Copper Age: begins in Middle East, hybrid wheats develop 7000: Jericho first walled and tower built with flint tools, first rain agri- cultural and herding villages appear in Subartu (Assyria) 6000: Ubaid period: villages appear in Akkad/Uri & Sumer/Kiengir (Babylonia) 5000: copper extraction from ores in Persia and Afghanistan, Egyptian calendar of 12 months of 30 days each, agriculture begins in China 4500-3500: Uruk period: first cities in Sumer (S. Babylonia): Eridu, Ur, Uruk 4000: Bronze Age: begins in Middle East; earliest Sumerian writing on clay, white pottery in Egypt, multi-colored ceramics in Central Asia and China 3761: first year in Jewish calendar, year of creation, (1a.m. = 1 anno mundi) 3600: Troy 1 (Hisarlik) founded 3500: Egypt: numerals & united by King Menes the Fighter; temples: Al Ubaid, Janna @ Eridu & White @ Uruk; tomb of Mes-Kalam-Dug near Ur; linen in Sumer 3372: first year in Mayan calendar 3100-2500: period of Archaic Sumerian Cuneiform literature 3000-2500: Semites occupy Subartu (Assyria), Phoenicians at Tyre & Sidon, 1st settlements at Crete, European Danubian culture, Chinese Sage Kings, Pepi's papyrus: "Instructions to a Son", Egyptian Pharaohs, Cheops Pyramid & Great Sphinx at Gizeh, systematic astronomical observations in Egypt/Sumer/India/ China, King Mis-anni-padda of Ur, Great Wall of Uruk, Sumerian base 6 & 12 numeral systems, metal coins, city states: Kish/Uruk/Ur/Sippar/Akshak/Larak/ Nippur/Adab/Umma/Lagash/Bad-tibira/Larsa; wheel/horse/chariot in cent. Asia 2800: Etana of Kish unites Sumerian city-states 2772: Egyptian 365 day calendar without adjustments 2750: Gilgamesh king of Uruk, "built the walls" - Epic of Gilgamesh (see 1200) 2500-2000: Egypt: Memphis founded, libraries, Isis/Osiris resurrection cult; Minoan Crete snake/bull cult; Akkad/Sumer: mapped, Ishtar/Inanna cult; China: painted & black pottery, 5-tone music scale, equinox/solstice determination, variable solar/lunar calendar; cotton cultivation in Peru 2500: date of iron tool found stuck in an Egyptian pyramid 2500-2300: Classical Sumerian Cuneiform literature: largely records of Lagash 2500-2300: Yao period of China 2500-1500: Indus valley civilization in India: Mohenjo Daro, Harappa 2450-1850: period of Early Akkadian Cuneiform literature 2400-2350: Lugalzaggisi king of Uruk (Erech): "King of the Countries" 2350: town of Ai destroyed and abandoned (Hebrew 'ay:H5857 implies 'a ruin') 2334-2279: Sargon king of Akkad: controls Sumer also, "King of the 4 Quarters" 2300-2000: New Sumerian Cuneiform: Akkadian (Semitic) becomes dominant 2300-2205: Shun period of China 2300: earliest named author: priestess Enheduana writes Sumerian temple hymns 2254-2218: Naram-Sin king of Sumer: controls Akkad also 2205-1766: Xia (Hsia) dynasty of China 2200-1700: Egypt defeated and ruled by Hyksos "Shepherd Kings" 2200-525: Dynasty of Pharaohs in Egypt 2200: Troy 2 (Hisarlik) sacked in Great Fire 2100: Laws of Ur-Nammu, king of Ur of Sumer, first extant law code 2000-1500: Hittite Empire of Asia Minor, King Cecrops of Attica Greece; Egypt- ian: alphabet of 24 signs, 1st novel "Story of Sinuhe", "Book of the Dead", Thutmose I builds 1st tomb in Valley of Kings, knotted ropes of 3-4-5 right triangles, Edwin Smith Papyrus of medicine and surgery; Semitic alphabet, Babylon Marduk cult & Zodiac signs, Stonehenge, 1st Palace of Mycenae, 1st Palace of Minos at Cnossus Crete, Cretan decimal system, Indian polished marble water dam and four basic elements of earth/air/fire/water 2000: horse riders invade from central Asia: Scythians, Centaurs, Satyrs ... 2000-600: first of seven periods of Chinese literature 1934-1924: Laws of Lipit-Ishtar of Sumer 1900-1595: Amorites rule Akkad and Sumer (North and South Babylonia) 1887-1849: Sesostris III of Egypt: invades Canaan 1792-1750: Hammurabi of Babylon: king of united Babylonia (Akkad & Sumer) 1766-1122: China united in Shang dynasty 1758: Laws of Hammurabi king of Babylonia, includes fees for eye surgery ... 