HISTORY OF THE CITY AND REGION ANCIENT TIMES

 ROMAN

The Roman Empire was one of the greatest and most influential civilizations in world history. It
began in the city of Rome in 753 BC and lasted for well over 1000 years. During that time Rome
grew to rule much of Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. Here is a timeline of some of
the major events in the history of Ancient Rome.

753 BC - The city of Rome is founded. Legend has it that the twin sons of Mars, the god of war,
named Romulus and Remus founded the city. Romulus killed Remus and became ruler of Rome
and named the city after himself. Rome was ruled by kings for the next 240 years.

509 BC - Rome becomes a republic. The last king is overthrown and Rome is now ruled by
elected officials called senators. There is a constitution with laws and a complex republican
government.

218 BC - Hannibal invades Italy. Hannibal leads the Carthage army in his famous crossing of the
Alps to attack Rome. This is part of the Second Punic war.

73 BC - Spartacus the gladiator leads the slaves in an uprising.

45 BC - Julius Caesar becomes the first dictator of Rome. Caesar makes his famous Crossing of
the Rubicon and defeats Pompey in a civil war to become the supreme ruler of Rome. This
signals the end of the Roman Republic.

44 BC - Julius Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March by Marcus Brutus. They hope to bring
back the republic, but civil war breaks out.

27 BC - The Roman Empire begins as Caesar Augustus becomes the first Roman Emperor.

64 AD - Much of Rome burns. Legend has it that Emperor Nero watched the city burn while
playing a lyre.

80 AD - The Colosseum is built. One of the great examples of Roman engineering is finished. It
can seat 50,000 spectators.

121 AD - The Hadrian Wall is built. To keep out the barbarians a long wall is built across
northern England.
306 AD - Constantine becomes Emperor. Constantine would convert to Christianity and Rome
would become a Christian empire. Prior to this Rome persecuted the Christians.

380 AD - Theodosius I declares Christianity to be the sole religion of the Roman Empire.

395 AD - Rome splits into two empires.

410 AD - The Visigoths sack Rome. This is the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome has
fallen to an enemy.

476 AD - The end of the Western Roman Empire and the fall of Ancient Rome. The last Roman
Emperor Romulus Augustus is defeated by the German Goth Odoacer. This signals the start of
the Dark Ages in Europe.

1453 AD - The Byzantine Empire comes to an end as it falls to the Ottoman Empire.

 GREECE

The history of Ancient Greece can be divided up into different periods. The three main periods
we will cover here are the Archaic Period, the Classical Period, and the Hellenistic Period.

During the Archaic Period the Greek government began to form with the rise of the city-states
such as Athens and Sparta. This was also when the Greeks began to explore philosophy and
theatre.

The Classical Period began with the introduction of democracy in Athens. Athens also rose to
new heights in art and philosophy. It was during this period that Athens and Sparta fought in the
Peloponnesian Wars. Near the end of the Classical Period Alexander the Great rose to power
conquering much of Europe and Western Asia.

The death of Alexander the Great ushered in the Hellenistic Period. Greece declined in power
until it was finally conquered by Rome.

Greek Archaic Period (800 BC - 480 BC)

 776 BC - The first Olympic Games takes place. The games would take place every 4
years in honor of the Greek god Zeus.
 757 BC - First Messenian War begins. This is a war between Sparta and Messenia that
will last many years.
  750 BC - Homer begins to write the Iliad and Odyssey. These epic poems become two of
the most famous literary works in Greek literature.
 650 BC - The Greek Tyrants come into power. Cypselus is the first Tyrant of Corinth.
 621 BC - A lawyer named Draco introduces strict new laws in Athens that are punishable
by death. These are called Draconian laws.
 600 BC - The first Greek coins are introduced.
 570 BC - Pythagoras is born. He will make major advances in science, math, and
philosophy. We still use the Pythagorean Theorem today to help with geometry.
 508 BC - Democracy is introduced in Athens by Cleisthenes. He establishes a
constitution and is often called the "Father of Athenian Democracy". This is one of the
great accomplishments of the Greek culture.

