Copyright 1996-9 by David W. Koeller. dkoeller@northpark.edu. All rights reserved.

Text copyright 1996-2005 by David W. Koeller. All rights reserved.

Text copyright 1996-2003 by David W. Koeller.  All rights reserved.

 

Foraging Societies: 12,000 to 3,000 BC

• ca. 14,500 BC: Asian migrants cross Bering Land bridge and enter North America
• ca.12,000 BC:  Migrants have made their way all the way to Chile
• 12,000 to 8,000 BC: Ice Age Foraging Peoples
• 8,000 to 6,000 BC: Early Archaic Period
• 6,000 to 3,000 BC: Middle Archaic Period

Settled Agriculture: 5,000 BC

• 5000 BC: Agriculture begins in Mexico.
• 2000 BC: Huastecas and other proto-Maya cultures in Mexico

Early Ceremonial Centers: 2,000 BC to 700 BC

• 2000 BC: Development of the first Peruvian ceremonial centers.
• 1500 BC: Beginnings of Olmec civilization.

Urban Society: 900 BC to AD 400

• 900 BC: Chavins unite Peru.
• 800 BC: Olmecs unite Mesoamerica.
• 400 BC- 1500: Zapotecs (Monte Alban, Mixtla)
• 400 BC- 1000: Nazca coastal culture, western South America
• 300: End of Olmec civilization.

Early Empires: 300-1400

• 31 BC:  First dated Olmec monument, early glyph writing
• 00-300:  Pre-classic Maya
• ca. 50:  Maya leave first written records in Western Hemisphere
• 100:  Sun temple built at Teotihuacan
• 300-600: Teotihuacan (Toltec) empire.
• 217:  Carbon dating of oldest Pueblo roof beam, Southwest
• 300-900:  Classic Maya
• c. 550: Chichen Itza is founded.
• 600-800: Huari and Tiahuanaco empires.
• 642:  Palenque built
• 200-900:  Teotihuacan expands
• 400-1000:  Tiahuanaco empire, Andean South America
• 890:  Maya produce first book in the Americas,
• ca 850-900:  Great Mayan cities of Central America deserted
• 1300: End of Mayan civilization.

Later Empires: 1400-1810

• 1400-1519: Aztec empire.
• 1438-1538: Inca Empire.
• 1519-1810: Spanish Empire

1810-present: Independent National States

• 1810: Venezuela declares independence from Spain.
• 1819: Bolivar becomes president of Gran Columbia.
• 1823: Mexico becomes a republic.
• 1898: Spanish-American War begins.
• 1910: Mexican Revolution
• 1938: Cardenas nationalizes foreign oil companies in Mexico
• 1959: Cuban Revolution
• 1994: Chiapas Rebellion begins

This chronology based on the work of

Richard W. Slatta [Slatta@ncsu.edu]

Professor of History

North Carolina State University

http://courses.ncsu.edu/classes/hi300001/hi215time.htm

Used by permission.

Revised January 2004

Beginnings of Buddhism before 550 BC: The Hindu Background: India Chronology c. 563-483 BC: The Life and Teaching of Sidhartha Gautama, the Buddha: India Chronology c. 273-237 BC: The Reign of Asoka India Chonology c. 150 BC: The Buddhism Canon is reduced to writing 100BC-AD 100: Rise of Mahayana Buddhism Buddhism in China and Japan AD 25: Buddhism introduced to China: Later Han Dynasty 399-414: Fa-hsien travels to India 476-542: T'an-luan is first master of the Pure Land School 538-597: Chih-i organizes the T-ien-t'ai School 574-622: Prince Shotuku, the "founder" of Buddhism in Japan c. 675: Development of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism 868: The oldest printed book in the world: a Chinese translation of the Diamond-Cutter Sutra 1200: Zen Buddhism (Ch'an) introduced to Japan. Japan Chronology

Resources Primary Sources Two Buddhist Texts Secondary Sources

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History of Japan

Early China: 5000-221 BC 5000 - 2700 BC: Yangshao culture 3500-2000 BC: Longsham culture 2205-1818 BC: Xia dynasty 1523-1027 BC: Shang dynasty 1027-771 BC: Zhou dynasty 770-256 BC: Later Zhou 403-221BC: Warring States Period

Early Imperial China: 221 BC-AD 316 221-207 BC: Qin dynasty 206 BC- AD 9: Former Han Dynasty AD 25--220: Later Han dynasty 220-265: Three Kingdoms Period 265-316: Western Qin dynasty

