World History Timeline

Timeline

43 events

31st century BCE

  1. c. 31st century BCE★★★★★

    Narmer unifies Upper and Lower Egypt

    By tradition, King Narmer unites Upper and Lower Egypt, beginning the dynastic period of ancient Egypt.

    PoliticsDynasty· Egypt

26th century BCE

  1. c. 2560 BCE★★★★★

    Great Pyramid of Giza completed

    The pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu is completed; it remained the tallest human-made structure for nearly 4,000 years.

    CultureTechnology· Egypt

16th century BCE

  1. c. 1550 BCE★★★★★

    New Kingdom of Egypt begins

    Ahmose I expels the Hyksos and reunifies Egypt, opening the New Kingdom, the height of ancient Egyptian power.

    DynastyPolitics· Egypt

14th century BCE

  1. c. 1340s BCE★★★★★

    Akhenaten's religious reform

    Pharaoh Akhenaten elevates the worship of the Aten and moves the capital to Amarna, an unusual religious upheaval in Egyptian history.

    ReligionPolitics· Egypt

13th century BCE

  1. c. 1279 BCE – c. 1213 BCE★★★★★

    Ramesses II becomes pharaoh

    Ramesses II begins a reign of about 66 years, regarded as one of Egypt's most powerful and celebrated pharaohs.

    DynastyPolitics· Egypt
  2. c. 1259 BCE★★★★★

    Egyptian–Hittite peace treaty

    Ramesses II and the Hittite king Hattusili III conclude one of the earliest peace treaties whose text survives.

    TreatyPolitics· Egypt, Turkey

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

9th century BCE

  1. c. 814 BCE★★★★★

    Founding of Carthage

    By tradition, Phoenicians from Tyre found Carthage in North Africa, later a major commercial power of the western Mediterranean.

    PoliticsEconomy· Tunisia

3rd century BCE

  1. c. 300s BCE★★★★★

    Euclid's Elements

    In Alexandria, Euclid systematises geometry and number theory in the thirteen books of the Elements, one of the most influential mathematics textbooks ever written.

    Science· Egypt
  2. 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
  3. c. 240s BCE★★★★★

    Eratosthenes measures the Earth

    Eratosthenes estimates the Earth's circumference by comparing the angle of the Sun's rays at Syene and Alexandria, with a remarkably close result.

    Science· Egypt
  4. 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
  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

2nd century BCE

  1. 146 BCE★★★★★

    Rome destroys Carthage

    Ending the Third Punic War, Rome captures and destroys Carthage, making its territory the province of Africa.

    War· Tunisia

1st century BCE

  1. 30 BCE★★★★★

    Death of Cleopatra; Rome annexes Egypt

    After defeat by Octavian, Cleopatra VII takes her own life; the Ptolemaic dynasty ends and Egypt becomes a Roman province.

    PoliticsDeath· Egypt

2nd century

  2. c. 150s★★★★★

    Ptolemy's Almagest

    Claudius Ptolemy completes the Almagest, setting out a geocentric model of the cosmos that remains the standard work of astronomy for over a millennium.

    Science· Egypt

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. c. 350s★★★★★

    Decline of the Kingdom of Kush at Meroë

    The Nubian Kingdom of Kush, whose capital Meroë was famed for ironworking and pyramids, came to an end around the mid-4th century amid campaigns by Aksum.

    DynastyPolitics· Sudan

5th century

  1. 415★★★★★

    Murder of Hypatia

    The mathematician and philosopher Hypatia is murdered by a mob in Alexandria.

    DeathScience· Egypt

6th century

  1. 541★★★★★

    Plague of Justinian

    The first recorded pandemic of bubonic plague sweeps the Mediterranean, devastating the Byzantine Empire and killing vast numbers.

    Disease· Turkey, Egypt

7th century

  1. 639 – 642★★★★★

    Muslim conquest of Egypt

    Rashidun forces under Amr ibn al-As take Egypt from the Byzantines and found the city of Fustat.

    WarReligion· Egypt

8th century

  1. 711 – 718★★★★★

    Umayyad conquest of Hispania

    Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad cross the Strait of Gibraltar, defeat the Visigothic kingdom and take most of the Iberian Peninsula.

    War· Spain, Portugal

9th century

  1. 859★★★★★

    Al-Qarawiyyin founded in Fez

    Fatima al-Fihri founds the al-Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez, which grew into a major centre of learning in the Islamic world.