Greek Classical Period (480 BC - 323 BC)

 490 BC - The Greeks fight the Persians in the Greek/Persian Wars. Two famous battles
are the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC and the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. The Greeks
win and the Persians retreat.
 468 BC - Sophocles begins to write plays for the theatre. Soon the theater becomes a very
popular form of entertainment in Greece.
 440 BC - Famous playwright Euripides wins first prize for the best play in Athens.
 432 BC - The temple to Athena, the Parthenon, is completed in Athens on the Acropolis.
Today this is the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece.
 431 BC - The wars between Sparta and Athens begin. They are called the Peloponnesian
Wars. The wars will last 27 years with Sparta eventually conquering Athens in 404 BC.
 399 BC - The famous Greek philosopher Socrates is put to death for corrupting the youth
of Athens with his teachings.
 386 BC - Greek philosopher and student of Socrates, Plato, founds the first institution of
higher learning in the western world. It's called the Academy.
 342 BC - The great philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, Aristotle, begins to tutor
Alexander (later to be called Alexander the Great).
 336 BC - Alexander the Great becomes king when his father, Philip of Macedon is
assassinated.
 333 BC - Alexander begins his conquests and defeats the Persians.
 332 BC - Alexander conquers Egypt. He establishes the new capital of Egypt at
Alexandria. Over the next several years Alexander would greatly expand his empire,
conquering much of Persia on the way to India.

Greek Hellenistic Period (323 BC - 146 BC)

 323 BC - The Hellenistic period begins when Alexander the Great dies. The Ancient
Greek civilization begins its decline and the Ancient Romans start to gain power.
 300 BC - Euclid, a Greek mathematician, writes Elements. This famous writing will have
an impact on mathematics for years to come.
 146 BC - Rome conquers Greece making it part of the Roman Empire.
  EGYPT

Ancient Egypt was one of the oldest and longest lasting world civilizations. It was located along
the Nile River in the northeast part of Africa and lasted for over three thousand years. Historians
generally use two ways to outline the history of Ancient Egypt:

1. Dynasties: The first is by using the different dynasties that ruled Egypt. These are the families
that had power and passed the leadership of Pharaoh down from one family member to another.
Counting the Ptolemaic Dynasty set up by the Greeks, there were over 30 dynasties that ruled
Ancient Egypt. This sounds like a lot at first, but remember this was over the course of 3000
years.

2. Kingdoms and Periods: There are also three primary kingdoms that historians use to define
periods of Ancient Egypt. After each kingdom there is an "intermediate" period. The three
kingdoms were the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.

Here is a brief outline of the timeline of the Ancient Egyptian civilization showing the
Kingdoms, periods, and dynasties:

Early Dynastic Period (2950 -2575 BC) - Dynasties I-III

The Ancient Egyptian civilization begins. The first Pharaoh of Egypt, Menes, united the Upper
and Lower parts of Egypt into a single civilization. He put the capitol at the midpoint of the two
lands in a city called Memphis. During this time the Egyptians developed hieroglyphic writing
which would be important for making records and running the government.

Near the end of the Dynastic Period and the start of the Old Kingdom, the first pyramid is built
by the Pharoah Djoser and the famous Egyptian Architect Imhotep.

Old Kingdom (2575-2150 BC) - Dynasties IV-VIII

The fourth dynasty begins and the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are built. This is often
called the Age of the Pyramids. The fourth dynasty is a time of peace and also a time when the
sun god Re became prominent in the Egyptian religion.

The Old Kingdom nears its end as the 7th and 8th dynasties are weak and the government begins
to collapse. The end of the Old Kingdom is a time of poverty and famine.

First Intermediate Period (2150-1975 BC) Dynasties IX-XI

Egypt splits back into two countries. The Old Kingdom ends and the first Intermediate period
begins.
Middle Kingdom (1975-1640 BC) Dynasties XI-XIV

The Pharaoh Mentuhotep II reunites the two parts of Egypt under one rule signaling the start of
the Middle Kingdom. The royal tombs are moved to the north near the city of Memphis. The
Egyptians start to use irrigation to carry water from the Nile to their crops.

Second Intermediate Period (1640-1520 BC) Dynasties XV-XVII

The Middle Kingdom ends and the Second Intermediate Period begins. Some of the dynasties at
the end of the middle kingdom and during this period only last for a short time. The horse and
chariot are introduced during this period.

 New Kingdom (1520-1075 BC) Dynasties XVIII-XX

The New Kingdom is the time of greatest prosperity for the Ancient Egyptian
civilization. During this time the Pharaohs conquer the most lands and the Egyptian
Empire reaches its peak.