1750-550: Persian Empire 1595: Mursil I the Hittite raids Babylon ending Hammurabi (Amorite) dynasty 1595-1157: Kassites rule Babylonia (Akkad and Sumer) 1570-1200: Amosis I(1570-45) liberates Egypt from Hyksos, begins "New Kingdom" 1500-1000: Phrygians leave Thrace for Asia Minor; Assyrian King Shalmaneser I founds Numrud, Ethiopian independence, Dorians conquer Peloponnesus, Medon 1st Archon abolishes monarchy in Athens, Enuma Elish creation epic of Babylonia, Greek alphabet Linear-B at Cnossus, height of Mycenaean culture, Hittite library has tablets in 8 languages, Laws of the Hittites, mural in Thebes of female musicians, Kikkuli of Mitanni writes on horsemanship, Cor- inth founded, Phoenicians mine tin for bronze in England, Egypt: Cleopatra's Needle obelisk, water flow meter in tomb of Amenhotep III; China: silk, magic-squares/permutations/right-triangle-formulas, sun height in relation to incline of polar axis, 1st dictionary; Mexico: Chiapa de Carzo, Sun Pyramid at Teotihuacan, Olmec culture; India: Rig-Veda, Ganges civilization 1500-800: Vedic period of Indian Sanskrit literature 1500: Iron Age: by Hittites near Black Sea, "metal from heaven": meteorites 1490-1436: Thutmosis III of Egypt: conquers and annexes Canaan and Syria 1439-1406: Amenophis II of Egypt: 3 Asian (Canaan & Syria) military campaigns 1406-1398: Thutmosis IV of Egypt: "Conqueror of Haru (Canaan & Syria)" 1369-1353: Akhenaten of Egypt: 1st Monotheist, "Hymns to Aton", Ps118:22-23? 1353-1342: Tutankhamen of Egypt: Akhenaten's Monotheism is rejected 1308-1290: Seti I of Egypt: military campaigns into Canaan 1300: Lion Gate of Mycenae built, ancient site of Jericho abandoned 1300?: 1st wave of Hebrew Canaan invasion from Kadesh-barnea by Joshua [Nm33] 1290-1224: Rameses II of Egypt: time of the Hebrew (Egyptian: 'Apiru?) Exodus? 1285: Battle of Kadesh, Egypt v. Hittites, Hittites advance south to Damascus 1269: peace treaty between Rameses II of Egypt and Hattusilis III the Hittite, Egyptian bases at Damascus and Sumur on coast, Hittites just north in Syria 1250-1200: Lachish, Kirjath-sepher/Debir, Eglon, Hazor, Bethel destroyed 1250: Troy 6 (Hisarlik) destroyed (Homer's Trojan War? Earthquake? ...) 1250?: 2nd wave of Hebrew Canaan invasion from Kadesh-barnea by Leah [Nm21:21] 1250?: Lachish Bowl, 1935, 7 letters of proto-Canaanite left to right writing 1234: Tukulti-Ninurta I of Assyria sacks Babylon 1224-1214: Pharaoh Merneptah: plunders Canaan, defeats Askelon, captures Gezer annihilates Yaro'am (town just south of Lake Galilee): "Israel [male gender, a tribe not a land] is laid waste and his seed is not.", earliest known reference to Israel [Unauthorized Version, R.L. Fox, 1991, p.225-226] 1220: Philistines (The Sea Peoples) attack Egyptian western Delta 1214-1198: period of anarchy in Egypt, perhaps invasion from north? Jg3:3-10? 1200: Epic of Gilgamesh written in Uruk (Erech), Babylonia (see 2750) 1200: domestication of camel, fully nomadic Arabian desert tribes flourish 1200: Hittite empire mysteriously disappears (Philistines? Extraterrestrials?) 1198-1166: Rameses III of Egypt: last period of Egyptian influence in Canaan 1187: Rameses III records battles against raiding Philistines in Canaan 1180: Troy 7a (Hisarlik) sacked (Philistines?) 1157: Elam conquers Babylonia, ends Kassite dynasty, takes Marduk gold statue 1146-1123: Nebuchadnezzar I king of Babylonia: reclaims Marduk idol from Elam 1125?: Battle of Deborah, Israel v. Canaan, key battle for Hebrews [Judg4,5] 1114-1076: Tiglath-pileser I of Assyria: conquers Babylonia but prevented from entering Syria by Arameans who control and occupy Syria at this time 1100?: Izbet Sartah Abecedary ostracon, 1974, Old Hebrew script left to right 1050?: Philistines settled in Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron 1050?: Philistines defeat Hebrews in battle of Aphek, Shiloh sacked [1S4 ...] 1006-1004: Saul first king of Israel: defeated by Philistines [1S11:15 ...] 