From: pharvey@quack.kfu.com (Paul Harvey)
Message-ID:
Here's my latest BCE timeline update, see if you can spot the Greeks.
BCE [Before Conversion Era]:
10,000: Neolithic Age, (domestication of plants and animals, the earth and
even human beings, i.e. "civilized man"), begins in Mesopotamia, SE Asia,
and Mexico; Ice Age glaciers retreat, Mediterranean climate, (dry summer),
develops in Med/Cali/SW Aus/Chile/S.Af; deserts appear in subtropics
8000: Copper Age begins in Middle East, hybrid wheats develop
7000: Jericho first walled and tower built with flint tools
5000: copper extraction from ores in Persia and Afghanistan, earliest
Mesopotamian cities, Egyptian calender of 12 months, 30 days each
4000: Bronze Age begins in Middle East, earliest Sumerian writing on clay,
White pottery in Egypt, Multi-colored ceramics in Central Asia and China
3500: Egypt united under King Menes the Fighter, Egyptian numerals, Sumerian
Cuneiform, Sumerian temple of Janna at Eridu, temple at Al Ubaid and tomb
of Mes-Kalam-Dug near Ur of the Chaldees, White temple at Uruk, Linen
3000-2500: Semitic tribes occupy Assyria, Phoenicians at Tyre and Sidon,
earliest settlements at Crete, height of Danubian culture, Chinese "Sage
Kings", Mis-anni-padda King of Ur - first Mesopotamian ruler, Pepi's papyrus
"Instructions to a Son", Earliest Egyptian Pharaohs, Troy, Cheops Pyramid
and Great Sphinx at Gizeh, beginning of systematic astronomical observations
in Egypt/Babylonia/India/China, Great Wall of Uruk, Sumerian base 6 and 12
numeral systems, Sumerian metal coins; wheel, horse, chariot developed in
central Asia
2772: Egyptian 365 day calender without adjustments
2750: Gilgamesh king of Uruk, "Gilgamesh built the walls" - Epic of Gilgamesh
2500-2000: first Egyptian libraries, snake/bull cult in Minoan Crete, Isis and
Osiris (resurrection) cult in Egypt, Ishtar in Babylonia, painted and black
pottery in China, Chinese 5-tone music scale, Map of Babylonia, Chinese
determine equinoxes and solstices and develop variable solar/lunar calender,
foundation of Memphis, cotton cultivation in Peru
2500: date of iron tool found stuck in an Egyptian pyramid
2500-2300: Yao dynasty of China
2500-1500: Indus valley civilization in India: Mohenjo Daro, Harappa
2400-2350: Lugalzaggisi, king of Uruk, "King of the Countries"
2350-2100: Sargon, first Akkadian king, "King of the Four Quarters"
2300-2205: Shun dynasty of China
2300: earliest named author, woman Enheduana writes Sumerian temple hymns
2350: town of Ai destroyed and abandoned [Hebrew 'ay:H5857 implies 'a ruin']
2200-1700: Egypt defeated and ruled by Hyksos, "Shepherd Kings"
2200-525: Dynasty of Pharaohs in Egypt
2200-1760: First Hsai dynasty of China
2000-1500: Hittite Empire of Asia Minor, Jomon people settle in Japan,
Hammurabi king of Babylonia and law giver including fees for eye surgery,
Cecrops first king of Attica Greece, Egyptian alphabet of 24 signs, oldest
novel "Story of Sinuhe" in Egypt, Semitic alphabet, Marduk god of Babylon,
Stonehenge, Egyptian Book of the Dead, Thutmose I builds first tomb in
Valley of Kings in Egypt, Oldest Palace at Mycenae, First Palace of Minos
at Cnossus Crete, Babylonian signs of the Zodiac, Egyptians use knotted
ropes to make 3-4-5 and other right triangles, Cretan decimal system,
polished marble water dam in India, Edwin Smith Papyrus describes medicine
and surgery, four basic elements earth/air/fire/water in India
2000: horse riders appear from central Asia: Scythians, Centaurs, Satyrs
2000-600: first of seven periods of Chinese literature
1887-1849: Sesostris III of Egypt invades Canaan
1766-1122: China united in Shang dynasty
1750-550: Persian Empire
