World History Timeline

Timeline

331 events

150th century BCE

  1. c. 15th millennium BCE★★★★★

    Lascaux cave paintings

    Upper Palaeolithic people paint hundreds of animal figures on the walls of the Lascaux cave in south-western France, among the best-known works of prehistoric art.

    ArtCulture· France

35th century BCE

  1. c. 35th century BCE★★★★★

    Invention of the wheel

    The earliest evidence of wheeled vehicles appears around the mid-4th millennium BCE in Mesopotamia, the northern Caucasus and Central Europe.

    Technology

19th century BCE

16th century BCE

  1. 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

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★★★★★

    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

8th century BCE

  1. c. 776 BCE★★★★★

    First ancient Olympic Games

    Traditionally, the first Olympic Games were held at Olympia in 776 BCE, a date later Greeks used for reckoning time.

    Culture· Greece
  2. c. 753 BCE★★★★★

    Founding of Rome (traditional)

    According to legend, Romulus founded Rome in 753 BCE; the Romans later counted years from this date.

    Politics· Italy
  3. c. 8th century BCE★★★★★

    Homer's Iliad and Odyssey

    The Iliad and the Odyssey, traditionally attributed to Homer, take shape around the 8th century BCE and become foundational works of Greek literature.

    CultureArt· Greece

6th century BCE

  1. c. 509 BCE★★★★★

    Roman Republic established

    Traditionally, the Romans expel King Tarquin the Proud and establish a republic led by elected consuls.

    PoliticsRevolution· Italy

5th century BCE

  1. 490 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Marathon

    Athenian forces defeat the first Persian invasion of Greece.

    War· Greece
  2. 480 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Salamis

    The Greek fleet, urged on by Themistocles, defeats the Persian navy, turning the tide of Xerxes' second invasion of Greece.

    War· Greece
  3. 480 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Thermopylae

    A small Greek force led by the Spartan king Leonidas holds off the Persian army of Xerxes I before being overwhelmed.

    War· Greece
  4. 447 BCE – 432 BCE★★★★★

    Construction of the Parthenon

    Under Pericles, the Athenians build the Parthenon on the Acropolis, dedicated to the goddess Athena.

    ArtCulture· Greece
  5. 431 BCE – 404 BCE★★★★★

    Peloponnesian War

    A long war between Athens and the Sparta-led Peloponnesian League ends in Athens' defeat.

    War· Greece

4th century BCE

  1. 399 BCE★★★★★

    Trial and death of Socrates

    The philosopher Socrates is convicted by an Athenian jury of impiety and corrupting the youth, and is executed by drinking hemlock.

    DeathCulture· Greece
  2. c. 387 BCE★★★★★

    Plato founds the Academy in Athens

    Plato establishes the Academy in Athens, a centre of philosophy with lasting influence on the Greek world.

    CultureScience· Greece
  3. 338 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Chaeronea

    Philip II of Macedon defeats Athens and Thebes, establishing Macedonian dominance over Greece.

    War· Greece
  5. 323 BCE★★★★★

    Death of Alexander the Great

    Alexander the Great dies in Babylon aged 32, leaving an empire stretching from Greece to India.

    DeathPolitics· Iraq, Greece

3rd century BCE

  1. 264 BCE – 241 BCE★★★★★

    First Punic War

    Rome and Carthage fight for control of Sicily; Rome wins and gains its first overseas province.

    War· Italy, Tunisia
  2. 218 BCE – 201 BCE★★★★★

    Second Punic War

    Hannibal crosses the Alps to invade Italy, but Rome ultimately prevails and Carthage loses its status as a great power.

    War· Italy, Tunisia, Spain
  3. 216 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Cannae

    Hannibal encircles and destroys a much larger Roman army in southern Italy, one of Rome's worst defeats.

    War· Italy
  4. 212 BCE★★★★★

    Death of Archimedes

    The mathematician and engineer Archimedes is killed by a Roman soldier during the fall of Syracuse.

    DeathScience· Italy
  5. 202 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Zama

    Scipio Africanus defeats Hannibal in North Africa, forcing Carthage to sue for peace and ending the Second Punic War.

