500,000 BC

Discovery of Fire
The Ancient Greeks believed that fire was a gift of one of the Titans, Promotheus, to the
humans. According to Greek myths, Prometheus was punished by the gods for releasing
the secret of fire to men.
This myth, along with many other stories and customs, shows how much importance
ancient people attached to their control of fire.
The discovery of fire was essential to the spread of civilization. Through the use of fire,
people were able to move into colder climates that were previously too inhospitable for
them. This sped up the movement of early humans across the world.

Promotheus, the fire god.


8,000 BC
Cultivation of Grains
People start to grow crops along River Nile in Egypt,
River Tigris, and Euphrates in Mesopotamia. The basic
grains grown were wheat, rice, rye, oats, millet, and
barley.
Farming developed in the Middle East at around 6500
BC. The first known farming town was Jericho.
The period from 8,000 B.C. to 1850 AD was known as
the Age of Agriculture.

Jericho, first farming town in the world.



Wheat--one of the main staple crops
in the world.
Rice cultivation.

7,000 BC
Early Use of Pottery
People started using clay pots for storing food and
drinks.

Drinking cup with squarish mouth. Found in the Cave of Ponte di Vara,
Savona, Liguria. (3800 - 3500 BC)

Neolithic Grinder



Vase from Sesklo, Greece, dating back to 5300
- 3800 BC
6,000 BC
Early use of linen
The fibres of plants and the fleece of
sheep and goats were used to make
clothing. Linen cloth has been found in
Egyptian tombs, used to wrap up
mummies.

Paracas Llama Wool Cloth for Wrapping
a Mummy
Invention of Bricks
People in Egypt and Mesopotamia made
bricks from clay to build houses.


Brick houses in Mardin, Turkey,
overlooking the Mesopotamian Plain



5,000 BC
Mesopotamian Civilization
Often called "the cradle of civilization"
, it is believed to have been the oldest
of the ancient civilizations. The
Mesopotamian Civilization was located
near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
There were many significant
developments during this period, like
the development of agriculture, the
appearance of the earliest known
written language and codified laws and
the advancement of commerce and
sciences such as astronomy and
mathematics. They also developed the
world's first known calendars and
cities.
Development of Irrigation
People started digging ditches to water
crops. This originated in Mesopotamia
and Egypt.
Cultivation of Maize
The farming of maize was started by
the inhabitants of Mexico.
Early Use of Copper
The Egyptians, Sumerians, and
American Indians were among the
early users of copper. The ancient
Romans named copper after their
island Cyprus, where they found the
metal.




A ziggurat, a type of temple structure

Babylon, a Mesopotamian city

Irrigation system in Sacsahuam,
Peru

Copper Arrowhead
4,000 BC
Development of Plowing
Wooden ploughs were first used by
farmers to dig into soil, using the
pointed ends. The farmers hold these
ploughs by its two handles.

Man plowing soil with help of oxen.
Note how man holds plough by its two
handles.











An early plow

3,500 BC
Carts with wheels
The ancient Sumerians were among the
first to use wagons to carry goods and
people. Solid wooden wheels were
attached to carts, creating vehicles for
transporting people, hauling goods and
war weapons.
Formation of number system
The ancient Sumerians invented the
number system to count, measure land
and to keep records of costs and prices.
Era of River Valley Civilizations (3500
BC to 1500 BC)










slege on roller, which has become
grooved with use.

wheels and axle in one piece, the
axle fixed by pegs

wheels joined to axle, axle fixed into
The first civilizations all appeared in
the valleys of rivers: Egypt along the
Nile, the Mesopotamian city states
along the Tigris and Euphrates, early
India along the Indus River and early
China along the Yellow River. This is
because these ancient communities
needed a reliable water supply,
whether for the annual flooding of
crops or for crop irrigation.

crude bearing
3,100 BC
Development of Writing
The ancient Sumerians were among the
first to use wagons to carry goods and
people. Solid wooden wheels were
attached to carts, creating vehicles for
transporting people, hauling goods and
war weapons.

