|
4.5 - 3.8 BYA (Earth forms -cloud to solid, crust, oceans) |
HADEAN EON |
|
|
Earth & Meteorites form |
4.7-4.55 BYA |
|
|
Moon forms |
4.52-4.5 BYA |
|
|
“Late Heavy Bombardment Period” - Meteorites bombard the Earth and Moon |
4-3.8 BYA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.8 - 2.5 BYA (oldest rocks - continents form) |
ARCHEAN EON |
|
|
2.5 - 0.543 BYA (single cells, eukarya, fungi, animals) |
|
|
O2 catastrophe (photosynthesis makes O2); Plate Tectonics |
2.5 BYA |
|
|
Eukaryote (mitochondria, nucleus with DNA) |
2.5 BYA |
|
543 MYA - Present________(multicelled life)_ |
|
|
Phanerozoic begins with the Paleozoic Era (Invertebrates, fish, tetrapods, reptiles) |
543-240 MYA |
|
“Cambrian Explosion”(abrupt rise/multicelled organisms) |
542-530 MYA |
|
1st trilobites |
540-245 MYA |
|
Cambrian Period (trilobites, brachiopods, molluscs) |
540-505 MYA |
|
1st fish |
540 MYA |
|
1st vertebrate (fish fossil found in China) |
530 MYA |
|
ORDOVICIAN PERIOD |
505-438 MYA |
|
1st of Six Great Extinctions between Ordovician Silurian - perhaps due to cooling? |
463-433 MYA |
|
North American Great Lakes under tropic seas |
440-395 MYA |
|
Silurian Period |
438-408 MYA |
|
First terrestrial animals: eurypterids & millepedes |
428 MYA |
|
Warming |
420 MYA |
|
Devonian Period wingless insects, silverfish, springtail |
408-360 MYA |
|
Bristletail (order Thysanura) |
390 MYA |
|
Earliest spider Attercopus fimbriungis |
380 MYA |
|
Plants with seeds appear. First land vertebrate (rhipidistian fishes became labyrinthodont amphibians) |
375-360 MYA |
|
First collision between North America and Europe. First Amphibian (labyrinthodonts) |
370 MYA |
|
2nd of Six Great Extinctions in late Devonian. Frasnian-Famennian & Devonian-Carboniferous. |
364 MYA |
|
Carboniferous Period wet and warm. Lush vegetation, forests and swamps. |
359-299 MYA |
|
Pangea, a single supercontinent forms. (Ouachita and Allegheny orogenies) |
350-250 MYA |
|
Building of the Ozark-Ouachita-Appalachian mountains (South America moves north) |
340-300 MYA |
|
Westlothiana lizziae The first reptile, or something like a reptile (East Kirkton limestone) |
338 MYA |
|
Africa (Gondwana) collides with North America, Variscan-Appalachian orogeny |
320-290 MYA |
|
Early cockroaches blattaria |
300 MYA |
|
Synapsid reptiles dominate the land |
310-230 MYA |
|
Permian Period early reptiles, snails. |
290-245 MYA |
|
Ural Mountains(final step in the formation of Pangea) |
250 MYA |
|
3rd of Six Great Extinctions “Great Dying” (at Permian/Triassic boundary)
70% of sea life an 95% of land life
(Volcano, Antarctic meteor, or depletion of atmospheric oxygen)
|
245-251 MYA |
|
Triassic Period |
245-208MYA |
|
|
Mesozoic Era/Age of Reptiles
|
240-65 MYA |
|
|
4th of 6 Great Extinctions, (end Triassic) warming & vulcanism |
214-199 MYA |
|
|
1st mammal |
210 MYA |
|
|
Jurassic Period |
208-144 MYA |
