World History Timeline

Timeline

8 events

16th century BCE

  1. c. 16th century BCE – c. 5th century BCE★★★★★

    Lapita culture spreads across the western Pacific

    Bearers of the Lapita culture, known for their dentate-stamped pottery, settled islands from the Bismarck Archipelago to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, laying the foundations of Polynesian societies.

    ExplorationCulture· Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa
  2. c. 16th century BCE – c. 11th century BCE★★★★★

    Mycenaean civilization emerges in Greece

    Mycenaean civilization, the first advanced civilization of mainland Greece, develops fortified palace centres and Linear B writing.

    Culture· Greece
  3. c. 16th century BCE – c. 11th century BCE★★★★★

    Shang dynasty rules the Yellow River valley

    The Shang is the earliest Chinese dynasty confirmed by archaeology, leaving oracle-bone script and sophisticated bronzes.

    DynastyCulture· China

15th century BCE

  1. c. 15th century BCE – c. 12th century BCE★★★★★

    Composition of the Rigveda

    The hymns of the Rigveda, the oldest text of Hinduism, are composed in Vedic Sanskrit and transmitted orally for generations.

    ReligionCulture· India, Pakistan
  2. c. 15th century BCE – c. 1st century★★★★★

    Nok culture in West Africa

    The Nok culture flourished in present-day central Nigeria, known for its terracotta sculptures and as one of the earliest iron-smelting cultures in sub-Saharan Africa.

    CultureTechnology· Nigeria

12th century BCE

  1. c. 12th century BCE★★★★★

    Late Bronze Age collapse

    Many Eastern Mediterranean states, including the Hittite Empire, collapse or decline sharply during a prolonged period of upheaval.

    PoliticsWar· Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Greece
  2. c. 12th century BCE – c. 4th century BCE★★★★★

    Rise of the Olmec civilization

    The Olmecs develop the earliest known complex civilization of Mesoamerica along Mexico's Gulf Coast, known for their colossal stone heads.

    Culture· Mexico
  3. c. 12th century BCE★★★★★

    Trojan War (traditional date)

    Ancient Greek tradition placed the war between the Greeks and Troy around the 12th century BCE; its historicity remains debated.

    WarCulture· Turkey
Timeline · World History Timeline