I cannot stress enough that I received the lion's share of my knowledge from my father-in-law, John's, Western Civilization and Survey of English History classes. He teaches at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, MO. Enroll in one of his courses, if you ever get the chance--he's the best!! Or at the very least, visit his Western Civilization sites (they include "Student Notes" and everything!!).

THESE TIMELINES WERE BEGUN FOR MY OWN PERSONAL USE. THESE TIMELINES SHOULD NOT BE USED AS RESOURCES FOR ANY KIND OF RESEARCH PAPER. THESE TIMELINES SHOULD ONLY BE USED AS AN AID TO GIVE A "JUMPING OFF POINT." THESE TIMELINES ARE NOT PEER-REVIEWED; THEREFORE, THEY ARE SUBJECT TO ANY NUMBER OF UNINTENTIONAL AUTHORIAL TYPING ERRORS AND/OR MISUNDERSTANDINGS. REMEMBER, INTERNET SOURCES (WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS) CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS DEFINITIVE SOURCES!!

Because I did these timelines initially only for my own personal use, I have paraphrased and quoted without citing as one should for a research paper; therefore, anyone using these timelines should consult the sources listed on the Historical Timelines Page.

DO NOT QUOTE FROM THESE TIMELINES!! ALWAYS DOUBLE-CHECK MY WORK!!!!

Ancient and Greek Civilizations:

Sumerians: @3000 BC

Mesopotamians:

Gilgamesh Epic (1^st half of 2^nd Millennium BC)-12 incomplete found in Akkadian language in Nineveh, Assyria plus 5 poems in Sumerian language found

Gilgamesh probably ruled @ 1^st half of the 3^rd millennium BC in Southern Mesopotamia

Egyptians:

Old Kingdom @2700 BC

Middle Kingdom @2100 BC

New Kingdom @1600 BC

Akhenaton (Amenhotep IV) (@14^th Century BC), King of Egypt (1379-1362 BC)

Considered 1^st Monotheist-Religion of Aton

Babylonians:

Hammurabi (?-1750 BC), King of 1^st Dynasty of Babylon (1792-1750 BC), Code of Hammurabi (Maybe oldest code of laws), Babylon is Capital

Hittites:

@1200 BC

Israel:

Moses (@14th-13th BC) Hebrew Prophet/Lawgiver

Jews take Canaanite territory @1100-1000 BC

Samuel (@11^th Century BC) Hebrew Judge/Prophet

Saul (@11^th Century BC), 1^st King of Israel (1020?-1000 BC)

David (?-962 BC), King of Israel and Judah (1000?-962 BC)

Makes Jerusalem Capital

Absalom (@1020 BC), 3^rd son of David, half-brother of Solomon, Rebelled against David-killed by Joab who gets killed by Solomon

Solomon (@10^th Century BC) King of Israel, Son of David and Bathsheba

Amos (@8^th Century BC) Prophet

Assyrians:

Coming up @900 BC

Wipe out Israel and dominate Judah @700 BC

Conquer Egypt @700 BC

New Babylonians:

New Babylonians, Medes, Persians destroy Assyria (@700-600 BC)

Nebuchadnezzar II (630?-562 BC), King of Babylon (605-562 BC)

Beat Jews and took them in exile to Babylon (@600 BC)

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Persians:

Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great) (585?-529? BC) King of Persia who beats New Babylonians (539 BC), allows Jews to return to Palestine

Croesus (?-546? BC), Last King of Lydia who is beaten by Cyrus

Darius I (Darius the Great) (550-486 BC), King of Persia (522-486 BC)

Darius II (Darius the Bastard) (?-404 BC), King of Persia (423-404 BC)

Cyrus the Younger (424?-401 BC) Persian prince

Greeks:

Aecheans in Peloponnesus @14th and 13^th Centuries BC

Bronze Age @2800 BC

Crete and Troy @2600-2500 BC

Mycenaeans begin in Southern Greece @2000 BC

Minoans on Crete destroyed by Barbarians @1500 BC

Theseus (Legendary figure of @1300-1200 BC)

Mycenaeans destroyed by Barbarians @1100-1000 BC

Trojan Wars @1200 BC Trojans/People of Troas vs. Greeks

Aegean Civilizations (Minoans and Mycenaeans) disappeared by @1100 BC

Hellenic up to 338 BC-when Greeks are in charge of own destiny

1^st Olympic Games (@800 BC)

Homer (800s or 700s? BC) Probable author of Iliad and Odyssey

Hesiod (8^th Century BC) Author of Theogony (Genealogy of the Gods)

1^st Messenian War (@700 BC) Messenia vs. Sparta, Spartans win and annex Messenia

2^nd Messenian War (Late 600s BC) Messenia vs. Sparta, Spartans get more militaristic after this

Solon of Athens (630?-560? BC) Poet/Athenian Statesman

Thales of Miletus (625?-547? BC) Philosopher/Scientist

Sappho (610?-580? BC) Female Lyric Poet

Pythagoras (580?-500?BC) Philosopher/Mathematician

Xenophanes (560?-478? BC) Philosopher

Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Tragic Playwright (Oresteia Trilogy and Prometheus Bound)

