A Timeline of the Ancient Near East

 BEGINNING OF FARMING AND DOMESTICATION

o 10.000-7.300 PPNA (PRE-POTTERY NEOLITHIC A PERIOD)

o 7.300 – 6.000 PPNB First Villages – PIEDMONTS AND MOUNTAINS

o PNP (POTTERY NEOLITHIC PERIOD) / PROTO-LITERATE PERIOD [C. 6500-3200 BC]

o 6500 – 4000 HALAF/HASSUNA/SAMARRA (UPPER MESOPOTAMIA)

o 5000 – 4000 UBAID (LOWER MESOPOTAMIA)
o 6000 – 3600 EGYPT: PREDYNASTIC MERIMDE- FAYUM/BADARIAN-NAQADA I
o 4000 - 3200 THE Big Bang of urban explosion: ERIDU/URUK/SUSIANA (LOWER
MESOPOTAMIA). First Cities and States

 HISTORICAL PERIODS (INVENTION OF WRITING)

 3200-1800 BC FIRST KINGDOMS

o 3200-3000 SUMER. Sumerian Jmdet Nasr Period
o 3100 EGYPT. Unification by King Menes (Narmer) [1st Dynasty] –OLD KINGDOM
o 3100-2350 SUMER. Early Dynastic Period– City states
o 2350-2150 AKKAD. The Akkadian “Empire”– Sargon of Akkad
o 2150-2125 SUMER. Neo-Sumerian III Dynasty of Ur
o 2144-2124 SUMER. Neo-Sumerian Gudea (PATESI, ensi) of Lagash
o 2124 MESOPOTAMIA The Gutti and Shimaski “Invasion” (2124-2100)
o 2100 Fall of Ur (“end” of Sumerian Civilization)

 2025-1800 ISIN and LARSA Dynasties; The ELAMITE Kingdom

 2080 EGYPT Mentuhotep reunites the country - MIDDLE KINGDOM

Ca. 2000-1500 BC REGIONAL EMPIRES

 1930 EGYPT Amenemhet I expansions into Nubia and the Levant

 1730-1530 EGYPT Hycksos Invasion and ruling
 1800-1500 MESOPOTAMIA –AGE OF THE GREAT KINGDOMS (and Empire Building)
 OLD BABYLONIAN
 OLD ASSYRIAN
 OLD ELAMITE
 OLD HITTITE
 1550 EGYPT Expulsion of Hycksos by Amose I - NEW KINGDOM

Ca. 1500-1000 BC THE INTERNATIONAL AGE

 1500-1000 THE INTERNATIONAL AGE

 KASSITES (IN BABYLONIA)
 MIDDLE ASSYRIAN
 MIDDLE ELAMITE
Ca. 1350 Golden Age of Untash Napirisha and the City of Gods (Choga Zanbil)
 MIDDLE HITTITE
 1354-1337 BC EGYPT Amenophis IV (Akhenaten) and Nefertiti – Amarna
1290 EGYPT Ramses II, Golden Age

 1000-538
 The ASSYRIAN EMPIRE
 NEO- ELAMITE
 NEO-BABYLONIAN
 NEO-HITTITE
 1069-332 EGYPT Ruled by Libyans, attacked by Assyria and conquered by Persia
 538-323 THE PERSIAN EMPIRE