    ReligionCulture· Morocco

10th century

  1. 969★★★★★

    Fatimids conquer Egypt and found Cairo

    The Shia Fatimid Caliphate takes Egypt and builds Cairo as its new capital, along with the al-Azhar mosque.

    WarPoliticsReligion· Egypt

11th century

  1. c. 1011 – c. 1021★★★★★

    Ibn al-Haytham's Book of Optics

    Ibn al-Haytham composes the Book of Optics, explaining vision as light entering the eye and emphasising experimental method.

    Science· Egypt

13th century

  1. 1250 – 1517★★★★★

    Mamluk Sultanate established in Egypt

    Mamluk slave-soldiers overthrow the Ayyubids and seize power in Egypt, ruling Egypt and Syria for over two and a half centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· Egypt, Syria

14th century

  1. 1324★★★★★

    Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca

    Mansa Musa of Mali made the pilgrimage to Mecca with a vast retinue, spending so much gold in Cairo that its value fell, spreading Mali's fame across the Islamic world and Europe.

    ReligionEconomy· Mali, Egypt, Saudi Arabia
  2. 1325 – 1354★★★★★

    Travels of Ibn Battuta

    The Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta travels across the Islamic world and beyond, from West Africa to China, for nearly three decades.

    Exploration· Morocco

16th century

  1. 1516 – 1517★★★★★

    Ottomans conquer the Mamluk Sultanate

    Selim I defeats the Mamluks, annexing Syria, Egypt and the Hejaz and making the Ottomans the leading power of the Muslim world.

    War· Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia

18th century

  1. 1798 – 1801★★★★★

    Napoleon's campaign in Egypt and Syria

    French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte occupy Egypt but are eventually forced out; the expedition sparks European Egyptology.

    War· Egypt, Syria, Israel

19th century

  1. 1805★★★★★

    Muhammad Ali takes power in Egypt

    Muhammad Ali becomes governor of Egypt under nominal Ottoman rule, launching modernising reforms and founding a dynasty that ruled until 1952.

    PoliticsDynasty· Egypt
  3. November 17, 1869★★★★★

    Suez Canal opens

    The Suez Canal linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea opens, greatly shortening the sea route between Europe and Asia.

    TechnologyEconomy· Egypt

20th century

  1. November 4, 1922★★★★★

    Discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb

    Archaeologist Howard Carter discovers the nearly intact tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, causing a worldwide sensation.

    CultureExploration· Egypt
  2. July 23, 1952★★★★★

    Egyptian Revolution of 1952

    The Free Officers Movement overthrows King Farouk; Egypt becomes a republic and Gamal Abdel Nasser soon rises to lead it.

    RevolutionPolitics· Egypt
  3. November 1, 1954 – March 19, 1962★★★★★

    Algerian War of Independence

    The National Liberation Front (FLN) fights French rule; the war ends with the Évian Accords and Algerian independence in 1962.

    WarRevolution· Algeria, France
  4. October 29, 1956 – November 7, 1956★★★★★

    Suez Crisis

    After Nasser nationalises the Suez Canal, Israel, Britain and France attack Egypt but withdraw under US and Soviet pressure.

    WarPolitics· Egypt, Israel, United Kingdom, France
  5. May 25, 1963★★★★★

    Organisation of African Unity founded

    Leaders of 32 independent African states founded the Organisation of African Unity in Addis Ababa to promote unity and end colonialism on the continent.

    PoliticsTreaty· Ethiopia

21st century

  1. July 9, 2002★★★★★

    African Union launched

    The African Union was formally launched in Durban, replacing the Organisation of African Unity.

    Politics· South Africa
  2. December 17, 2010 – January 14, 2011★★★★★

    Tunisian Revolution begins the Arab Spring

    The self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi sparks protests that force President Ben Ali to flee, spreading into the Arab Spring.

    Revolution· Tunisia
  3. January 25, 2011 – February 11, 2011★★★★★

    Egyptian Revolution of 2011

    Mass protests centred on Tahrir Square force President Hosni Mubarak to resign after nearly 30 years in power.

    Revolution· Egypt
  4. February 2011 – October 2011★★★★★

    Libyan Civil War (2011)

    An uprising, backed by NATO military intervention, overthrows Muammar Gaddafi, who is killed in October 2011.

    WarRevolution· Libya
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