The alphabet in Egyptian hieroglyphs











Cuneiform inscriptions on a stone
tablet
Inscriptions in hieroglyphs
3,000 BC
The First Clothes
The first clothed clothing was made by
the Egyptians.

The Romans treated fashion very
seriously, as the appearance of a
person gave him dignity. Wearing the
wrong types of clothing often resulted
in severe criticism, especially for the
women.











The Japanese developed a technique
of woving patterns and design into
their clothing in the 3rd century BC.
The above is an example of a
Japanese brocade.

Egyptian women wore long, tight
skirts of pleated linen, while the men
wore short skirts.





2,800 BC
Development of the Calender
The calender was invented by the
Mesopotamians. The year was divided into
12 months, based on the cycles of the
moon and the sun. Every 4 years, there
was an extra month inserted to make up
for the difference from the seasonal year.
The Greeks and Egyptians copied this
calender, with the Egyptians finally
inventing one almost exactly the same later
on.












Calender stone from Central Mexico, leftover from
the Mesoamerican civilization. The Sun God is the
figure in the center.


2,550 BC
Construction of the Great
Pyramids
This period includes the 3rd to
the 6th dynasty of Egypt. The
first pharaoh, or king, of the Old
Kingdom, was Zoser.


The Step Pyramid was the first
pyramid built in Egypt and the
burial grounds for Pharaoh
Zoser. It was the first
monument built of cut stone
instead of bricks from sun-dried
mud and was the brilliant idea
of the king's advisor Imhotep.














1st Pharaoh of the Old Kingdom --
Zoser
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
2,550 BC
Construction of the Great
Pyramids
During the time of the Old Kingdom in
Egypt, great pyramids were designed
and built. The pharaoh Khufu, his son
Khafre and grandson Menkure ordered
that three pyramids be built at Giza to
serve as their tombs.
During the time of the Old Kingdom in
Egypt, great pyramids were designed
and built. The pharaoh Khufu, his son
Khafre and grandson Menkure ordered
that three pyramids be built at Giza to
serve as their tombs.








The
Pyramids of Giza

Khunfu's Pyramid





2,500 BC
Ancient Libraries
The first library was
probably located in a temple
at the city of Nippur,
Babylonia. A number of
rooms were used to store
clay tablets. Ancient Egypt
and China also had libraries
Invention of Glass
The origins of glass are
unknown, but glass beads
were used in Egypt as early
as 2500 BC. Glass was also
often used in Mesopotamia
and Egypt to adorn furniture
and vessels.
Indus Civilization (2500 BC
to 1500 BC)
The Indus Civilization was
the first Indian civilization
and lasted from 2500 to
1700 B.C. It was located in
the Indus valley along the
Indus River and major city
centers included Mohenjo-
daro and Harappa.













An oxcart used in China more than a thousand
years ago to transport books. Imperial
libraries, which originated as royal archives,
were maintained by the emperors, many of
whom were patrons of literature.

Roman bowl made with ribbon glass
2,400 BC

1. Legend
has it that
there
once was
a man,
Huangdi,
who was
head of
the
Huangdi
tribe.

2. He
subdued
the other
3 tribes
then and
united
them
together.
This
country
was the
origins of
China.
3. His
descenda
nt Xia Yu
formed
the first
dynasty in
China, the
Hsia
Dynasty.

4. But it
was not
until 221
BC when
the first
emperor
appeared
in China.
He was
Qin
Shihuang,
who is
also
known for
building
the Great
Wall.












Xia Yu, the legendary descendant of Huangdi,
founder of the Hsia Dynasty.

2,300 BC
Invention of 'Paper'
In Ancient Egypt, 'paper'
was made from the papyrus
plant. The stalk was first
split, sliced, pressed and
dried into sheets.

Egyptian
paintings
done on
papyrus
'paper'.
This was
not
considere
d to be
real
paper
because
it was
done by
weaving
together
spliced
stalks of
papyrus.
Technical
ly, it is
considere
d to
somethin
g akin to
cloth.














