Year 1197 BCE

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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

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

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

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

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