ANCIENT (BC)

Start Date event

End Date event

4300

2700

First major cities in Mesopotamia

Warfare among Sumerian cities

2700

1075

First pyramids built

Last of New Kingdom pharaohs, Egypt in chaos

1075

745

Phonecian cultural, trading leadership

Phonecian city Tyre conquered by Assyrians

745

612

Assyrians conquer Tyre

Nineveh falls to Babylonians

612

539

Babylonians conquer Nineveh

Babylon conquered by Persians

539

478

Persian Cyrus conquers Babylon

Xerxes loses 2 battles to Greeks

478

323

Athens creates the Delian league

Death of Alexander the Great

323

197

Ptolemy gains rule of Egypt

Macedon conquered by Rome

197BC

378AD

Rome defeats Macedon

Visigoths defeat Romans at Adrianople

MIDDLE (AD)

378

467

Chandragupta II starts reign 376

Death of last great Gupta king. Hun invasions, major Gupta territory lost.

467

589

Events leading to Rome's fall in 476 put focus on Byzantium

Byzantine army pay cut 25%, leading to revolts and civil strife

589

756

Emperor Wen reunites China

Rebel An Lushan takes Tang capital Chang'an

756

929

Abbasids/ Iraq in power 750

Cordoba caliphate established 929

929

976

Cordoba caliphate established 929

Weak caliphs in Cordoba after 976

976

1071

Basil II becomes Byzantine ruler

Byzantine defeats at Manzikert and Bari

1071

1294

Wang An-shih's governing/ fiscal reforms foster prosperity*

Death of Kublai Kahn

MODERN (AD)

1294

1434

Venice fleets force Byzantium to favor them over Genoa traders.

Plague deaths and Ottoman empire victories weaken Venice

1434

1508

Cosimo de Medici takes lead in Florence

Michangelo leaves Florence for Rome

1508

1527

Michangelo starts Sistine painting

Sack of Rome by Habsburg forces

1527

1588

New world riches flow to Spain, Charles V emperor 1530

Defeat of Spanish Armada

1588

1609

English defeat Spanish Armada

James I dissolves parliament (1611)

1609

1672

Spanish driven out of N. Netherlands

France and Britain declare war on the Dutch

1672

1814

French troops rout Dutch army, enter Rhineland

Napoleon abdicates

1814

1830

Congress of Vienna starts

Beethoven dies 1827, loss of Vienna vigor

1830

1918

First railroad operates (in Britain)

Britain/ France need US help to win WW!

1918

present

Wilson leads WWI treaty