Photograph of the papyrus plant
2,050 B.C.
Middle Kingdom in Egypt
The Middle Kingdom lasted
from 2050 to 1800 B.C. It
was ruled by the 11th and
12th dynasties with its
capital at Thebes. One of the
greatest achievements
during this time was the
Temple of Amen at El
Karnak, the largest known
temple that was ever built
even up till today. During
this time, the Nile river was

Polychrome
glass cosmetic vessel, found at Tell al-
Amarna, Egypt, dating from 1370 BC.
also greatly used for
trading. They also used
irrigation systems to aid in
farming.



Egyptian
temple at El
Karnak,
dedicated
to Amun

1,570 B.C.
New Kingdom in Egypt
After Egypt's Second
Intermediate period from
1800 to 1570 BC, the New
Kingdom was established.
This Kingdom lasted until
only 1090 BC. Its capital
was at Thebes, although
various rulers moved the
capital to El Amarna and
Memphis. Egypt experienced
the greatest expansion of its
lands during this period.
Using new warfare
techniques, the Egyptians
conquered surrounding
lands and war captives, who
became slaves, were used to
build new cities and
temples.


Arrowheads the Egyptians Used

Farming Along the Nile



1,550 B.C.
Shang Dynasty
(China)
This was the first dynasty in
China which had
archaelogical evidence in
the form of bones and
shells where pictographs
(which later developed into
Chinese) were carved onto
them. The Shang people
had advanced brozne-
making techniques. They
claimed to be the
descendants of the Hsia
dynasty, but this period
remains, to this date, only
a legend as not enough
evidence has been found to
prove its existence.

Archaelogists hard at work,
excavating artifacts



Tortoise shell with pictographic
words. The cracks on them were
used to prophecize the future.

1,500 B.C.
Vedas
The Vedas is a collection of Hindu hymns written in
Sanskrit. It set the principles for one of the world's
oldest religions - Hinduism. Rig Veda was the first
work in this collection, consisting of 1,028 hymns
dedicated to the gods.

A hymn written in Sanskrit



Sanskrit Text
1,200 B.C.
Formation of Indian Civilization (1200
BC - 500 BC)
Today's India is not the descendant of
ancient Indus Valley societies. A
civilization grew up along the banks of
the Indus River, starting as early as
7000 BC. By 2500 BC the civilization of
the Indus Valley was as advanced in
its own way as those of Mesopotamia
and Egypt. Then, in about 1500 BC,
invaders came from the north. These
invaders were called Aryans. They
scattered or destroyed the cultures of
the Indus Valley and otherwise found
nearly all the rest of India easily open
to subjugation. It was after the Aryan
conquest that the complex and colorful
Hindu civilization was created. The


Agni, the Vedic God of fire
Aryans did not unify India politically,
although they did so culturally. By 500
BC the Aryans had established
numerous monarchies in northern
India. The Aryan conquerors and their
descendants produced the remarkable
literature of Hinduism, beginning with
the Vedas. The Aryans and their
descendants designed the rigid caste
structure with which India has lived
for so many centuries.

1,122 B.C.
Zhou Dynasty (China)
The Zhou dynasty ruled China for
about 900 years and was one of the
turning points in Chinese
civilization.China became one of the
most advanced societies during this
time, and their bronze-making
techniques reached a peak.

Span of the Zhou empire

Bronze vessels used in rituals



Pendant decorated with Kui
dragonsns
1,100 B.C.
The Age of Greece (1100 BC - 323
BC)
The beginnings of Greece was in the
form of the Minoan culture, named
after the legendary King Minos, on the
island of Crete. From here, this great
civilization spread to the rest of
Europe, resulting in what we term the
Greek civilization today.
Era of Mesoamerican
Civilization (1100 BC - 1492 AD)
The Mesoamerican civilization included
the settlements in America and Mexico
and they were distinguished by a well-
developed system of Precolumbian
writing. Their civilization arose much
later than those in the Middle EastThe
earliest known Mesoamericans were
the Olmecs of Central Mexico, who
lived in humid lowlands of the present
Veracruz and Tabasco states from
about 1200B.C.