1570-1200: Amosis I (1570-45) liberates Egypt from Hyksos, begins "New Kingdom"
1500-1000: Phrygians migrate from Thrace to Asia Minor, Chiapa de Carzo in
Mexico, Phoenicians reach Malta, King Shalmaneser I of Assyria founds
Nimrud, Ethiopia becomes independent nation, Dorians conquer Peloponnesus,
Medon first Archon abolishes monarchy in Athens, Rig-Veda of India, Early
Greek alphabet Linear-B at Cnossus, Hittite library has tablets in eight
languages, first Chinese dictionary, height of Mycenaean culture at Crete,
Ganges civilization in India, "Cleopatra's Needle" obelisk, Mexican Sun
Pyramid at Teotihuacan, Mexican Olmec culture, Mural in Thebes of female
musicians, Egyptian water flow meter in tomb of Amenhotep III, Magic Squares
& Permutations & right triangle formulas in China; Height of sun in relation
to incline of polar axis measured in China, Kikkuli of Mitanni writes
treatise on horse training and breeding, Corinth founded, Egypt regulates
sale of beer, Silk in China, Phoenicians mine tin for Bronze in England
1500: iron age begun by Hittites near Black Sea,"metal from heaven": meteorites
1490-1436: Thutmosis III of Egypt, conquers and annexes Canaan and Syria
1439-1406: Amenophis II of Egypt, 3 military campaigns in Asia [Canaan & Syria]
1406-1398: Thutmosis IV of Egypt, "Conqueror of Haru [Canaan & Syria]"
1369-1353: Akhenaten of Egypt, first Monotheist, "Hymns to Aton", Ps118:22-23?
1353-1342: Tutankhamen of Egypt, Akhenaten's Monotheism is rejected
1308-1290: Seti I of Egypt, military campaigns into Canaan
1300: Lion Gate of Mycenae built, ancient site of Jericho abandoned
1300?: 1st wave of Hebrew invasion of Canaan from Kadesh-barnea by Joshua, Nm33
1290-1224: Rameses II of Egypt, time of the Hebrew [Egyptian: `Apiru?] Exodus?
1285: Battle of Kadesh, Egypt v. Hittites, Hittites advance south to Damascus
1269: peace treaty between Rameses II of Egypt and Hattusilis III the Hittite,
Egyptian bases at Damascus and Sumur on coast, Hittites just north in Syria
1250-1200: Lachish, Kirjath-sepher/Debir, Eglon, Hazor, Bethel destroyed
1250?: 2nd wave of Hebrew invasion of Canaan from Kadesh-barnea by Leah tribes
1224-1214: Pharaoh Merneptah, plunders Canaan, defeats Askelon, captures
Gezer, annihilates Yanoam, (a town just south of Lake Galilee): "Israel
[male gender, a tribe not a land] is laid waste and his seed is not.",
earliest known reference to Israel, [Unauthorized Version, Fox, p.225-226]
1220: Philistines (The Sea Peoples) attack Egyptian western Delta
1214-1198: period of anarchy in Egypt, perhaps invasion from north? Jg3:3-10?
1200: Epic of Gilgamesh written in Uruk, Babylon (see 2750)
1200: domestication of camel, fully nomadic Arabian desert tribes flourish
1200: Hittite empire mysteriously disappears [Philistines?]
1198-1166: Rameses III of Egypt, last period of Egyptian influence in Canaan
1187: Rameses III records battles against raiding Philistines in Canaan
1193: Troy 6 (Ilion) destroyed, (Homer's Trojan War?) (Philistines?)
1146-1123: Nebuchadnezzar I king of Babylon
1125?: Battle of Deborah, Israel v. Canaan, key battle for Hebrews, [Judg4,5]
1114-1076: Tiglath-pileser I of Assyria conquers Babylon but prevented from
entering Syria by Arameans who control and occupy Syria at this time
1050?: Philistines settled in Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath and Ekron
1050?: Philistines defeat Hebrews in battle of Aphek, Shiloh sacked, [1S4 ...]
1006-1004: Saul first king of Israel [1Sm11:15], defeated by Philistines
1004-965: King David of united Israel, capital/fortress Jerusalem, Ark of
Covenant, gains control of "King's Highway" trade route from Damascus to
Edom, trades with Phoenicians at Tyre and Sidon, quells internal revolts ...