Classical Imperial China 581-618: Sui dynasty 618-907: T'ang dynasty 907-960: Collapse of Central Government 960-1126: Northern Song dynasty 1127-1279: Southern Song dynasty

Later Imperial China 1280-1367: Yuan dynasty 1368-1644: Ming dynasty 1644-1911: Qing (Manchu) dynasty

Post-Imperial China: 1911- 1911-1949: The Republic of China 1949- The People's Republic of China

I. The Apostolic Era: 6 BC- AD 100

• c. 6-4 BC: Birth of Jesus
• c. 48: Paul's Conversion
• 29-69: Christianity spreads to Syria, Asia Minor, and Italy.
• c. 65-95: The Gospels are written.

II. The Early Church: 100-400

• c.100-200: Administrative structure of the Church develops.
• c. 150-c. 230: Clement of Alexandria
• 303: Emperor Diocletian issues his edicts against Christianity
• 312: Emperor Constantine converts to Christianity
• 325: Council of Nicea
• 340-430: Period of the Church Fathers: St. Ambrose, 340-397; St. Jerome, 340-420; St. Augustine, 354-430.
• 394: Emperor Theodosius declares Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

III. Beyond the Roman Empire: 400-1500

• 400-2000: The Church in Germanic Europe

  • 400-1000: Missions to the Germanic Peoples
  • 1000-1400: Forming a Christian Society
  • 1400-1650: Reforming the Church
  • 1600-2000: The Secularization of Society
  
  

• 400-2000: The Church in Eastern Europe

  • 400-1400: The Church in the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium)
    • 1054: Great Schism between Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches
    • 1204: Constantinople captured in Fourth Crusade.
    • 1240: Kiev is destroyed by the Mongols.
    • 1453: Constantinople is captured by the Ottoman Turks; Byzantine Empire Ends
  • 800-1000: Missions to the Slavic Peoples

    • c. 858-867:  The Missionary Journeys of Sts. Cyril and Methodius

    • 966: Mieszko I of Poland converts to Christianity
    • 988: Kievan Russia converts to Orthodox Christianity.
  • 1450-1900: The Church in the Russian Empire
  • 1900-2000: The Church Under Communism

• 400-1800: The Church Outside Europe

  • c. 400: The Kingdom of Axum converts to Christianity. 
  • Nestorian Christianity becomes dominant Christian sect in Sassinid Empire.
    • 483: Edict of Toleration granted to Christians in the Sassanid Empire
    • 491: Armenian Church repudiates the Council of Chalcedon.

IV. World Christianity: 1500-2000

• 1637-1638: Shimbara rebellion in Japan.  Christian peasants protest repression.
• 1658: Société des missions ètrangéres ("Foreign Mission Society") founded in Paris.
• 1716: Christian teaching prohibited in China.
• 1948: World Council of Churches founded.

---

Prehistoric Period: ca. 3000-1200 BC ca. 3000-2600: Indus Valley civilization: Harappan civilization 2600-2500: Harappan Civilization at its height 2000-1900: Harappan Civilization collapses c. 1300: Aryans migrate into the Indus Valley c. 1000: Aryans migrate into Ganges Valley ca. 1200-500 BC: Vedic Era ca. 1200-900: Rig-Veda ca. 900-500: Later Vedas and early Upanishads ca. 550-100 BC: Rivals to Hinduism ca 550: Birth of Mahavira ca. 563-483: Siddhartha Gautama Buddhism Chronology ca. 322-185 BC: Mauryan Empire 321-297 BC: Chandragupta Maurya ca. 273-237: Asoka ca. 185-100: The Laws of Manu ca. AD 320-540: Gupta Era ca. 320-335: Chandragupta I ca. 335-376: Samudragupta ca. 376-415: Chandragupta II ca. 454-500: Hun Invasions ca. 540: End of Gupta Dynasty ca. AD 500-1001: Period of Political instability ca. 540: Rise of Chalukyas at Vatapi ca. 606-646: Harsha of Kanauj ca. 700-800: Buddhism spreads to Tibet and Nepal 711: Arabs invade Sind ca. 750: Rise of imperial Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas 760: Palas in Bengal ca. 846: Rise of Cholas and defeat of Pallavis ca. 970: Revival of Chalukyas and defeat of Rashtrakutas 1000-1750: Period of Muslim dominance 1001: Raids by Mahmud of Ghanzi 1206-1290: Slave Dynasty and Beginning of Delhi Sultanate 1290-1320: Khalji Sultanate 1320-1413: Tughlug Sultanate 1414-1451: Sayyid Sultanate 1451-1526: Lodi Sultanate 1498: Vasco da Gama arrives in India 1483-1757: The Mughal Empire 1502: Portuguese establish colony at Cochin 1526-1530: Reign of Babur 1556-1605: Reign of Akbar 1600: British East India Company is chartered 1605-1627: Reign of Jahangir 1628-1658: Reign of Shah Jahan 1658-1707: Reign of Aurangzeb 1744-1748: War between French and British 1750-1947: India under British Rule 1857: Indian (Sepoy) Mutiny 1885: First Meeting of the Indian National Congress. 1921: First Meeting of the Indian Parliament. 1930: Gandhi leads the Salt March against British rule. 1932: Indian National Congress is declared illegal; Gandhi is arrested. 1947-present: The Indian Republic 1947: The British colony of India achieves independence and is divided into India and Pakistan. 1949: Indian constitution is adopted. 1966: Indira Gandhi is elected prime minister of India.