The Statue of Zeus

Mesoamerican Figure
776 B.C.
The Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games originated
in Greece, where it was an ancient
athelete contest. It was supposedly
started at Olympia, named after Mount
Olympus, the home of the Greek gods.
The first Olympic games were initially
dedicated to Zeus, the king of all gods.



An ancient Discus thrower
The symbol for the Olypmic games
today. The five rings represent the five
major continents, and at least one
colour is on every nation's flag. Based
on a design by Baron Pierre de
Coubertin. First flown in Belgium,
Antwerp in 1920.

40,000 people flocked to the Games
every year, which went on even during
wartime--truces were simply declared!


Scene of the torch lighting relay.
The aim was to light the altar of
the deity. This event is still
maintained in today's Olympic
games and is a prerequisite to the
start of the Olympic Games.
753 B.C.
Founding of Rome
Romulus and Remus, who were twin
sons of Mars, the god of war, and Rhea
Silvia, a human were ordered to be
drowned at birth by the wicked King
Amulius. But they were rescued by a
mother wolf and brought up by her.
Years later, they returned and killed
Amulius. But over a dispute over a
sacred ceremony, Romulus killed
Remus, thus becoming king of Rome.

Romulus and Remus together with
their mother wolf


Rome was heavily influenced by
other cultures, one of which was
the Greeks. This monument (top),
dedicated to the Emperor
Augustus, has a design similar to
the Greek temple, the Parthenon.
(below)


Wall carving depicting daily Roman
life.


700 B.C.

First aqueduct

The Pond du Gard, in Nimes, France.
built in 19 BC. A roman aqueduct 160
feet high.
This structure was created to transport
water from distant sources to
urbanized areas. One of the first
known aqueducts was constructed by
Assyrian King Sennacherib in about
691 BC for the capital city of Nineveh.
The Romans were acknowledged to be
the ancient world's leading builder of
aqueducts.


Each different Greek city had its
own set of coinage. The Greeks
depicted their gods, animals or
even their heroes on coins, with
the most popular animal being the
owl. Later on, they also starting
having their rulers' faces on coins.
First Coins
King of Lydia, ancient king of Greece,
was the first monarch to advocate the
use of coins to trade.


600 B.C.
Birth of Taoism
Until the arrival of Buddhism in China,
Taoism was the chief religious and
philosophical system of the everyday
population. Basis of Taoism is ascribed
to a mysterious teacher, Lao-tzu, who
supposedly wrote the basic text, also
known as the 'Lao-Tzu' or 'Tao-te
Ching'.

Birth of Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism was a major religion in
ancient Persia, supposedly founded in
the 7th century BC by a legendary man
named Zoroaster, or Zarathustra. It
was the official religion of the Sassanid
Empire in Persia from the 3rd to 7th
centuries AD. With the rise of Islam in
Persia in the 7th century, most
Zoroastrians were persecuted and they
fled to India. The religion survives


Zoraster, founder of
Zoroastrianism
today under the name of Parsiism.

594 B.C.
Laws of Solon
The founding of Greek democracy in
ancient Athens is credited to a
lawgiver named Solon, who lived from
the late 7th to the early 6th century
BC. He put an end to the wealthy
aristocrats' complete control of the
government and advocated that
control of the government be shared
among the people. He divided society
into four classes and instituted
economic and political reforms. He also
cancelled debts and freed people
imprisoned for debt.



Solon, founder of democracy
575 B.C.
Creation of the caste system (India)
The caste system was a social division
system in India and contained 4
classes.
a)the priest (brahmans) - white colour
b)the warrior (kshatriyas) - red colour
c)the peasant (vaishya) - brown
colour; included traders and merchants
where trade was not considered an
impure activity
d)serf (shudra) - black colour;
included dasas and the artisans. They
were despised because of their contact
with the elements and were not
allowed to hear or study the Vedas.
The serfs included many of the native
people, the dasas, who were very
skilled artisans and those Aryans who


Indian Warriors!
had intermarried. A person is born into
a caste and according to Hinduism, the
only way to move up in the caste
system in the next lifetime is to do
good in the present one. Professions
are heriditary in the caste system and
reflect a division of labour. The caste
system also has taboos on
commensality (eating together) as
well as marriage limits; one can only
marry within one's own caste.