10th: Ionians exiled from Greece to Asia Minor where they found 12 cities
including Miletus and Ephesus, Beijing China founded, Chinese script fully
developed, Hebrew alphabet developed: Song of Deborah [Judges5], Song of
Miriam [Exo15:1-18] and Song of Songs earliest Hebrew lit., Greek script
based on old Semitic-Phoenician + vowels, Classical Greek Paganism, brush
and ink painting in China, Temple of Hera in Olympia Greece, steel being
made in India, India develops 360 day year with adjustment to true solar
year, Chinese textbook of Math, Chaldeans use water filled cube to measure
time, weight and length
965-928: King Solomon, builds Jerusalem Temple, height of Israeli culture,
a reign of peace, establishes control of Via Maris 'Sea Road' trade route
along coast through Philistia, builds leading trade state between Egypt and
Asia Minor, marries daughter of Pharaoh, establishes spice trade with Queen
of Sheba, sea route from Ezion-geber on Red Sea to Ophir Africa, mines ...
950: "Ten Commandments," or Decalogue written in Israel (Northern Kingdom)
945: Shishak of Egypt, hostile to Israel, harbors rebel Jeroboam & seeds split
928: united Israel splits into Israel and Judah; Ammon, Moab, Edom independent
928-917: Rehoboam I king of Judah (Southern Kingdom, 2 tribes: Judah/Benjamin)
928-907: Jeroboam I king of Israel (Northern Kingdom, 10 tribes)
923: Shishak of Egypt sacks 150 cities of Israel and Judah [1K14:25],
Jerusalem spared after Rehoboam pays tribute of Temple and Palace treasures
917-908: Abijam king of Judah, son of Rehoboam, campaigns against N. Kingdom
908-867: Asa king of Judah
907-906: King Nadab of Northern Kingdom, son of Jeroboam
906-883: Baasha ben Ahijah kills entire Jeroboam family, king of N. Kingdom
884-859: Ashur-nasirpal II king of Assyria
883: Ben-hadad of Damascus sacks N. Kingdom for Asa king of Judah [1K15:17-20]
882-871: Omri king of Northern Kingdom, alliance with Judah and Tyre
879: Omri builds Samaria as capital of Northern Kingdom (Beth-Omri)
871-852: Ahab king of Northern Kingdom, son of Omri, regains King's Highway,
marries Jezebel (daughter of king of Tyre) who introduces cult of Melqart
the Baal of Tyre into Northern Kingdom, erects temple to Melqart in Samaria
859-824: Shalmaneser III king of Assyria
853: Battle of Qarqar, Assyria v. Syrian alliance which includes Ahab and wins
851-842: Jehoram king of Northern Kingdom, son of Ahab
850?: Homer, Greek epic poet, (probably pseudonym), Iliad and Odyssey
849,848,845: Assyria continues campaign agaist Syrian alliance
842: Jehu, a general, (aided by Elisha the prophet), king of N. Kingdom,
kills Jehoram, Jezebel, Ahaziah king of Judah, all Ahab's offspring and
all followers of Baal cult, destroys Baal temple in Samaria [2K9]
841: beginning of verified Chinese historical chronology
814: Hazael of Syria (Aram) takes Ammon/Moab/Edom; threatens Israel and Judah
814-800: Jehoahaz king of Northern Kingdom, son of Jehu
8th: Greeks settle on Spanish coast, found Messina and Syracuse in Sicily,
Etruscans enter Italy, "Book of Songs" - Chinese poetry, Egyptian fable
"Battle between Head and Belly", Syria adopts Aramaic, Greek poet Hesiod
writes "Theogony" (creation story) "Works and Days" "Shield of Heracles"
and names the nine Muses, a woman as high priest at Thebes, Apollo worshiped
at Delphi, Spartan Laws of Lycurgus, Babylonian 5 and 7 tone scales, first
Roman king Romulus develops 10 month calender, Chinese perfect art of
precision bronze casting
798-769: Amaziah king of Judah, regains Edom, looses war with Israel, 2K14:7-21
796: Adad-nirara III (810-782) of Assyria sacks Damascus, Syria [2K13:5]
785: King Joash of N. Kingdom (800-784) sacks Jerusalem, raids Temple 2K14:7-21
784-748: Jeroboam II, son of Joash, last important ruler of Northern Kingdom
784-733: Uzziah, prince-regent then king of Judah, son of Amaziah [2Chr26]
776: first recorded Olympic Games, perhaps as early as 1350, women excluded
775: (E) Elowist source of Gn/Ex written in Northern Kingdom
775: first authenticated date in Chinese history, Solar eclipse on Sept 6th
753: Rome founded, year one in Roman calender: A.U.C. = ab urbe condita
750: Hosea, Amos, Micah; written in Northern Kingdom
750: (J) Yahwist source of Gn/Ex/Lv/Nm written in Judah, Gn2:5 ...