1520 B.C. - Amhose I reunites the kingdom and the New Kingdom begins.

1506 B.C. - Tuthmosis I becomes Pharaoh. He is the first to be buried in the Valley of the
Kings. For the next 500 years this will be the main burial area for the royalty of Egypt.

1479 B.C. - Hatshepsut becomes Pharaoh. She is one of the most successful woman
pharaohs and rules for 22 years.

1386 B.C. - Amenhotep III becomes Pharaoh. Under his reign the Egyptian civilization
would reach its peak in prosperity, power, and art. He builds the Temple of Luxor.

1352 B.C. - Akhenaten changed the Egyptian religion to worship a single god. This was a
major change of life. It only lasted for his rule, however, as his son Tutankhamun would
change the religion back to the old ways.

1279 B.C. - Rameses II becomes Pharaoh. He would rule for 67 years and build many
monuments.

Third Intermediate Period (1075 - 653 BC) Dynasties XXI-XXIV

The New Kingdom comes to end when Egypt becomes divided. Third Intermediate
Period begins. Egypt grows weaker and is eventually conquered by the Assyrian
Empire near the end of this period.

Late Period (653 - 332 BC) Dynasties XXV-XXX

 The late period begins as the Assyrians leave Egypt and the locals regain control from
vassals left by the Assyrians.

525 B.C. - The Persians conquer Egypt and rule for over 100 years.

332 B.C. - Alexander the Great and the Greeks conquer Egypt. He founds the great city
of Alexandria.

Ptolemaic dynasty

305 B.C. - Ptolemy I becomes Pharaoh and the Ptolemic period begins. Alexandria
becomes the new capital.

30 B.C. - The last Pharaoh, Cleopatra VII, dies.

 CHINA

Most of Chinese history can be divided up into a series of dynasties from the start of the Xia
dynasty in 2205 BCE to the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912 CE. You can go here to learn more
about Ancient China.

BCE

Xia Dynasty (2205 to 1575)

Shang Dynasty (1570 to 1045)

Zhou Dynasty (1045 to 256)

 771 - Start of the Spring and Autumn Period and the rise if the Eastern Zhou.
 551 - The Chinese philosopher Confucius is born. His thoughts and ideas will have a
great impact on the culture of China.

Qin Dynasty ( 221 to 206)

 221 - The first emperor of China, Emperor Qin, unites all of China under one rule.

 220 - Construction on the Great Wall of China begins in an effort to keep out the
Mongols.
 210 - Emperor Qin dies and is buried with the Terra Cotta Army.

Han Dynasty (206 BCE to 220 CE)

  207 - The Chinese Civil Service is established to help run the government.
 104 - The Chinese Calendar is defined.

CE

 105 - Paper is invented by Cai Lun.

 208 - The Battle of Red Cliffs occurs.

Six Dynasties (222 to 581)

 250 - The religion of Buddhism is introduced. It will become one of the three main
religions of China.

Sui Dynasty (589 to 618)

 609 - The Grand Canal is finished.

Tang Dynasty (618 to 907)

 868 - The first use of wood block printing to print a book.

Five Dynasties (907 to 960)

Song Dynasty (960 to 1279)

 1044 - Gunpowder is invented. It is first used for fireworks.

 1088 - The Chinese invent the magnetic compass.
 1200 - The Mongol tribes are united under Genghis Khan. He begins his conquest of
northern China.

Yuan Dynasty (1279 to 1368)

 1279 - Mongol leader Kublai Khan defeats the Chinese and takes control of the land. He
forms his own dynasty called the Yuan dynasty.

Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644)

 1405 - Explorer Zheng He makes his first journey to India and Africa. The construction
on the Forbidden City begins.
 1420 - Beijing is made capital of China.
 1517 - The Portuguese arrive and establish trade with China.
Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912)

 1900 - The Boxer Rebellion occurs with violence against foreigners and Christians.
International forces intervene.
 1908 - Puyi becomes the last Emperor of China at the age of 2.
 1910 - Slavery is abolished in China.
 1911 - The Qing dynasty is overthrown by the Xinhai Revolution.