Resources Primary Sources Images of Harappan Civilization The Rig Veda The Upanishads The Bhagavad Gita Two Buddhist Texts A Jain text: Acaranga Sutra Deeds of Sultan Firuz Shah Secondary Sources

Prehistory

1100-465 BC: The Fall and Rise of Empires

• 1100-600 BC: Era of the Small States
• 1100-612 BC: Assyrian Empire
• 612-539 BC: Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean Empire
• 559- 323 BC: Persia

500-430: Greece

• 2900-1150 BC: Minoan Period
• 1600-1150 BC: Mycenean Period
• 1100-750 BC: The Greek Dark Ages
• 750-500 BC: The Archaic Period
• 479-323 BC: The Hellenic Period
• 323-146 BC: The Hellenistic Period
• 146 BC-AD 476: Greco-Roman Culture

509 BC- AD 312: Rome

• 753-509 BC: Beginnings of Rome
• 509-27 BC: The Roman Republic
• 27 BC- AD 312: The Roman Empire
• AD 312-1453 The Byzantine Empire

Foraging Peoples

Settled Agriculture

Primary Urbanization: From 6000 BC

• 6000 BC: Jericho
• 3500 BC: Sumerians settle in Mesopotamia

Mesopotamian Civilizations: 3500-1400 BC.

• 3500-2340 BC: Sumerian Civilization
• 2340-1900 BC: Akkadian Empire
• 1900-1100 BC: Babylonian Empire
• 1100-1200 BC: Assyrian Empire (First Period of Ascendancy)

Expansion and Contraction of Mesopotamian Empires

Expansion and Contraction of Mesopotamian Empires: 1400-550 BC

• ca. 1400 BC: The Large Empires of the Ancient Near East are weakened
• ca. 1200 BC: The Era of the Smaller Civilizations.
• ca. 750 BC: Revival of the Mesopotamian Empires.
  • 745-612 BC: Period of Assyrian dominance
  • 625-585 BC: Period of Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) dominance

Cosmopolitan Empires: 550 BC - AD 642

• 550-323 BC: Persian Empire.
• 323-146 BC: Hellenistic Kingdoms
• c. 250 BC to AD 225: Parthian Empire.
• 146 BC to AD 1453: Rome and Byzantium
• 226-642: Sassanid Persia.

Islamic Empires: 600-1900

• 661-750: Ommayad Caliphate.
• 750-1258: Abbasid Caliphate.
• 1350-1918: Ottoman Empire
• 1501-1723: Safavid Empire

The Modern Era: From 1900

• 1917: Balfour Declaration on Palestine
• 1923: Republic of Turkey is established
• 1925: Pahlavi dynasty in Iran
• 1932: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is established
• 1956: Nassar Nationalizes the Suez Canal.
• 1973: The Yom Kippur War

 

Foraging Societies: 12,000 to 3,000 BC

• 12,000 to 8,000 BC: Ice Age Foraging Peoples
• 8,000 to 6,000 BC: Early Archaic Period
• 6,000 to 3,000 BC: Middle Archaic Period

Settled Agricultural Societies: 3,000 BC to AD 700

• 3,000 to 500 BC: Late Archaic Period
• 1500 to 700 BC: Poverty Point Culture
• 500 BC to AD 400: Adena-Hopewell Cultures
  • 500 to 100 BC: Adena culture
  • 200 BC to AD 400: Hopewell Culture

Urban Society: 700 to 1997

• 700 to 1731: Mississippian Culture
• 700 to 1250: Cahokia

Age of Empires: 1500  to present

• 1513 to 1543: Spanish invasion
• 1550 to 1731: Postcontact survivals
• 1731: French defeat Natchez
• 1776-present: The United States of America

Based on: Lynda Norene Shaffer, Native Americans Before 1492: The Moundbuilding Centers of the Eastern Woodlands (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1992) p. 6.

