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
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Events this year
Ongoing
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