Showing their Origin, Chief Events, Changes or Extinction, from the
Earliest Period to the Present
I. [1]FROM EARLIEST HISTORIC RECORDS TO THE TIME OF ABRAHAM, X-2250 B.
C.
[1] All dates down to the First Olympiad, 776 B. C., are almost
wholly conjectural. Dates here given, however, are from the latest
and best authorities.
The earliest history of mankind, so far as we now know, begins with
the peoples known as Semites. Northern Arabia is generally accepted
as their primitive home. Issuing thence, they conquered or settled
Babylonia and Egypt, and through amalgamations with the native races
(of which we know very little), became the earliest historic
Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians. Historians sometimes assume
that the native races were Mongolians, traces of which still persist
in China, Thibet, Finland, The Caucasus, and perhaps, among the
American Indians.
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|=B. C.=| =Greeks= | =Egypt= | =Border Peoples= |
| | (Cretans and | (_Heb._ Misraim) | (Between Egypt and |
| | Mycenæan) | | Babylonia) |
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| | | =I. Prehistoric | |
| | | Period= | |
| | | | |
|=5000= |5000. Extensive ex- |5000. Egyptian re- |A variety of tribes |
| |cavations in Crete |cords name the Gods |and peoples dwelt on |
| |reveal a prehistoric |as the earliest |the ill-defined bor- |
| |civilization before |rulers and Kings, |ders of Egypt and |
| |the Bronze Age. |who were decendents |Babylonia. We come to|
| | |of gods, succeeded |know their names |
| | |them. Actual history |later through their |
| | |begins by revealing, |attacks upon the |
| | |in the Nile valley, |various states. These|
| | |a number of dis- |tribes and other |
| | |tricts or nomes held |migratory peoples |
| | |together chiefly by |from the older |
| | |a religious bond. |Semitic centers |
| | | |became the founders |
| | |4241. Earliest fixed |of the Syrian states |
| | |date marking the in- |and Asia Minor. |
| | |troduction of the | |
| | |calendar. | |
| | | | |
|=4000= | |4000. Pre-dynastic |4000. =Lugalzaggisi= |
| |3800-3600. Pre- |kingdoms flourish in |of Uruk, first great |
| |dynastic kings Ka-ap |Upper and Lower |conqueror made expe- |
| |and Ro are placed |Egypt. |ditions to the Medi- |
| |within these dates | |terranean and north |
| |according to recent | =II. The Old |of Mesopotamia. |
| |interpretations of | Kingdom= | |
| |tombs and vases. |(Includes Dynasties | |
| | | 1 to 10) | |
| | | | |
| | |3400. Accession of | |
| | |MENES and beginning | |
| | |of dynasties. Under | |
| | |Menes the kindgoms | |
| | |were unified. | |
| | |Tombs erected at | |
| | |Abydos by successive | |
| | |kings; wars with | |
| | =I. Prehistoric |Libyans and others; | |
| | Period= |mining in Sinai. | |
| | | | |
|=3000= |3000-2500. Rising | | |
| |civilization on |2900-2750. Fourth | |
| |coasts and islands of|dynasty is most im- |2700. The Phœnicians |
| |the Aegean Sea and in|portant. Kings memo- |settle on the Sidoni-|
| |Crete. |rialized by Pyramids |on coast and build |
| | |at Gizeh and Abu |Aradus (Arvad); later|
| | |Roash. Capital pro- |Tyre and Byblos. |
| | |bably at Memphis. | |
| | | | |
| | |2590-2570. Primitive | |
| | |sea-voyages made to | |
| | |Palestine. Government| |
| | |centralized at | |
| | |Memphis. Landed | |
| | |nobles in evidence. | |
|=2500= |2500. The cities of | |2500. Semitic |
| |Mycenæ and Tiryns |2445-2160. Kings re- |(Amoritic) migrations|
| |already founded. |sided at Heracleo- |into Syria and |
| | |polis; numerous |Palestine, about |
| | |struggles with Thebes|Jerusalem. |
| | |to which seat of | |
| | |government was final-| |
| | |ly removed. | |
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|=B. C.=| =Babylonia= | =Border Peoples= |
| | (_Heb._ Shinar) | (East of Babylonia) |
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| | =I. Sumerian Period=| |
| | | |
| =5000=|5000. Government in |Out of these tribes |
| |Babylonia had reached|developed the |
| |the form known as the|Elamites, Medes, |
| |city state. The |Persians, and Hindus.|
| |southern group of | |
| |cities (known collec-| |
| |tively as Sumer) com-| |
| |prised Eridu, Lagash | |
| |(Shirpurlo), Ur, | |
| |Larsa, Uruk (Erech) | |
| |and Isin: the north- | |
| |ern group (known as | |
| |Accad or Akkad) com- | |
| |prised Agade (Accad),| |
| |Sippar, Nippur, | |
| |Kutha, and later | |
| |Babylon. | |
| | | |
| =4000=|4000. =Lugalzaggisi= | |
| |of Uruk, first great | |
| |conqueror made expe- | |
| |ditions to the Medi- | |
| |terranean and north | |
| |of Mesopotamia. | |
| | | |
| | =II. Semitic or | |
| | Chaldean Period= | |
| | | |
| |3800. SARGON I. be- | |
| |gins to rule. He and | |
| |his son Naram-Sin, | |
| |ings of Agade, extend| |
| |their conquests to | |
| |Armenia, Elam, Arabia| |
| |and the Mediterra- | |
| |nean. | |
| |_These reigns were an| |
| |early “Golden Age” of| |
| |Babylonia._ | |
| | | |
| |3750. Naram-Sin built| |
| |temple of Sun-god at | |
| |Sippur. Fusion of | |
| |Sumerians and Semites| |
| |follows his reign. | |
| | | |
| =3000=|3000. The Kings of |3000. Assyria |
| |Ur. Under this dynas-|(Asshur) founded by a|
| |ty Ur became the seat|colony from |
| |of government. |Babylonia. Niniveh |
| |Temples were built in|also in existence. |
| |both North and South.| |
| | | |
| |2800. GUDEA, priest- | |
| |king, or governor of | |
| |Lagash (Shirpurla or | |
| |Tello) became the | |
| |chief ruler. Built a | |
| |palace, temples and | |
| |statues of bronze. | |
| | | |
| |2600-2400. Dynasties | |
| |of Isin and Larsa, | |
| |respectively. This | |
| |was a period of | |
| |strife among the | |
| |various centers. | |
| | | |
| =2500=| | |
| |2400. First Babylo- |2400. Chedorlaomer, |
| |nian dynasty. The |king of Elam, invades|
| |South lost its polit-|South Babylonia. |
| |ical power and the | |
| |city of Babylon be- | |
| |came for the first | |
| |time the seat of | |
| |government. | |
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