|
|
Pangea begins to split into Gondwanaland and Laurasia |
200 MYA |
|
|
1st bird |
150 MYA |
|
|
Cretaceous Period |
144-66.4 MYA |
|
|
Gondwanaland and Laurasia split into seven continents |
135 MYA |
|
|
1st primate |
80 MYA |
|
|
Europe and North America separate to form the N. Atlantic ocean |
70-45 MYA |
|
|
Tertiary Period |
66.4-1.6 MYA |
|
|
Africa and South America separate to form the S. Atlantic ocean |
65 MYA |
|
| |
5th of 6 Great Extinctions, Cretacious / Tertiary boundary Yucatan Meteor strike destroys dinosaurs? |
65 MYA |
|
|
CENOZOIC ERA, grazing mammals, grass, apes
|
65 - 0 MYA |
|
|
India and Asia collide to form Himalaya mountains |
60-45 MYA |
|
|
Global warming |
50 MYA |
|
|
Global cooling |
45 MYA |
|
|
Africa & Europe collide to form Alps, Pyrennes & Carpathian mountains |
40 MYA |
|
|
Hominoids (ape, chimp. & hominids) & old world monkeys separate |
30 MYA |
|
|
Greenland separates from North America |
16 MYA |
|
|
Andes mountains form |
15 MYA |
|
|
Mediterranean sea forms |
10 MYA |
|
|
Oceans cool globally with drying in Africa |
8-6 MYA |
|
|
Chimps and Hominids (Homo ancestor line) split, in Africa |
7.7-6.3 MYA |
|
|
Sahelanthropus tchadensis, possible direct ancestor to man |
7.4-6.5 MYA |
|
|
Australopithecus Afarensis, "Lucy" probable direct ancestor to man |
3.9-3 MYA |
|
|
Hominids separate into Australopithecine & Homo lines |
3-2.5 MYA |
|
|
First Hominid made fire |
3 MYA |
|
|
North and South America rejoined |
3 MYA |
|
|
Severe global cooling and drying |
2.8 MYA |
|
|
First stone tools "Olduwan", Africa |
2.6-1.5 MYA |
|
|
AFRICAN LOWER PALEOLITHIC "Old Stone Age"
|
2.4 MYA |
|
|
Homo Rudolfensis |
2.3-1.9 MYA |
|
|
Homo Habilus, probable direct ancestor to man |
2.3-1.6 MYA |
|
|
First Homo-made Habitation, Olduvai Gorge |
2 MYA |
|
|
First Homo leaves Africa for Europe, Near East & China |
c.2 MYA |
|
|
PLEISTOCENE EPOCH "Great Ice Age" (consisting of 9 to 20 ice ages - each lasting 20 K to 100 K years)
|
1.8 MYA - 10 KYA |
|
|
Homo Ergaster, probable direct ancestor to man |
1.8-1.5 MYA |
|
|
Homo Erectus, not a direct ancestor to man used Acheulean tools in Africa |
1.8-0.4 MYA |
|
|
Homo Erectus 1st in Rep.of Georgia (oldest disc.outside Africa) |
1.8 MYA |
|
|
Homo Erectus in China, E. Asia (formerly "Pekingensis") |
1.8 MYA |
|
|
Hand axes in France |
1.7-0.3 MYA |
|
|
Homo Erectus used Acheulean tools in Africa |
1.5 MYA |
|
|
Homo in Europe |
1 MYA |
|
|
H. Antecessor in Spain (1st European, ?ancestor of Neanderthal) |
1 MYA |
|
|
|
800-250 KYA |
|
|
Homo Heidelbergensis ancestor to man and to Neanderthal, Europe & Asia |
800 KYA |
|
|
Controlled fire in Israel |
700 KYA |
|
|
Hominid tools in Great Britain (Pakefield site) |
700 KYA |
|
|
Acheulean tool used in Europe by H. Heidelbergensis |
500-200 KYA |
|
|
Neanderthal arises from Heidelbergensis in Africa |
c.500 KYA |
|
|