History of Poland Chronology

The Balkans Chronology

Slavic Origins: 4,000 BC to AD 862

• ca. 4,000 BC: Earliest evidence of Neolithic culture in Russia
• ca. 1000 to 700 BC: Cimmerians in Thrace
• ca. 700 BC: Scythians invade Thrace, conquering the Cimmerians
• ca. 700 BC-AD 200: Greco-Iranian culture develops around the Black Sea
• 370: The Huns invade.
• 558: The invasion of the Avars.
• 681: The First Bulgarian Empire is formed.
• ca. 830: Beginnings of Magyar migration westward.

312-1453: The Byzantine (Later or Eastern Roman) Empire

• 306-337: The Emperor Constantine
• 325: The Council of Nicea
• 378: Battle of Adrianople
• 527-565: Reign of Justinian
• 680: Monophysitism is declared unorthodox.
• 690s: Muslims conquer Byzantine North Africa
• c. 858-867: The Missionary Journeys of Sts. Cyril and Methodius
• 867-1056: Macedonian dynasty
• 988: Kievan Russ adopts Orthodoxy

1056-1453: Decline of the Byzantine Empire

• 1071: Seljuk Turks defeat Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert
• 1204: Constantinople falls to Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade.
• 1261: Constantinople is liberated from the Crusaders.
• 1453: Fall of Constantinople to Ottoman Turks 

Kyivan Rus: 862-1240

• 862: The legendary founding of Kyivan Rus.
• 978-1015: Reign of Vladimir
• 1035-1054: The Reign of Yaroslav the Wise.
• 1240: Kyiv is conquered by the Mongols.

Appanage Russia: 1240-1380

• 1240-1380: Russia under Mongol rule.
• 1156-1478: The Principality of Novgorod.
  • 1156: Novgorod achieves independence
  • 1242: Alexander Nevsky defeats the Teutonic Knights at Lake Peipus.
  • 1478: Novgorod is incorporated into Muscovy

Muscovite Russia:  ca. 1147-1613

• ca. 1147: Moscow is founded
• 1325-1341: Reign of Ivan I
• 1380: Muscovites defeat the Golden Horde at Kulikovo.
• 1480: Ivan II proclaimed Czar and Autocrat of Russia.
• 1533-1584: Reign of Ivan the Terrible.
• 1598-1605: Reign of Boris Gudunov
• 1604-1613: The Time of Troubles

Imperial Russia: 1613-1917

• 1613-1645: Reign of Michael I Romanov. Beginning of the Romanov Dynasty
• 1682-1725: Peter I, The Great
• 1762-1796: Catherine II, The Great
• 1785: The Charter of the Cities and the Charter of the Nobility are issued
• 1795: Third Partition of Poland.
• 1801-1825: Alexander I
• 1825-1855: Nicholas I
• 1855-1881: Alexander II
• 1894-1917: Nicholas II

The Soviet Union: 1917-1992

• 1921: Lenin introduces the New Economic Policy (NEP)
• 1928: Stalin introduces the First Five Year Plan.
• 1939: The Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact.
• 1942: The Battle of Stalingrad
• 1956: Khruschev denounces Stalin at the 20th Party Congress.
• 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis.
• 1968: Invasion of Czechoslovakia

The Era of Biological Energy Sources: 9000 BC to AD 600

• Between 9000 BC and 6000: Plants and animals are domesticated.
• 6000 BC: Copper artifacts are common in the Middle East.
• 4000 BC: Light wooden plows are used in Mesopotamia.
• 3500 BC: Kiln-fired bricks and pots are made in Mesopotamia.
• 3500 BC: Irrigation is developed in Mesopotamia.
• 3200 BC: Wheeled vehicles are used in Uruk.
• 3000 BC: Square-sailed ships used in Egypt.
• 2800 BC: Pyramids are built in Egypt.
• 2500 BC: Bronze is developed in Mesopotamia.
• 1400 BC: Iron working is developed in the Middle East.