563 B.C.
Birth of Buddhism

Statue of Buddha, at Dunhuang, China
This religion was founded in India in
6th century BC by a Hindu prince
named Siddhartha Gautama who
rejected wealth and instead turned to
meditation. As a result, he achieved a
spiritual awakening and became
Buddha.


A descendant of the Bo tree that
Buddha meditated under.

The Dhamekh Stupa. It is believed that
Buddha first preached his sermon
here.

550 B.C.
Beginnings of classical Greek
philosophy
The first Greek philosopher was
Thales, a native of Miletus in Asia
Minor in the 7th and 6th centuries
BC.He tried to explain the world
through natural causes instead of
blaming everything on supernatural
means. He believed water was the
fundamental element of matter. The
greatest of the Greek philosophers
were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
Jainism
Vardhamana Mahavira founded
Jainism, one of India's major religions,
in the 6th century BC. The movement
began as a protest against Vedic
Hinduism, the orthodoxy of the Indian
era.
Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great
King Cyrus II, known as Cyrus welded
the Medes and the Persian tribes into a
single Persian, or Achaemenid, empire
in the middle of the 6th century BC the
Great.


Socrates, the famous Greek
philosophe

King Cyrus

525 B.C.
Early Tragedy and Comedy
Western theatre tradition originated in
Greece. They were initially in the form
of celebratory songs and dances in
honor of Dionysus, the Greek god of
wine and merrymaking. These later
evolved into the earliest plays.
Eventually, there grew to be a religious
festival known as the Dionysia, where
playwrights would submit their plays
for competition. The best entries
received prizes, and their writers were
honoured like athletes or soldiers.

Roman theatre was developed on the
basis of Greek theatre.



Souvenirs of the Greek theatre

510 B.C.
First World Map
The first known world map was drawn
by Greek mapmaker Hecateus.

These 2 maps were the work of
Hecateus, and shows what the Greeks
thought the world looked like then.




509 B.C.
Rome becomes a republic.
After countless wars with the different
Greek city states, Rome finally became
a republic when Lucius Lunius Brutus
drove out the last Etruscan king from
the city in 509 BC. The republic formed
consisted of a Senate, and the nobles
and aristocracy elected two
representatives, the consuls, annually,
to rule Rome. This system of
government would last for the next
500 years.


Julius Caesar, the Roman general
who united Rome when it fell into
disorder and became a dictator in 4
BC. That was the end of the
Roman republic and the beginning
of the Roman empire.

Roman soldiers


500 B.C.
Early abacus
It was probably invented in ancient
Babylon; from there it spread to
ancient Egypt, China, and the Indus
River valley before making its way to
the ancient Greek and Roman world.
The abacus's usage was known in
Egypt as early as 500 BC. The first
abacus was said to be just a tray,
covered with dust or sand on which.
figures or tally marks could be made.
Another saying about the abacus was
that it was invented by the Chinese
and the timing is also the same; at 500
BC. Historians are not sure yet about
who is the actual inventer, particularly
as they've not managed to find any
Babylonian or Egyptian abacus that
have survived through the ages.



A picture of the modern day
Chinese abacus. It is made up of a
rod diving two rows of beads; the
upper row contains 2 beads, each
representing 5; the lower rows
contains 5 beads, each
representing 1. Using the abacus,
addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division of
numbers can be done and it is still
used today in many Asian
countries.
499 B.C.
Persian wars (499 BC - 479 BC)
In the early decades of the 5th century
BC, Persia launched two major
invasions against the Greek city-
states. The most intense series of
conflicts lasted about 100 years, from
546 to 448 BC.

The Persian soldier usually fought on
foot. Their first charge including firing
a round of arrows at their enemies
from behind a shield. Most enemies
died from this before they could fight
with the Persians! The Persians were
also excellent horsemen.

The Persian horseman was never
without his arrows on a calvary
charge!