English Channel 1st cut by sudden overflow from N.Sea lake |
450-200 KYA |
|
|
Homo Sapiens Sapiens (man) from Homo Heidelbergensis in Africa |
c.400 KYA |
|
|
Illinoisan "Great" Glaciation (extends almost to Ohio river) |
(330), 240 & 128 KYA |
|
|
Modern man (Homo Sapiens Sapiens) evolves the ability to speak |
ca.300 KYA |
|
|
MIDDLE PALEOLITHIC Modern Man in Africa with Mousterian tools
|
250 -40 KYA |
|
|
Mousterian tools used Europe, Africa & Near East |
200-40 KYA |
|
|
H.Neanderthalensis(not ancestor to man)in Europe & Asia |
200-30 KYA |
|
|
Homo Neanderthalensis in Europe |
130-30 KYA |
|
|
Sangamon Interglacial Stage (last full "interglacial' stage) |
125-70 KYA |
|
|
H. Sapiens Sapiens loses body hair & 1st wears clothes |
c.114 KYA |
|
|
Beringia land bridge forms between Asia & North America |
100 KYA |
|
|
Diverse "Homo" groups throughout World |
100 KYA |
|
|
Wisconsin Glaciation covers Gr.Lakes to mid Illinois, mid Indiana -called Würm Glaciation+ in Europe, |
70-10 KYA |
|
|
1st modern man leaves Africa in last of 3 "Homo" migrations |
c.50 KYA |
|
|
UPPER PALEOLITHIC hunter/gatherers in Eurasia
|
40-11 KYA |
|
|
Homo Sapiens develops culture and symbolic language |
40 KYA |
|
|
Homo Sapiens Sapiens (Modern Man) first migrates into Australia & China |
40 KYA |
|
|
First Homo Sapiens Sapiens (Modern Man) in Europe |
40-35 KYA |
|
|
Aurignacian culture in Europe |
40-35 KYA |
|
|
Neanderthals and other Homo groups exinct |
30 KYA |
|
|
Homo Sapiens Sapiens only Hominid group remaining on
earth |
30 KYA |
|
|
Paleolithic art in Europe |
35-10 KYA |
|
|
Layered garments sewn with needles |
30 KYA |
|
|
Bird bone flute |
23 KYA |
|
|
Gravettian "M170" culture in Europe |
22 KYA |
|
|
1st man crosses Beringia to
North America c spear & dog |
18-12 KYA |
|
|
--- 15,000 BC & later - DATES are BC, then AD ---
|
17 KYA =15K BC |
|
|
Man enters Britain ? on foot from Iberian Peninsula |
16-10 KYA |
|
|
Wisconsin (Würm) Glaciation ends |
c.15K-10K BC |
|
|
Rapid global warming begins |
15K BC |
|
|
Great Lakes form |
14K-13K BC |
|
|
Sahara very dry |
13,5K-13K BC |
|
|
Clovis big game hunters (1st Indians) in Gr. Lakes region |
13K-10K BC |
|
|
Rice cultivated N.Korea and dogs tamed in East Asia |
13,000 BC |
|
|
Figs cultivated along the Jordan river |
11,400 BC |
|
|
Megafauna extinct in North America |
11,000 BC |
|
|
"Younger Dryas", Gulfstream stops last major cold snap in Europe |
11K-10K BC |
|
|
HOLOCENE EPOCH early agriculture - Mesolithic Period (11,000 BC to 9.000 BC)
|
10,000 BC to Present |
|
|
Pleistocene ice ages end (began 1.6 MYA) 6th Great Extinction begins |
10,000 BC |
|
|
Wooly mammoths extinct in Europe;1st domestic cat in near Middle East |
10,000 BC |
|
|
Pig domesticated in Near East; wheat in Iraq; barley in Turkey |
10,000 BC |
|
|
Indo-European language fragmentation in Europe established |
10,000 BC |
|
|
Mesolithic Period in Denmark till 3,900 BC |