The Era of Inanimate Energy Sources: 600 to 1600

• 600: Windmills used in Iran.
• 850: Triangular sails used in the Mediterranean.
• 1000: Waterwheels are widespread in Europe.
• 1040: Gunpowder in China.
• 1327: Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is completed.

The Era of Fossil Fuel Energy Sources: 1600 to the Present

• 1769: James Watt develops an improved condenser for the steam engine.
• 1837: W. Cooke and C. Wheatstone develop the first electric telegraph.
• 1860: J.J.E. Lenoir develops the first internal combustion engine.
• 1876: Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.
• 1879: Thomas Edison develops the carbon filament lightbulb.
• 1883: H.S. Maxim invents the machine gun.
• 1888: Nikola Tesla invents the induction electrical motor.
• 1899: Guglielmo Marconi sends the first radio signal across the English Channel.
• 1903: Orville and Wilbur Wright make the first powered flight.
• 1923: Vladimir Zworykin invents the electronic camera tube.
• 1947: Bardeen, Brattan and Shockley invent the transistor.
• 1957: Sputnik is launched.
• 1969: Edward Hoff and Intel Corp. develop the microprocessor.

 

The periodization in this chronology is based on: Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (Boulder, CO; Westview Press, 1994) pp. 259-267.

The Colonial Period: 1497-1763

• 1497: John Cabot lands in North America.
• 1607: British establish a colony at Jamestown.
• 1692: The Salem Witchcraft Trials.
• 1740s: The First Great Awakening.

The Revolutionary War Era: 1763-1789

• 1763: Proclamation of 1763 restricts settlement west of the Appalachians.
• 1770: The Boston Massacre.
• 1776: The Declaration of Independence.
• 1781: Cornwalis surrenders at Yorktown.

The Early Republic: 1789-1823

• 1791: The Bill of Rights is ratified.
• 1803: The Louisiana Purchase.
• 1808: The African slave trade is ended.
• 1823: The Monroe Doctrine is proclaimed.

The Age of Expansion: 1820-1860

• 1831: Indians of the Southern states begin the Trail of Tears.
• 1845: Annexation of Texas.
• 1848: Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill in California.
• 1857: The Dred Scott decision.

The American Civil War: 1861-1865

Reconstruction: 1865-1896

• 1865: The Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified.
• 1876: The Battle of Little Bighorn.
• 1881: Tuskeegee Institute is founded.
• 1896: Plessy vs. Ferguson.

The Progressive Era: 1879-1917

• 1879: Thomas Edison invents the electric light.
• 1886: The American Federation of Labor is founded.
• 1890: The Sherman Antitrust Act is passed.
• 1917: The United States enters World War One.

The Era of the World Wars: 1917-1945

• 1920: Nineteenth Amendment grants women suffrage.
• 1929: The Great Depression begins.
• 1941: The Japanese navy attacks Pearl Harbor.

The Cold War: 1945-1989

• 1950: The Korean War begins.
• 1956: Montgomery Bus Boycott.
• 1964: Civil Rights Act.
• 1969: Humans land on the Moon.
• 1973: Roe vs. Wade.

 

Prehistory: 30,000 BC - 3,000 BC

• 30,000- 15,000 BC: "Venus" Figures
• 20,000-10,000 BC: Cave Paintings
  • 14,000-10,000 BC: Altamira Cave Paintings

The Art of the Classical Civilizations: 3,000 BC- AD 500

8000-600 BC: Mesopotamia3,000-270 BC: Egypt

1230-100 BC: Greece

700 BC-AD 325: Rome

325-1453: Byzantium

The Art of the Middle Ages: 475-1500

475-1000: The Dark Ages

1000-1350: The High Middle Ages

1350-1500: The Late Middle Ages

The Art of the Modern Period: 1500-present

1400-1550: Renaissance

1550-1700: Baroque

1700-1800: Rococo and Classical

1790-1850: Romantic

1850-1910: Realism, Impressionism, Expressionism

1910-1950: Cubism, Abstraction, Modernism, Dada

1950-present: Recent

Prehistory to 3200 BC

• 1,000,000 to 35,000: Hominids
• 35,000 to 10,000: Paleolithic Period
• 8,000 to 6,500: Neolithic
• 3,500: Early Urban Societies

