The Timeline of Bread

About 10,000 B.C., man first started eating a crude form of flat bread - a baked combination of flour and water.

Ancient Egyptians are believed to be the first to have baked leavened (raised) bread. About 3,000 B.C., they started
fermenting a flour and water mixture by using wild yeast which was present in the air. Since wheat is the only grain with
sufficient gluten content to make a raised or leavened loaf of bread, wheat quickly became favored over other grains
grown at the time, such as oats, millet, rice, and barley. The workers who built the pyramids in Egypt were paid in bread.

The Egyptians also developed ovens in which several loaves of bread could be baked at the same time. Bread for the rich
was made from wheat flour, bread for those who weren't wealthy was made from barley, and bread for the poor was
made from sorghum.

In 150 B.C., the first bakers' guilds were formed in Rome. Wealthy Romans insisted on the more exclusive and expensive
white bread. Roman bakeries produced a variety of breads and distributed free bread to the poor in times of need.

In 1202 A.D., England adopted laws to regulate the price of bread and limit bakers' profits. Many bakers were prosecuted
for selling loaves that did not conform to the weights required by local laws. As a result of the bread trials in England in
1266, bakers were ordered to mark each loaf of bread so if a non-conforming loaf turned up, the baker could be found.
The bakers' marks were among the first trademarks.

Even though the Egyptians and Romans and later bakers made leavened bread, it was not until the 1800's that yeast was
identified as a plant-like organism. Yeast converts carbohydrates into alcohol, producing carbon dioxide in the process,
which is a leavening gas.

By the 1850's, the United States had 2,017 bakeries, employing over 6,700 workers.

The 1928 invention and introduction of the commercial bread slicer was soon followed by the introduction of the
automatic toaster. Toast consumption increased as a result of both inventions. However, in 1943, the U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture banned the sale of sliced bread in an effort to hold down prices during an era of wartime rationing.

In the late 1930's and early 1940's, bread was chosen as the foundation for a diet enrichment program in the United
States. Diseases such as pellagra, beriberi, and anemia had become widespread. These diseases were associated with a
lack of B-vitamins and iron. Since bread was a daily food item for most Americans, even those with poor diets, specific
amounts of iron, thiamin, niacin, and riboflavin were added to white flour. This enrichment program was a major factor
in the elimination of pellagra and beriberi in the United States, as well as in reducing anemia among Americans. In 1998,
folic acid, a key nutrient in the prevention of serious birth defects, was added to all enriched grain foods, including bread.

In 1910, Americans were each eating about 210 pounds of wheat flour each year. That dropped to an all-time low of 110
pounds in 1971 but has steadily increased since then. In 1997, American wheat flour consumption per person reached
150 pounds. In contrast, Egyptians each eat about 385 pounds of wheat each year.

Wheat is primarily made up of complex carbohydrates which provide a source of time-released energy. Since 1990, the
U.S. Dietary Guidelines have recommended that Americans eat 6 to 11 servings of bread and other grain foods every day.

Timeline of Roman Empire

753 Rome is founded

BC
Rome was founded by Romulus. Romulus was the first of the seven Roman kings.
The original name of Rome was Roma.

509 Rome becomes a Republic

BC
The last king is expelled and Rome is now ruled by senators. There is a constitution
with laws and Rome becomes a complex republican government.

218 Hannibal invades Italy

BC
Hannibal leads the Carthage army to attack Italy. This becomes part of the Second
Punic War.

45 Julius Caesar becomes the first dictator of Rome

BC
Julius Caesar defeats Pompey in a civil war. He becomes the supreme ruler of
Rome. This is the end of the Roman Republic. He hires Sosigenes, an Egyptian
astronomer, to work out a new 12 month calendar.

44 Julius Caesar is assassinated

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 instead.
 27 Roman Empire begins
BC
Octavius appoints himself "Augustus", which means the first emperor.

64 Much of Rome burns

Nero set fire to Rome and blames the Christians for it.

80 Colosseum is built

The Colosseum was built in 80 AD. The completion of the Colosseum was
celebrated with 100 days of games. The Romans invade Scotland.

122 Hadrian Wall is built

The Hadrian Wall was built in 122 AD. It was a long wall built across northern
England in an effort to keep the barbarians out.

306 Constantine becomes Emperor in 306 AD

Rome becomes a Christian empire. Before this, Rome persecuted the Christians.
Constantius dies. His son Constantine is the new vice-emperor of Galerius.