3^rd Messenian War (464-459 BC) Messenia vs. Sparta, Sparta wins but is considerably weakened

Peloponnesian League (Before 500 BC) Spartan-led League

Greco-Persian Wars (500-449 BC) Persian Empire vs. Greek City-States

Battle of Marathon (492 BC) Athenians win

Battle of Thermopylae (@482 BC) Athenians and Spartans lose

Battle of Salamis (Naval) (@482 BC) Athenians win

Anaxagoras (500?-428? BC) Philosopher

Sophocles (496-406 BC) Tragic Playwright (Oedipus Rex, Antigone, Electra)

Pericles (495?-429 BC) Statesman, Built Parthenon

Phidias (490-430 BC) Sculptor

Herodotus (484?-430 or 420 BC) "Father of History," Wrote history of Greco-Persian Wars

Euripides (484?-406 BC) Tragic Playwright (Medea, Orestes, Electra)

1^st Delian League (478-404 BC) Athenian-led League of Protection against Persians

Socrates (470-399 BC) Philosopher who taught Plato

Democritus (460?-370?BC) Philosopher

Aristophanes (450?-388? BC) Comic Playwright (The Birds, The Frogs, Lysistrate)

Age of Pericles (445-431 BC)

Peloponnesian War 431-404 BC Athenians (Sea Power) vs. Spartans (Land power, allied with Corinth and Thebes), Sparta ultimately wins

Xenophon (431?-352? BC) Soldier/Historian, Pupil of Socrates

Plato (Aristocles) (428-348 or 347 BC) Philosopher, Pupil of Socrates, Teacher of Aristotle

Epaminondas (410?-362 BC) Theban general

Thucydides (?-401? BC) "Greatest Historian of Antiquity," Wrote history of Peloponnesian War

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Philosopher, Pupil of Plato, Tutor of Alexander the Great

Demosthenes (384-322 BC) Athenian Orator/Statesman (wrote the "Philippics" which attacked Philip II of Macedon)

2^nd Delian League (378-338 BC) Athenian-led League of Protection against Spartans

Battle of Leuctra (371 BC) Epaminondas' "Sacred Band" of Thebans beat Spartans

Epicurus (341-270 BC) Philosopher, School of Epicureanism

Zeno of Citium (335?-263?) Philosopher, School of Stoics

Diogenes (?-320 BC?) Philosopher, School of Cynics

Hellenistic 338 BC-200 BC-when others are in charge of Greeks' destiny

Philip II of Macedon (382-336 BC), Ruler of Macedon (359-336 BC), Wins Greece in Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC

Alexander III of Macedon (Alexander the Great) (356-323 BC), Ruler of Macedonia (336-323 BC)-Founds Alexandria in 332 BC while conquering Asia (Persian Empire)-Empire is split up between generals at his death

Ptolemy I (367, 366, or 364-283 or 282 BC), King of Egypt (323-285 BC)-Had been one of Alexander the Great's generals-this starts new ruling house of Egypt

Seleucus I (between 358 & 354-281 BC), Satrap of Babylon (321-312 BC), King of Babylon (312-281 BC), Ruler of Seleucid Empire (306-281 BC)-one of Alexander the Great's generals

Archimedes (287?-212 BC) Roman Mathematician/Inventor

Eratosthenes of Cyrene (276?-194?BC) Astronomer/Geographer

Philip V of Macedon (238-179 BC), King of Macedonia (221-179 BC)

Perseus (212?-165? BC), Last king of Macedonia (179-168 BC)

Plutarch (46?-after 19 AD) Biographer

Greek War of Independence (1821-1829) trying to gain independence from Ottoman Empire.

Balkan Wars (1912-1913)

2 Successive Wars

1^st-Balkan League (Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, and Montenegro) won most of Ottoman Empire's European territory.

2^nd-Serbia, Greece, and Romania vs. Bulgaria over the district of Macedonia

Greece gets Southeast Macedonia and West Thrace.

World War I (1914-1918)

Franco-Prussian War almost makes this inevitable. Begins with the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo.

Central Powers: Austria-Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and OttomanEmpire/Turks vs. Allies: Great Britain, Russia, Italy, France, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro, and Japan; U.S. enters in 1917.

By Summer 1941-Germans had overrun Denmark, Norway, Greece, Crete, and Yugoslavia. Romania, Hungary, Finland, and Bulgaria allied with Germany for invasion of USSR which was halted by the USSR winter (1941-1942)

World War II (1939-1945)

Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Finland, Spain, Denmark, Manchukao, and Nanking vs. Allied Powers: England (except Ireland), France, Russia, Netherlands, and United States.

Kosovo War (Yugoslavian Serbs vs. NATO, mostly U.S.) (1999)

Serbs invaded Kosovo and began to massacre ethnic Albanians (much as they did to the Bosnians in the Bosnian War a few years earlier). NATO (mostly U.S.) Forces bombed several sites (including a Chinese Embassy by accident). Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic eventually agreed to our terms.