Republican Era (1912 to 1949)

 1912 - Revolutionary Sun Yat-sen becomes the first President of the Republic of China.
 1912 - China adopts the Gregorian Calendar.
 1917 - China joins World War I and declares war on Germany.
 1927 - The Ten Years Civil War occurs between the Kuomintang nationalists, led by
Chiang Kai-shek, and the communist party, led by Mao Zedong.
 1928 - Chiang Kai-shek becomes the Chairman of the National Government of China.
 1934 - Mao Zedong leads his people on a retreat across China called the Long March.
 1937 - China is invaded by Japan. Japan captures several important cities including
Beijing.
 1941 - Japan attacks the United States at Pearl Harbor. China is now on the side of the
Allies in World War II.
 1945 - World War II comes to an end and Japan is defeated. The Civil War between the
communists and the nationalists resumes

 1949 - The communists win the war and the People's Republic of China is formed
by Mao Zedong.
 1949 - The nationalists flee to Taiwan and set up their government.
 1958 - Beginning of the "Great Leap Forward." The plan fails and millions starve to
death.
 1964 - China develops a nuclear bomb.
 1966 - Mao begins his "Cultural Revolution" in which over one million people are killed.
 1972 - President Richard Nixon visits China.
 1974 - The Terra Cotta Warriors are discovered.
 1984 - The communist party allows for economic reforms with less government
involvement in business.
 1997 - The United Kingdom hands over control of Hong Kong to China.
 2006 - The Three Gorges Dam is completed.
 2008 - The summer Olympics are held in Biejing.
 2010 - China becomes the world's second largest economy behind the United States.
  MIDDLE AGES (EUROPE AT MIDDLE EASTERN OF ASIA)

The Middle Ages, or Medieval Times, in Europe was a long period of history from 500 AD to
1500 AD. That's 1000 years! It covers the time from the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of
the Ottoman Empire.

This was a time of castles and peasants, guilds and monasteries, cathedrals and crusades. Great
leaders such as Joan of Arc and Charlemagne were part of the Middle Ages as well as major
events such as the Black Plague and the rise of Islam.
When people use the terms Medieval Times, Middle Ages, and Dark Ages they are generally
referring to the same period of time. The Dark Ages is usually referring to the first half of the
Middle Ages from 500 to 1000 AD.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, a lot of the Roman culture and knowledge was lost. This
included art, technology, engineering, and history. Historians know a lot about Europe during the
Roman Empire because the Romans kept excellent records of all that happened. However, the
time after the Romans is "dark" to historians because there was no central government recording
events. This is why historians call this time the Dark Ages.

Although the term Middle Ages covers the years between 500 and 1500 throughout the world,
this timeline is based on events specifically in Europe during that time. Go here to learn about
the Islamic Empire during the Middle Ages.

Timeline

 476 - The fall of the Roman Empire. Rome had ruled much of Europe. Now much of the
land would fall into confusion as local kings and rulers tried to grab power. This is the
start of the Dark Ages or the Middle Ages.
 481 - Clovis becomes King of the Franks. Clovis united most of the Frankish tribes that
were part of Roman Province of Gaul.
 570 - Muhammad, prophet of Islam is born.
 732 - Battle of Tours. The Franks defeat the Muslims turning back Islam from Europe.
 800 - Charlemagne, King of the Franks, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne
united much of Western Europe and is considered the father of both the French and the
German Monarchies.
 835 - Vikings from the Scandinavian lands (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) begin to
invade northern Europe. They would continue until 1042.
 896 - Alfred the Great, King of England, turns back the Viking invaders.
 1066 - William of Normandy, a French Duke, conquers England in the Battle of
Hastings. He became King of England and changed the country forever.
 1096 - Start of the First Crusade. The Crusades were wars between the Holy Roman
Empire and the Muslims over the Holy Land. There would be several Crusades over the
next 200 years.
 1189 - Richard I, Richard the Lionheart, becomes King of England.
 1206 - The Mongol Empire is founded by Genghis Khan.
 1215 - King John of England signs the Magna Carta. This document gave the people
some rights and said the king was not above the law.
 1271 - Marco Polo leaves on his famous journey to explore Asia.
 1337 - The Hundred Years War begins between England and France for control of the
French throne.
 1347 - The Black Death begins in Europe. This horrible disease would kill around half of
the people in Europe.
 1431 - French heroine Joan of Arc is executed by England at the age of 19.
 1444 - German inventor Johannes Gutenberg invents the printing press. This will signal
the start of the Renaissance.
 1453 - The Ottoman Empire captures the city of Constantinople. This signals the end of
the Eastern Roman Empire also known as Byzantium.
 1482 - Leonardo Da Vinci paints "The Last Supper."