1004-965: King David of united Israel: capital/fortress Jerusalem, Ark of Covenant, gains control of "King's Highway" trade route from Damascus to Edom, trades with Phoenicians at Tyre and Sidon, quells internal revolts ... 10th: Ionians exiled from Greece to Asia Minor where they found 12 cities inc. Miletus and Ephesus, Beijing China founded, Chinese script fully devel- oped, Hebrew alphabet: Song of Deborah [Jdg5], Song of Miriam [Exo15:1-18] & Song of Songs earliest lit., Greek script based on old Semitic-Phoenician + vowels, Classical Greek Paganism & Temple of Hera in Olympia, India: steel, 360 day year with solar adj.; China: brush & ink painting, math textbook; Chaldeans use water filled cube to measure time, weight and length 1000-586: first period (Classical) of Hebrew literature in Old Hebrew script 965-928: King Solomon: builds Jerusalem Temple, height of Israeli culture, a reign of peace, establishes control of Via Maris 'Sea Road' trade route along coast through Philistia, builds leading trade state between Egypt and Asia Minor, marries daughter of Pharaoh, establishes spice trade with Queen of Sheba, sea route from Ezion-geber on Red Sea to Ophir Africa, mines ... 950?: "Ten Commandments" (Decalogue) written in Israel (Northern Kingdom) 945: Shishak of Egypt, hostile to Israel, harbors rebel Jeroboam & seeds split 928: united Israel splits into Israel and Judah; Ammon, Moab, Edom independent 928-907: Jeroboam I king of Israel (Northern Kingdom, 10 tribes) 928-917: Rehoboam I king of Judah (Southern Kingdom, 2 tribes: Judah/Benjamin) 923: Shishak of Egypt sacks 150 cities of Israel and Judah [1K14:25], Jerusalem spared after Rehoboam pays tribute of Temple and Palace treasures 917-908: Abijam king of Judah: son of Rehoboam, campaigns against N. Kingdom 908-867: Asa king of Judah 907-906: King Nadab of Northern Kingdom: son of Jeroboam 906-883: Baasha ben Ahijah king of N. Kingdom: kills entire Jeroboam family 9th: Babylonian Akkadian Cuneiform becomes common language of Middle East 884-859: Ashur-nasirpal II king of Assyria 883: Ben-hadad of Damascus sacks N. Kingdom for Asa king of Judah [1K15:17-20] 882-871: Omri king of Northern Kingdom: alliance with Judah and Tyre 879: Omri builds Samaria as capital of Northern Kingdom (Beth-Omri) 871-852: Ahab king of Northern Kingdom: son of Omri, regains King's Highway, marries Jezebel (daughter of king of Tyre) who introduces cult of Melqart the Baal of Tyre into Northern Kingdom, erects temple to Melqart in Samaria 859-824: Shalmaneser III king of Assyria 853: Battle of Qarqar, Assyria v. Syrian alliance which includes Ahab and wins 851-842: Jehoram king of Northern Kingdom: son of Ahab 850: Mesha Victory Stele, 1868, stone in Old Hebrew, records victory (attr. to Chemosh god) of king Mesha of Moab against kings Omri and Ahab [cf. 2K3] 850?: Homer, Greek epic poet, (pseudonym?), Iliad and Odyssey; (Loeb Classics) 849,848,845: Assyria continues campaign agaist Syrian alliance 842: Jehu, a general and king of N. Kingdom, (aided by Elisha the prophet), kills Jehoram, Jezebel, Ahaziah king of Judah, all Ahab's offspring and all followers of Baal cult, destroys Baal temple in Samaria [2K9] 841: beginning of verified Chinese historical chronology 814: Hazael of Syria (Aram) takes Ammon/Moab/Edom; threatens Israel and Judah 814-800: Jehoahaz king of Northern Kingdom: son of Jehu 8th: Greeks settle on Spanish coast, found Messina and Syracuse in Sicily, Etruscans enter Italy, Egyptian fable: "Battle between Head & Belly", Syria adopts Aramaic, woman as high priest at Thebes, Apollo worshiped at Delphi, Spartan Laws of Lycurgus, Laws of Minos of Cnossus, Babylonian 5 and 7 tone scales, 1st Roman king Romulus develops 10 month calendar, Chinese perfect precision bronze casting, "Shih ching" (Book of Odes): 305 poems of 1751-770 800-500: Dharma-sutra period of Indian Sanskrit literature 798-769: Amaziah king of Judah: regains Edom, looses war with Israel 2K14:7-21 796: Adad-nirara III (810-782) of