9,300 BC |
|
|
Pig domesticated in Iran |
9,000 BC |
|
|
Eastern Sahara wet - 1st cattle are domesticated |
8.5-3.3 K BC |
|
|
Cattle+crops
Mesoptamia.Syria +Israel |
8,000 BC |
|
|
All megafauna extinct Europe |
8,000 BC |
|
|
Jericho in Jordan settled; sheep in Iraq; cattle inTurkey |
8,000 BC |
|
|
First boats |
7,500 BC |
|
|
Established settlements & livestock in the Sahara |
7.5-5.3 K BC |
|
|
Copper age in the Middle East |
7,000 BC |
|
|
Wheel in Sumeria |
6,600 BC |
|
|
Catal Hüyük, Turkey settled |
6,500 BC |
|
|
|
6 K-3 K BC |
|
|
Modern climate conditions reached |
6,000 BC |
|
|
Agriculture in Greece; cattle in Turkey; rice in Thailand |
6,000 BC |
|
|
English Channel opens due to rising sea levels |
6,000 BC |
|
|
Rising Mediterranean overflows into the Black Sea |
5,600 BC |
|
|
Sahara desert is again dry |
5,500 BC |
|
|
Copper smelting in Persia |
5,500 BC |
|
|
Corn is grown in Mexico |
5,500 BC |
|
|
Earliest estimated arrival of Celtic Language in British Isles |
c.5,200 BC |
|
|
Beringia floods closing the route from Asia to N. America |
5,000 BC |
|
|
MID-HOLOCENE WARM PERIOD |
5 K-3 K BC |
|
|
First Irrigation in Mesopotamia |
5,000 BC |
|
|
Wheat and Barley agriculture Nile Valley |
5,000 BC |
|
|
Camel domesticated in Arabia; |
5K - 2K BC |
|
|
Dimini, Greece settled |
5,000 BC |
|
|
Wine first made from wild grapes, Greece |
5,000 BC |
|
|
Sumerians burned oil in lamps |
4,500 BC |
|
|
Horse tamed in Europe |
4,300 BC |
|
|
Bronze Age begins in the Middle East |
4,000 BC |
|
|
Cu smelting Israel |
c.4,000 BC |
|
|
Celtic fishermen from the Iberian Peninsula settle England |
4,000 BC |
|
|
Farming in England China and Peru |
4,000 BC |
|
|
Horses tamed and ridden in Kazakhstan & Ukrainian steppes |
4,000 BC |
|
|
Small villages in Mesopotamia |
4,000 BC |
|
|
Neolithic Period begins in Denmark till 1700BC |
3,900 BC |
|
|
Jerusalem settled |
3,500 BC |
|
|
Corn grown Americas |
3,500 BC |
|
|
First civilization in Mesopotamia |
3,500 BC |
|
|
Cuneiform writing first used in Sumeria |
3,400 BC |
|
|
Wheel + First City States in Mesopotamia |
3,250 BC |
|
|
Narmer first unifies Egypt |
3,150 BC |
|
|
Copper age begins, Europe; Neolithic Period begins, Ireland
|
3,000 BC |
|
|
Increasing lactose tolerance among cattle raisers in N. Europe |
3,000 BC |
|
|
Horse tamed in Russia |
3,000 BC |
|
|
Large Pyramid built in Ukraine |
3,000 BC |
|
|
Hieroglyphics in Egypt |
3,000 BC |
|
|
Menes first Egyptian Pharoah; First dam at Memphis |
3,000 BC |
|
|
Neolithic Period (continued)
|
|
|
|
Present Sahara desert forms |
3,000 BC |
|
|
Great Pyramid built |
2,900 BC |
|
|
Egypt Old Kingdom |
2,868 -2,160 BC |
|
|
Cycladic culture, Aegean Sea |
2.8K-2K BC |
|
|
Step-Pyramid, Egypt |
2,700 BC |
|
|
Papyrus first used in Egypt |
2.5K-2K BC |
|
|
Akkadians, first language to use vowels |
2,500 BC |
|
|