The Spartans started military
training from the age of 7. Their
living conditions were so bad and
they were given so little food that
boys were encouraged to steal
food. Those who were caught were
punished severely; not for stealing,
but for getting caught!
460 B.C.
Age of Pericles (460 BC - 430 BC)
This was the golden age of ancient
Athens. One lasting achievement was
the construction of architectual
masterpiece Acropolis, on a plateau in
the city. The most distinctive building
was the Parthenon.

The Parthenon, built for Athena,
Goddess of war and wisdom and
protector of the city.

The Acropolis, a complex of temples
built to honour the gods.



Pericles, the renowned Greek
philosopher
440 B.C.
First atomic theory
The notion that all matter consists of
fundamental particles called atoms
was first put forward by Greek
philosophers Leucippus and his
disciple Democritus, in 5th century BC.
They believed that all matter consisted
of tiny particles that could no longer be
broken down. 'Atom' in Greek means
indivisible.However, the other Greek
philosophers did not subscribe to these
beliefs; instead, they thought that
matter was made up of four elements,
air, water, fire and earth.



Democritus was responsible for
further developing the atomic
theory formed by Leucippus.
438 B.C.
Construction of the Parthenon
This temple was dedicated to the
Greek goddess of war and wisdom,
Athena, also known as Athena
Parthenos (Athena the Virgin).

Construction of the Parthenon. But
now, it lies in ruins...



350 B.C.
Building of Roads
Rome was the first empire to build
roads to facilitate the transportation of
goods in trade. The oldest road was
Via Appia, which connected Rome to
the other cities. It was built in 312 BC.
The Roman road system ran for more
than 85,000 km from Persia to Spain.




221 B.C.
Ch'in Empire (China) (221 - 206 BC)
This was the dynasty that gave China
its name. Its ruled lasted for only 15
years. It was named after the state of
Ch'in, the strongest of the 7 city states
left after the dissolution of the Zhou
dynasty. The ruler of the Ch'in empire
was Shih Huang Ti, and he was the
first ruler in China to call himself an
emperor.


Warrior in a standing position

The Groom with the chariot

The General (left) and Robed Warrior
(right) during the Ch'in Dynasty.

214 B.C.
Great Wall In China
Although sections of the wall had
already started construction in the 4th
century BC, the wall was joined
together in the beginning of 214 BC
under reign of Emperor Shih Huang Ti
to form a wall surrouding China. This
became the Great Wall. It was actually
intended to be a massive fortification
to keep out invaders such as the
Hsiung-nu, possibly ancestors of the
Huns, who terrorized the Chinese and
constantly tried to invade their lands.




70 B.C.
Use of Water Wheels
The Romans used water-wheels to
grind grain and crush olives for use in
the manufacture of oil. These paddle
wheels turned with the horizontal
movement of water currents and were
used to help do work.




51 B.C.
Rule of Cleopatra in Egypt (51 BC - 30
BC)
Cleopatra was the daughter of
Egyptian King Ptolemy XII. She was
one of the most fascinating women of
all time. She had great intelligence and
beauty and used both to further
Egypt's political aims. Julius Caesar,
the Roman general, had a son with her
while he stayed in Egypt for two years.
Mark Anthony was her husband. When
he lost in the power struggle for the
control of Rome to Octavia, she
commited suicide rather than see
Egypt be taken over by Octavia. She
was thus the last independent ruler of
ancient Egypt.

This was how Cleopatra looked like.
Compare them to the Hollywood movie
actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was
acting out her role. What do you think
of them?




4 B.C.
Birth of Jesus
Jesus Christ, in the religion of
Christianity, is the son of God, who
was born to Virgin Mary on earth. His
coming was to be the saviour of men
and he was born in a manger one night
as the inn his mother in was too full
and had no rooms to let out. 3
shephards out in the fields met an
angel, who informed them of this birth
so they went to Bethlehem and indeed
found that Jesus had been born. Jesus
preached for three years on earth,
explaining how one could reach
heaven.

Jesus was born in a manger. Here we
also see the 3 wise men



Jesus Christ was the son of God,
whose purpose in descending to
earth was to teach the people the
ways of God.