Mesopotamian Roots: 3200-465

• 3500-1100 BC: Mesopotamia
• 1100-465 BC: The Fall and Rise and Empires

Mediterranean Period from 2900 BC to AD 400

• 3500-550 BC: Mesopotamia and Egypt
• 1950 BC-AD 70: Ancient Israel
• 559-465 BC: Persia
• 2900-430 BC: Greece
• 753 BC-AD 1453: Rome

Medieval from AD 400-1500

• 500- 1000: Dark Ages
• 1000- 1350: High Middle Ages
• 1350-1500: Late Middle Ages

Early Modern from 1400 to 1789

• 1400-1550: Renaissance
• 1517-1598: Reformation
• 1600-1700: Baroque
• 1700-1789: Enlightenment

Late Modern from 1789 to 1989

• 1789-1848: Age of Revolutions
• 1848-1914: Age of Liberalism
• 1914-1945: Age of World Wars
• 1945-1989: The Cold War

The Ancient Period: 50,000 BC to AD 500 Prehistory: 50,000-390 BC Western Europe Enters History: 390 BC- AD 500 The Peripheral Period: 500-1600 Christianity Comes to Western Europe: 500-1000 Attempts at Christian Civilization: 1000-1350 Theo-Social Experiments: 1350-1600 The Center Period: 1600-1914 The Voyages of Exploration The Rise of the State The Scientific Revolution Conflicts Among the Great Powers The Global Period: 1914-present Age of Revolutions Age of Liberalism Age of World Wars

Resources Primary Sources Secondary Sources

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Literature in the Western Tradition

Under Construction

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Prehistory: 30,000 BC - 3,000 BC

The Literature of the Classical Civilizations: 3,000 BC- AD 500

8000-600 BC: Mesopotamia

3,000-270 BC: Egypt

1230-100 BC: Greece

700 BC-AD 325: Rome

325-1453: Byzantium

The Literature of the Middle Ages: 475-1500

475-1000: The Dark Ages

1000-1350: The High Middle Ages

1350-1500: The Late Middle Ages

The Literature of the Modern Period: 1500-present

1400-1550: Renaissance

1550-1700: Baroque

1700-1800: Roccoco and Classical

1790-1850: Romantic

1850-1910: Realism, Impressionism, Expressionism

1910-1950: Cubism, Abstraction, Modernism, Dada

1950-present: Recent

---

North Park University	History Department	WebChron

Text copyright 1996-9 by David W. Koeller. dkoeller@northpark.edu. All rights reserved.

 

Prehistory: 30,000 BC - 3,000 BC

Music of the Classical Civilizations: 3,000 BC- AD 500

8000-600 BC: Mesopotamia

3,000-270 BC: Egypt

1230-100 BC: Greece

700 BC-AD 325: Rome

325-1453: Byzantium

Music of the Middle Ages: 475-1500

475-1000: The Dark Ages

1000-1350: The High Middle Ages

1350-1500: The Late Middle Ages

Music of the Modern Period: 1500-present

1400-1600: Renaissance

1600-1750: Baroque

1700-1800: Rococo and Classical

1790-1850: Romantic

1850-1910: Late Romantic

1910-1950: Modern

1950-present: Recent

Text copyright 1996-9 by David W. Koeller. dkoeller@northpark.edu. All rights reserved.

 

 

Early Mythopoeic Thought: 3000 - 500 BC

• 3000 BC: Pharaoh is worshiped by the Egyptians
• 2500 BC: The beginnings of the Isis and Osiris cult in Egypt
• 2000 BC: Stonehenge is built in England
• 1385: Akhenaton attempts to establish monotheism in Egypt with the worship of Anton, the sun disc.
• 850-800 BC: Homer's Iliad and Odyssey
• d. 701 BC: The Prophet Isaiah
• d. 585 BC: The Prophet Jeremiah

Ancient Greek Philosophy: 585-250 BC

• Hellenic Philosophy: 585-350 BC

  • c. 585 BC: Thales of Miletus begins the development of philosophy by speculating about the nature of the "cosmos."
  • c. 500-c. 480 BC: Pythagoras of Samos
  • c. 480-411 BC: Protagoras
  • 469-399 BC: Socrates
  • c. 427-347 BC: Plato
  • 384-322 BC: Aristotle

