Pre-20th Cent BC
c.3000 : Maturing Majiayao civilization in NW China, Liangzhu civilization in SE China.
c.2850 : Sumer at the dawn of recorded human history.
c.2630 : Imhotep builds Stepped Pyramid for Djoser at Saqqara.
c.2600 : Harrapan civilization reaches its peak in Indus Valley.
c.2550-2470 : The Great Pyramids (of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure) and the Sphinx of Giza are built.
20th Cent BC
c. 2000 : Abraham leaves Ur for Canaan.
c.2000 : Xia dynasty rules in China.
19th Cent BC
18th Cent BC
1792 : Hammurapi begins rule in Babylon.
17th Cent BC
c.1648 : Hyksos invade and rule in Egypt.
1600 (-1045) : Shang dynasty rules in China.
16th Cent BC
c.1550 : Ahmose I becomes pharaoh after defeating the Hyksos.
15th Cent BC
c.1479 : Thutmose III begins reign as pharaoh.
1446(?) : Moses leads Israel out of Egypt (?)
14th Cent BC
1333 : Boy-king Tutankhamun begins his 10-year reign in Egypt.
1375 : Amarna tablets complain of the Habiru.
13th Cent BC
c.1294 : Seti becomes pharaoh.
c.1279 : Rameses II begins rule as pharaoh.
c.1270? : Moses leads Israel out of Egypt (?)
1220 : Merneptah makes war against Canaan.
c.1200 : Troy is destroyed by fire; Mycenaean civilization is brought to an end.
12th Cent BC
1175 : Philistines captures Ashkelon.
1100(?) : Samuel is born.
11th Cent BC
1070(?) : Saul is born..
c.1045 : End of Shang dynasty & beginning of Zhou dynasty in China.
1030(?) : Jonathan is born.
1040(?) : David is born.
1030(?) : Saul begins reign over Israel.
1028(?) : David anointed by Samuel.
1012(?) : Death of Samuel.
1010 : Saul dies; David becomes king at Hebron.
1003 : David becomes king over all Israel.
10th Cent BC
970 : David dies, succeeded by Solomon.
945 : Pharaoh Shoshenq I founds the 22nd Dynasty in Egypt.
930/1 : King Solomon dies; succeeded by Rehoboam, followed by split in the kingdom.
930/1 : Jeroboam ben Nebat takes the throne in Israel.
915/4 : Rehoboam of Judah dies; succeeded by Abijah.
912/1 : Abijah of Judah dies; succeeded by Asa.
911/10 : Jeroboam ben Nebat of Israel dies; succeeded by Nadab.
910/09 : Baasha kills Nadab and succeedes him as king of Israel.
9th Cent BC
887/6 : Baasha of Israel dies; succeeded by Elah.
886/5 : Zimri kills Elah and is king of Israel for seven days; Zimri kills himself and is succeeded by Omri.
875/4 : Omri of Israel dies; succeeded by his son Ahab.
871/0 : Asa of Judah dies; succeeded by Jehoshaphat.
853 : Ahab of Israel dies; succeeded by his son Ahaziah.
852 : Ahaziah dies from falling through the lattice of his house; he is succeeded by Joram.
849/9 : Jehoshaphat of Judah dies; succeeded by Jehoram.
853 : Battle of Qarqar.
842 : Jehoram of Judah dies; succeeded by Ahaziah.
841 : Jehu kills Joram of Israel and becomes king of Israel .
841 : Ahaziah of Judah dies; succeeded by Queen Athaliah.
838 : Shalmaneser captures four of Hazael's cities.
835 : Queen Athaliah of Judah is slain; succeeded by seven-year-old Joash.
814/3 : Jehu of Israel dies; succeeded by his son Jehoahaz.
8th Cent BC
798/7 : Jehoahaz of Israel dies; succeeded by his son Jehoash.
796/5 : Joash of Judah dies; succeeded by Amaziah.
782/1 : Jehoash of Israel dies; succeeded by his son Jeroboam.
775 : 6 Sept - First authenticated date of a solar eclipse recorded in Chinese history.
767 : Amaziah of Judah dies; succeeded by Uzziah (Azariah).
753 : Jeroboam II dies; succeeded by his son Zechariah.
753 : Rome founded.
c. 750 : Development of polis, city-states, reach new heights among the Greeks.
750 : Jotham in coregency with his father Uzziah.
744 : Tiglath-pileser ascends to the throne in Assyria.
742 : Menahem of Israel dies and is succeeded by his son Pekahiah.
740 : Uzziah of Judah dies; succeeded by Jotham.
740 : Pekah kills Pekahiah of Israel and becomes king.
735 : Jothan of Judah dies; succeeded by Ahaz.
733 : The Syrio-Ephraimite War - Syria and Israel attacks Judah; Ahaz seeks help of Assyrians.
732/1 : Hoshea kills Pekah and succeeds him as (the last) king of Israel.
727 : Hezekiah becomes coregent of Judah; Tiglath-pileser dies.
722 : Israel falls to the Assyrians and is exiled.