Stonehenge built in England; Bronze age begins in Ireland |
2,400 BC |
|
|
Bronze age begins in England |
2.5K-600 BC |
|
|
Avebury stone circle, England |
2,300 BC |
|
|
300yr Global drought |
2.3K-2K BC |
|
|
Achaeans invade from North bring Mycenaen & Greek languages |
2,200 BC |
|
|
Egypt Middle Kingdom |
ca.2,040 -ca.1,640 BC |
|
|
|
2K -1000 BC |
|
|
Phoenicians in Eastern Mediterranean, Celts in Europe |
2,000 BC |
|
|
Minoan civilization begins |
2,000 BC |
|
|
Irrigation in Egypt, mathematics in Babylonia |
2,000 BC |
|
|
Judaism begins; first song written, Syria |
2,000 BC |
|
|
Potato grown in Argentina |
2,000 BC |
|
|
Ancient Hittite Empire |
1.8 K-1,269 |
|
|
Hammurabi's Code of Laws, Mesopotamia |
1,792+ BC |
|
|
Santorini volcano erupts in Aegean |
1,645 BC |
|
|
Hyksos conquer Egypt |
1,640 BC |
|
|
Hittites conquer Mesopotamia |
1.6K-1.2K BC |
|
|
Mycenaean Greece |
1.6K-1.2K BC |
|
|
Egypt enslaves Jews |
1.6 K-1,280 |
|
|
Egyptian New Kingdom (peak of Egypt’s power) |
1,550-1070 |
|
|
Persians (Indo-European) migrate from central Asia to Iran |
c.1,500 BC |
|
|
Ayrans moved from same Indo-European group into N. India |
c.1,500 BC |
|
|
Sunflower cultivated in the Midwest US; Olmec cultivated Cocoa bean |
1,500 BC |
|
|
First Sanskrit texts |
1,500 BC |
|
|
Minoan civilization ends |
c.1,450 BC |
|
|
Akhenaten begins first Monotheism in Egypt |
1,353-1,336 |
|
|
Tutankhamun restores Polytheism in Egypt |
1,334-1,322 |
|
|
Rameses II |
1290-1220 |
|
|
Moses and Jews leave Egypt |
1,280 BC |
|
|
Peace treaty between Egypt and the Hittites |
1,269 BC |
|
|
Assyrians sack Babylon |
1,240 BC |
|
|
Trojan War |
1,200 BC |
|
|
Hittite Kingdom destroyed |
1,200 BC |
|
|
1st traces Etruscan civilization in Italy (probably from W. Turkey) |
1,200 BC |
|
|
Olmec civilization begins in Centr.Amer.(lasts to 400BC) |
1,200 BC |
|
|
Dorians with iron weapons
destroy Mycenae and begin Greek Dark Ages "Dorian or Geometric Period" |
1,150-500 BC |
|
|
Iron age begins the Middle East |
1,100 BC |
|
|
Aryans (Medes+Persians) move onto the Iranian Plateau |
1,100 BC |
|
|
Chinese characters are being used (end of Shang Dynasty) |
1,046 BC |
|
|
Assyrian Empire |
1100-612 BC |
|
|
King David |
1010-970 BC |
|
|
10th - 7th Centuries BC " Rise of Empires & Religions"
|
1000-601 BC |
|
|
First known villages on present day site of Rome |
1,000 BC |
|
|
Solomon's temple |
1,000 BC |
|
|
First Phoenician and Hebrew alphabets - with no vowels |
1,000 BC |
|
|
Olmecs in the Americas use "glyphs" |
1,000 BC |
|
|
Kingdom of Israel divides into North (Israel) & South (Judah) |
931 BC |
|
|
First Greek City States |
900 BC |
|
|
First Etruscan towns in the Italian Peninsula |
900 BC |
|
|
1st split between Irish & Welsh Celtic languages |
900 BC |
|
|
First Celts from Northern Europe arrive in
England |
833-800 BC |
|
|
Greeks adopt Phoenician alphabet |
814 BC |
|
|