380 Christianity

Theodosius I proclaims Christianity as the sole religion of the Roman Empire in 380
AD.

395 Rome splits

In 395 AD, Rome split into two empires - the Western Roman Empire and the
Eastern Roman Empire. Each side had a ruler in charge of it. The Roman Empire
was split by Theodosius.

410 The Visigoths sack Rome

This was the first time in 800 years that the city of Rome has fallen to an enemy. It
was a huge uproar.

476 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 is the start of the Dark Ages in Europe.

1453 The Byzantine Empire ends

The Byzantine Empire comes to an end as it falls to the Ottoman Empire. The
Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople in 1453 A.D. It is renamed Istanbul in
1930.

Timeline of greece

NEOLITHIC PERIOD (6000 - 2900 BC)

According to historians and archeological findings, the Neolithic Age in Greece lasted from 6800 to 3200 BC. The most
domesticated settlements were in Near East of Greece. They traveled mainly due to overpopulation. These people
introduced pottery and animal husbandry in Greece. They may as well have traveled via the route of Black sea into Thrace,
which then further leads to Macedonia, Thessaly, Boeotia etc. The second way of traveling into Greece is from one island
to another and such type of colonies has been found in Knossos and Kythnos... more »

EARLY BRONZE AGE (2900 - 2000BC)

The Greek Bronze Age or the Early Helladic Era started around 2800 BC and lasted till 1050 BC in Crete while in the Aegean
islands it started in 3000 BC. The Bronze Age in Greece is divided into periods such as Helladic I, II. The information that is
available today on the Bronze Age in Greece is from the architecture, burial styles and lifestyle. The colonies were made
of 300 to 1000 people... more »

Minoan Art

Minoan Age(2000 - 1400 BC )

Bronze Age civilization, centring on the island of Crete. It was named after the legendary king Minos. It is divided into
three periods: the early Minoan period (c.3000-2200 B.C.), the Middle Minoan period (c.2200-1500 B.C.) and the Late
Minoan period (c.1500-1000 B.C.).

Middle Minoan Crete

The Minoans

The History of The Minoans

Mycenaean Age (600 - 1100 BC)

Period of high cultural achievement, forming the backdrop and basis for subsequent myths of the heroes. It was named
for the kingdom of Mycenae and the archaeological site where fabulous works in gold were unearthed. The Mycenaean
Age was cut short by widespread destruction ushering in the Greek Dark Age.... more »

The Dark Ages (1100 - 750 BC)

- The period between the fall of the Mycenean civilizations and the readoption of writing in the eigth or seventh century
BC. After the Trojan Wars the Mycenaeans went through a period of civil war, the country was weak and a tribe called the
Dorians took over. Some speculate that Dorian invaders from the north with iron weapons laid waste the Mycenaean
culture. Others look to internal dissent, uprising and rebellion, or perhaps some combination.

The Greek Dark Ages

A chapter on the history and culture of the Greek Dark Ages.

The Dorians

one of the three main groups of people of ancient Greece, the others being the Aeolians and the Ionians, who invaded
from the north in the 12th and 11th centuries BC.

Archaic Period (750 - 500 BC)

The Archaic Period in Greece refers to the years between 750 and 480 B.C., more particularly from 620 to 480 B.C. The
age is defined through the development of art at this time, specifically through the style of pottery and sculpture, showing
the specific characteristics that would later be developed into the more naturalistic style of the Classical period. The
Archaic is one of five periods that Ancient Greek history can be divided into; it was preceded by the Dark Ages and followed
by the Classical period. The Archaic period saw advancements in political theory, especially the beginnings of democracy,
as well as in culture and art. The knowledge and use of written language which was lost in the Dark Ages was re-
established.

Classical Period (500-336 BC) - Classical period of ancient Greek history, is fixed between about 500 B. C., when the Greeks
began to come into conflict with the kingdom of Persia to the east, and the death of the Macedonian king and conqueror
Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. In this period Athens reached its greatest political and cultural heights: the full
development of the democratic system of government under the Athenian statesman Pericles; the building of the
Parthenon on the Acropolis; the creation of the tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides; and the founding of the
philosophical schools of Socrates and Plato.

Archaic and Classical Greek History

Hellenistic Period (336-146 BC) - period between the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great and the
establishment of Roman supremacy, in which Greek culture and learning were pre-eminent in the Mediterranean and Asia
Minor. It is called Hellenistic (Greek, Hellas, "Greece") to distinguish it from the Hellenic culture of classical Greece.