715/4 : Hezekiel begins sole rule over Judan.
705 : Sargon dies.
701 : Sennercherib invades Judah.
7th Cent BC
687/6 : Hezekiah of Judah dies; succeeded by Manasseh.
680 : Esarhaddon becomes king of Assyria.
668 : Ashurbanipal becomes king of Assyria.
642 : Manasseh of Judah dies; succeeded by Amon.
640 : Amon dies; succeeded by Josiah.
626 : Nabopolassar claims kingship of Babylon.
626 : Nabopolassar claims kingship of Babylon.
620's : Philosopher Thales of Miletus is born.
621 : The book of the law recovered in the repair of the temple.
614 : Assur falls to the Medes.
609 : Josiah is killed at Megiddo; succeeded by Jehoahaz; Jehoahaz is dethroned and replaced by Jehoiakim.
605 : Nebuchadnessar becomes king of Assyria.
6th Cent BC
598 8 Dec : Judah rebels against Babylonian; Jehoiakim dies, and is succeeded by his son Jehoiachin.
597 : 16 Mar - Jerusalem surrenders to the Babylonians; Jehoiachin is taken prisoner, and replaced by Zedekiah.
595 : Psammetichus II begins rule in Egypt.
586 19 July : Jerusalem falls, and Zedekiah is taken prisoner.
561 : Jehoiachin released from prison by Evil-merodach.
555 : Nabonidus begins reign as last king of Babylon.
539 : Cyrus makes triumphant entry into Babylon.
538 : First wave of exiles return to Judea led by Sheshbazzar.
Pythagoras at the height of his career.
530 : Cambyses begins reign as king of Persia.
520 : Zechariah begins his ministry, while Haggai proclaims his five oracles.
522 : Darius begins rule as king of Persia.
521 : Buddha preaches his first sermon in Benares.
515 : The Temple in Jerusalem is finished.
509 : Tarquin driven from Rome and the city-state is reconstituted a republic.
5th Cent BC
499 : Greek settlements along Ionian coast rebel against Persian rule.
490 : Persians defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of Marathron.
486 : Xerxes (Ahasuerus) takes the throne of Persia.
c.484 : Herodotus is born.
480 : Battle of Thermopylae brings defeat of Persian ambition to an end by Delian League.
480 : Buddha dies.
479 : Confucius dies, unknown and with no disciples.
478 : Esther and Mordecai rise in Persian court.
469 : Socrates is born.
465 : Artaxerxes I begins reign over Persia.
458 : Ezra returns to Judah.
c.450 : Herodotus visits Egypt.
447 : Pericles commissions the building of the Parthenon.
445 : Nehemiah begins office as governor of Yehud.
440(?) : Malachi preaches his six sermons.
433 : Nehemiah visits Babylon.
431 : Start of Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens.
404 : Athens surrenders to Sparta.
403 (-221) : Warring States period in China.
4th Cent BC
399 : Socrates is charged with "corrupting the youth" and is forced to commit suicide.
387 : Aristotle is born.
334 : Alexander sets out against Persia.
331 1 Oct: Alexander defeats Darius III at Battle of Gaugamela.
323 : Jun 11 - Alexander the Great dies in Babylon.
322 : Aristotle dies.
306 : Zhaoxiang founds the Qin Dynasty in China.
3rd Cent BC
281 : King Pyrrhus invades Italy.
264 : First Punic War begins.
c. 255 : The Septuagint is completed.
221 (-207) : King Zheng unifies China under the Qin dynasty, taking the title Shi Huangdi (of the terracotta army fame); building of the Great Wall begins.
218 : Second Punic War begins.
206 (-220 AD) : Han dynasty begins rule in China.
202 : Battle of Zama - Roman army defeats Hannibal.
201 : Battle of Panias - Judea comes under Seleucid rule.
2nd Cent BC
196 : Antiochus III ventures into Thrace and encounters the Romans.
188 : Peace of Apamea.
170 : Antiochus IV invades Egypt.
167 : Start of the Maccabean Revolt.
165 : Jerusalem Temple is liberated and rededicated and Judea regains her religious freedom.
146 : Rome demolishes Corinth and Carthage.
142 : Judea gains her independence.
129 : Antiochus IV is killed fighting the Parthians.
113 : Hyrcanus burns the Samarian temple on Mt Gerizim.
1st Cent BC
c.90 : Han empire in China reaches its greatest extent.
76 : Alexander Janneus dies.
67 : Salome dies.
63 : Pompey besieges Jerusalem.
c.55 : Julius Caesar and Romans arrive in Britian and establish Londinum (London).
49 : 11 Jan Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon.
44 : 15 Mar Julius Caesar assassinated.
42 : Herod and Phasael appointed rulers over Judea.
40 : Parthians invade Judea and Herod is forced to flee for his life.
37 : Herod becomes king of Judea.
31 : Battle of Atium- Mark Antony & Cleopatra are defeated by Octavian.
27 : Octavian is proclaimed Augustus.
c. 9 : Herod the Great founds the city of Caesarea.