Phoenicians colonize Eastern Mediterranean and Carthage |
814 BC |
|
|
Iron Age begins in Western Europe |
800 BC |
|
|
Paper currency used in Ancient China |
800 BC |
|
|
Greeks colonize Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea |
800-750 BC |
|
|
Traditional date of founding of Rome |
753 BC |
|
|
Homer's "Iliad" -date uncertain |
c.750-700 BC |
|
|
Greek
Dark Age ends |
750 BC |
|
|
Assyrians overthrow Damascus |
732 BC |
|
|
Assyrians conquer
Israel |
722 BC |
|
|
Phoenicians circumnavigate Africa |
672 BC |
|
|
Assyrians rule
Egypt |
671-651 BC |
|
|
Ancient
Greeks found Byzantium |
660 BC |
|
|
1st coinsstruck in Lydia |
650 BC |
|
|
Assyrian
Assurbanipal destroys Elamites |
639 BC |
|
|
Zoroaster or Zarathustra teaches monotheism |
c.621-558 BC |
|
|
Etruscan Kings rule Italian Peninsula & Rome |
616-509 BC |
|
|
Babylonians & Medes conquer Assyria |
612 BC |
|
|
6th - 4th CENTURIES BC " Rise of Empires & Religions"
|
600-301 BC |
|
|
Migrations of the Jews |
600-500 BC & 500-400 BC |
|
|
Lao Tzu: Taoism, China |
6th cent. |
|
|
Babylonians capture Jerusalem |
597 BC |
|
|
Babylonians destroy the Temple and exile the Jews |
586 BC |
|
|
Croesus King of Lydia captures Greek cities |
559 BC |
|
|
Cyrus
King of Persia |
559-529 BC |
|
|
Confucius, Chinese philosopher |
c.551-479 BC |
|
|
Cyrus (Achmaenid Dynasty) conquers the Medes and Lydia |
550 BC |
|
|
Cyrus conquers Babylon Empire frees Jews & controls Fertile Crescent |
539 BC |
|
|
Cambysses son of Cyrus conquers - Persia rules Egypt for 100 years |
525 BC |
|
|
Latins expel the Etruscan king and form a Roman Republic |
509 BC |
|
|
Judaism fully developed; Bible first written; |
500 BC |
|
|
Buddha begins Buddhism |
500 BC |
|
|
Iron Age Denmark (ends 750 AD) |
500 BC |
|
|
Pericles of Athens |
495-429 BC |
|
|
Darius K. of Persia invades Greece in 1st Persia Wars |
490-478 BC |
|
|
Greeks defeat Xerxes K. of Persia at Salamis & Platea |
485-465 BC |
|
|
Herodotus |
484-c.424 BC |
|
|
Victory against Persia at Salamis & Platea begins Greek Classical Period (ends 323 BC) |
480 BC |
|
|
Battle of Thermopylae, Spartans delay a large Persian force |
480 BC |
|
|
Athenian Democracy |
464-402 BC |
|
|
Thucydides |
c.460-400 BC |
|
|
Zeno’s paradoxes (the arrow, the dichotomy) |
450 BC |
|
|
Parthenon |
447-438 BC |
|
|
Socrates |
439-c.399 BC |
|
|
Second Peloponnesian War, Sparta defeats Athens |
431-404
BC |
|
|
Olmec civilization in central America ends (began 1200 BC) |
400 BC |
|
|
Arabic numerals first developed in India |
400-300 BC |
|
|
London founded; Celts move into England |
390 BC |
|
|
Celts (Gauls) sack Rome |
390 BC |
|
|
Aristotle |
384-322 BC |
|
|
Phillip II King of Macedon |
358-336 BC |
|
|
Hand drilled oil well China to 800 ft. |
347 BC |
|
|
Persia conq. Egypt, dynasties end c Dynasty XXX (began 3100 BC) |
343 BC |
|
|
Phillip defeats Athens |
339 BC |
|
|
First Roman coins |
| |