    War· Tunisia

1st century BCE

  1. 73 BCE – 71 BCE★★★★★

    Slave revolt of Spartacus

    The gladiator Spartacus leads a major slave uprising in Italy (the Third Servile War) before it is crushed by Crassus.

    WarRevolution· Italy
  2. 52 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Alesia

    Julius Caesar defeats the Gallic leader Vercingetorix, effectively completing the Roman conquest of Gaul.

    War· France
  3. 49 BCE★★★★★

    Caesar crosses the Rubicon

    Julius Caesar leads his army across the Rubicon into Italy in defiance of the Senate, starting a civil war with Pompey.

    WarPolitics· Italy
  4. March 15, 44 BCE★★★★★

    Assassination of Julius Caesar

    Julius Caesar is stabbed to death in Rome by senators including Brutus and Cassius on the Ides of March.

    PoliticsDeath· Italy
  5. September 2, 31 BCE★★★★★

    Battle of Actium

    Octavian's fleet defeats Mark Antony and Cleopatra, clearing his path to supreme power in Rome.

    War· Greece

1st century

  1. 9★★★★★

    Battle of the Teutoburg Forest

    Germanic tribes led by Arminius annihilate three Roman legions, halting Roman expansion beyond the Rhine.

    War· Germany
  2. August 19, 14★★★★★

    Death of Augustus

    Augustus, the first Roman emperor, dies and is succeeded by his adopted son Tiberius.

    DeathPolitics· Italy
  3. 43★★★★★

    Roman conquest of Britain begins

    Under Emperor Claudius, Roman forces invade Britain, gradually making much of the island a province of the empire.

    War· United Kingdom
  4. July 64★★★★★

    Great Fire of Rome

    A great fire destroys much of Rome under Emperor Nero, who afterwards blames the city's Christians.

    Disaster· Italy
  5. 79★★★★★

    Eruption of Vesuvius buries Pompeii

    Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash and pumice and preserving them to this day.

    Disaster· Italy
  6. 80★★★★★

    Colosseum inaugurated

    Emperor Titus inaugurates the Flavian Amphitheatre in Rome with games lasting many days.

    CultureArt· Italy

2nd century

  3. March 17, 180★★★★★

    Death of Marcus Aurelius

    The death of the philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius is often regarded as marking the end of the Pax Romana.

    DeathPolitics

3rd century

  1. 235 – 284★★★★★

    Crisis of the Third Century

    The Roman Empire nearly collapses under civil wars, invasions, plague and economic crisis until Diocletian's accession.

    PoliticsEconomy· Italy

4th century

  1. October 28, 312★★★★★

    Battle of the Milvian Bridge

    Constantine defeats Maxentius near Rome; according to tradition he saw a Christian sign before the battle.

    WarReligion· Italy
  2. 313★★★★★

    Edict of Milan

    Emperors Constantine and Licinius agree on religious toleration, ending the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.

    ReligionPolitics· Italy
  3. 325★★★★★

    First Council of Nicaea

    The first ecumenical council of Christianity, convened by Constantine, condemns Arianism and formulates the Nicene Creed.

    Religion· Turkey
  4. May 11, 330★★★★★

    Dedication of Constantinople

    Emperor Constantine I dedicates Constantinople as the new capital of the Roman Empire.

    Politics· Turkey
  5. August 9, 378★★★★★

    Battle of Adrianople

    The Goths, many of whom had crossed the Danube fleeing the Huns, crush a Roman army and kill Emperor Valens.

    War· Turkey
  6. February 27, 380★★★★★

    Edict of Thessalonica

    Emperor Theodosius I proclaims Nicene Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire.

    ReligionPolitics· Greece
  7. 395★★★★★

    Permanent division of the Roman Empire

    After the death of Theodosius I, the empire is divided between his two sons into Western and Eastern halves, never to be reunited.

    Politics· Italy, Turkey

5th century

  1. August 24, 410★★★★★

    Visigoths sack Rome

    Visigoths under Alaric I enter and sack Rome, the first time in about 800 years the city had fallen to a foreign enemy.

    War· Italy
Timeline · World History Timeline