Assyria sacks Damascus, Syria [2K13:5] 785: King Joash of N. Kingdom(800-784) sacks Jerusalem, raids Temple 2K14:7-21 784-748: Jeroboam II: son of Joash, last important ruler of Northern Kingdom 784-733: Uzziah: prince-regent then king of Judah, son of Amaziah [2Chr26] 776: first recorded Olympic Games, perhaps as early as 1350, women excluded 775: first authenticated date in Chinese history, Solar eclipse on Sept 6th 775?: Elowist (E) source of Gn/Ex (Mosaic Law) written in Northern Kingdom 753: first year in Roman calendar, Rome founded (a.u.c. = anno urbis conditae) 750?: Hosea, Amos, Micah; written in Northern Kingdom 750?: Yahwist (J) source of Gn/Ex/Lv/Nm (Mosaic Law) written in Judah, Gn2:5.. 745-727: Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria: conquers Babylonia, dominant power 730-700: Hesiod, Greek poet, 1st Greek lit. on origins of gods: "Theogony", also "Works & Days", "Shield of Heracles", names the 9 Muses: (Clio:history, Euterpe:music, Thalia:comedy, Melpomene:tragedy, Terpsichore:dance, Erato: elegy, Polyhymnia:lyric-poetry, Ourania: astronomy, Calliope:eloquence) Loeb 732: Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria captures and occupies Damascus, Syria transformed into an Assyrian province, likewise Galilee becomes Magiddu 727-722: Shalmaneser V king of Assyria: son of Tiglath-pileser III 727-698: Hezekiah king of Judah 722: Northern Kingdom Israel and capital Samaria fall to Shalmaneser V of Assyria. [2K17:3-6] All Jews are expelled and a new nation is formed called Samerina. These are the "lost tribes", "lost sheep" as called by Jesus. 720: Sargon of Assyria quells rebellion in Samaria, recaptures Syro-Palestine 715-672: Numa Pompilius 2nd king of Rome: adds Jan/Feb to Romulus' 10mon cal. 705: Sargon killed in battle, mass rebellion throughout Assyrian empire 705-681: King Sennacherib of Assyria 705?: Siloam Inscription, 1880, Old Hebrew in Jerusalem water tunnel [2K20:20] 702: Sennacherib of Assyria regains control of Babylon 701: Sennacherib sacks Jerusalem then quickly retreats [2K18:13-19:37,I36-37] 7th: 1st Isaiah (1-39) written, Indian Vedas completed, Greeks worship Apollo & Dionysus, golden age of divination in Assyria, 1st Doric columns in Pelop- onnesus, 1st Ionic columns on Samos, Athenian Acropolis, Babylonian Marduk Temple (Tower of Babel?), Assurbanipal's library of 22,000 clay tablets, Glaucus of Chios invents iron soldering, Pharaoh Nechos starts canal between Nile & Red Sea, Sennacherib 1st recorded alpinist, Lydian coins of electrum gold-silver alloy, Chinese "I ching" (Book of Changes): 'yin & yang' & "Shu ching" (Book of History) covers 3000-630, Aramaic common language of Middle East, Murabba'at Palimpsest oldest extant Hebrew papyrus 700-200: second period of Chinese literature 690-638: Manassseh king of Judah: sacrificed his son to Molech ... [2K21:2-7] 689: Sennacherib destroys Babylon, Euphrates diverted to flood site 681-669: Esarhaddon king of Assyria: son of Sennacherib 679: Esarhaddon defeats Tirhakah of Egypt in Philistia & gains coastal control 671: Esarhaddon conquers the Nile Delta region, controlled until 649 669-627: Ashurbanipal king of Assyria: son of Esarhaddon 650: Sappho of Lesbos, Greek poetess; (Loeb Classics with Alcaeus) 648: Ashurbanipal of Assyria sacks Babylon 638-609: Josiah king of Judah: institutes reforms [2K22-23,2Ch34] 627: Babylon revolts, neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) empire founded by Nabopolassar 621: Deuteronomy (2nd Mosaic Law) found in Temple, wr:700-660? [2K22-23,2Ch34] 621: Draco of Athens writes: "Draconian Laws"; death for most offenses 614: Medes of Persia sack city of Ashur, Assyria 612: Ninevah destroyed by Babylonians and Medes, end of Assyrian empire 610?: core of Book of Kings (I & II) written in Jerusalem 609: Pharaoh Necho dethrones Jehoahaz of Judah, installs Jehoiakim as king 605-562: Nebuchadnezzar II king of Babylonia 605: Nebuchadnezzar II defeats Pharaoh Necho at battle of Carchemish