  The Hellenistic Philosophers: 350-200 BC

  • c. 341-270 BC: Epicurus begins the Epicurean school of philosophy
  • c. 335-263 BC: Zeno of Citium begins the Stoic school of philosophy
  • fl. 300: Euclid--The Elements of Geometry
  • 287-212: Archimedes

Greco Roman Thought: 250 BC-AD 500

Greco-Roman Philosophy

• 106-43 BC: Marcus Tullius Cicero
• 60 BC: Lucretius writes "De reum natura."
• 3? BC-65-AD: Lucius Annaeus Seneca
• 161-180: Marcus Aurelius

The Church Fathers

• d. 215: Clement of Alexandria
• 182-251: Origen
• 264-340: Eusebius
• 329-389: John Chrysostum
• 340-397: Ambrose
• 354-430: Augustine of Hippo

Theology and Philosophy in Germanic Europe: AD 500-1600

The Scholastic Age: 1000-1500

• 1079-1142: Peter Abelard
• 1217-1274: Bonaventure
• 1265 (?) - 1308: John Duns Scotus
• c. 1225-1274: Thomas Aqinas
• 1285-1349: William of Ockham

The Reformation: 1400-1700

• 1483-1546: Martin Luther
• 1509-1564: John Calvin
• 1491-1556: Igatius Loyola
• 1623-1662: Blaise Pascal

Modern Thought

Modern Philosophy: 1600-2000

Modern Theology: 1600-2000

Copyright 1996-9 by David W. Koeller. dkoeller@northpark.edu. All rights reserved.

 

Copyright 1996-9 by David W. Koeller. dkoeller@northpark.edu. All rights reserved.

The Egyptian Empire is characterized by a sense of continuity and timelessness that we can see even in the remains of today's Egypt. Herodotus wrote: "Concerning Egypt itself I shall extend my remarks to great length, because there is no country that possesses so many wonders, nor any that has such a number of works that defy description." The wonders he speaks of are most likely the pyramids. These are the best-known of the Egyptian wonders because of the impressive planning, engineering, and labor it took to erect them.

The pyramids mark the zenith of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, and they are symbols of how religion shaped the Ancient Egyptian society. By this time, all of Egypt had been united under the rule of the pharaoh. These rulers were to the people like gods on earth and also the embodiment of the state. The pyramids were more than just royal tombs. They served as vessels through which the state expressed its power, religious ties, and the need for cosmic stability. In fact, the Egyptian word for a "pyramid" literally means 'a place of ascension,' for they were merely dwelling places on the way to eternal life.

The Egyptian belief was that their other self, the ka, would continue living after they died. The pyramids played an important role in the quest for immortality by serving as a place in which to store all the necessities and the possessions needed for the afterlife. The ka needed sculptures and images for the preservation of its identity.

There have been many theories about the unique shape of these buildings. The architecture of the pyramids was derived from the mastaba. --a square tomb with angled walls. The architect Imhotep constructed the first pyramid--step pyramid of King Djoser at Sakkara (3). The step pyramid is just basically several mastabas on top of each other. From their appearance it is easy to see why these pyramids were said to be staircases to heaven.

There have been only a handful of the pyramids excavated that have not been pillaged by grave robbers. Pharaoh Khafre had the foreknowledge to guard his tomb with the great Sphinx. The Sphinx Temple and Khafre's pyramid together with Khufu's and Menkaure's pyramids are located at Giza, part of Greater Cairo today. Only one of these buildings, though, is considered to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops). Presumably it took about 20 years to build it, with the help of a complex system of ramps and long levers. The building consists of more than 2 million blocks of stone, each of which weighs several tons. The surface was originally smoothed by an outer casing which has disappeared over the years. It was initially 145.75 m (481 ft) high, but has lost some of its height due to the natural processes of time.

It is no wonder why these pyramids are considered to be some of the most astonishing structures of the ancient world. Likewise the Egyptians, who somehow erected these cosmic gateways, are equally amazing. Even through modern day technology we hardly can begin to imagine how they did it. Perhaps the answer lies deep within the massive stone structures known as the pyramids (6).

Edited by: Erika L. Witowski, ewitows@northpark.edu
Researched by: SoJeong Kim, skim012@northpark.edu
Written by: Turid Tangen, ttangen@northpark.edu
September 25, 1996

Text copyright 1996-1999 by David W. Koeller.  All rights reserved.

Text copyright 1996-1999 by David W. Koeller. dkoeller@northpark.edu. All rights reserved.