745-727: Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria, becomes dominant power in Near East
730-700: Hesiod, Greek poet, first Greek on origins of gods
732: Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria captures and occupies Damascus, Syria
transformed into an Assyrian province, likewise Galilee becomes Magiddu
727-722: Shalmaneser V, king of Assyria, son of Tiglath-pileser III
727-698: Hezekiah king of Judah
722: Northern Kingdom Israel and capital Samaria fall to Shalmaneser V of
Assyria. [2K17:3-6] All Jews are expelled and a new nation is formed called
Samerina. These are the "lost tribes", "lost sheep" as Jesus later refers
to.
720: Sargon of Assyria quells rebellion in Samaria, recaptures Syro-Palestine
715-672: Numa Pompilius 2nd king of Rome adds Jan/Feb to Romulus' 10mon calen.
705: Sargon killed in battle, mass rebellion throughout Assyrian empire
705-681: King Sennacherib of Assyria
702: Sennacherib of Assyria regains control of Babylon
701: Sennacherib sacks Jerusalem then quickly retreats [2K18:13-19:37,I36-37]
7th: core of Isaiah written, (Isaiah was 8th century Hebrew prophet), Indian
Vedas completed, Greeks worship Apollo/Dionysus, golden age of divination
in Assyria, first Doric columns in Peloponnesus, first Ionic columns on
Samos, Athenian Acropolis begun, temple to Marduk (Tower of Babel?) begun
in Babylon, King Assurbanipal builds famous library of 22,000 clay tablets,
Glaucus of Chios invents soldering of iron, Pharaoh Nechos starts canal
between Nile and Red Sea, King Sennacherib first recorded alpinist, coins
in Lydia made of electrum: a gold-silver alloy
700-200: second period of Chinese literature
690-638: Manassseh king of Judah, sacrificed his son to Molech ... [2K21:2-7]
689: Sennacherib destroys Babylon, Euphrates diverted to flood site
681-669: Esarhaddon king of Assyria, son of Sennacherib
679: Esarhaddon defeats Tirhakah of Egypt in Philistia, regains coastal control
671: Esarhaddon conquers the Nile Delta region, controlled until 649
669-627: Ashurbanipal king of Assyria, son of Esarhaddon
650: Sappho of Lesbos, Greek poetess
638-609: Josiah king of Judah, institutes reforms [2K22-23,2Ch34]
627: Babylon revolts, neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) empire founded by Nabopolassar
622-621: Deuteronomy found in Temple, compiled 700-660?, [2K22-23,2Ch34]
620: Draco of Athens writes Draconian Laws
614: Medes of Persia sack city of Ashur, Assyria
612: Ninevah destroyed by Babylonians and Medes, end of Assyrian empire
610?: core of Book of Kings (I & II) written in Jerusalem
609: Pharaoh Necho dethrones Jehoahaz of Judah, installs Jehoiakim as king
605-562: Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylonia
605: Nebuchadnezzar II defeats Pharaoh Necho at battle of Carchemish
6th: Axis Era [Confucius, Lao Tzu, Buddha, Pythagoras, Deutero-Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) ...] called the zenith of human
wisdom and achievement, Mayan civilization in Mexico, Rome declares republic,
oldest extant Latin, Fables of Aesop, theater arts begin in Delphi, Age of
Seven Wise Men of Greece: Thales, Pittacus, Bias, Solon, Cleobulus,
Periander, Chilo; height of oracle at Delphi and its priestess, Mahavira
Jina (Vardhamana) founds Jainism, Athens builds public libraries, Shwe Dagon
Pagoda of Burma, Hecatompedon in Athens, Temple of Artemis at Ephesus,
European La Tene culture, Temple of Apollo at Corinth, Temple of Olympian
Zeus at Athens, Temple of Ceres at Paestum, Romans begin building with arched
(semicircle) ceilings adopted from Etruscans, T. Priscus builds first Roman
stone bridge, first record of circumnavigation of Africa, by Phoenicians
for Pharaoh Necho, took three years; Cyrus of Persia establishes a pony
express courier service, Persians adopt tight fitting leather clothes,
Darius of Persia explores Indian coast ...
598: Nebuchadnezzar II dethrones Jehoiachin of Judah, installs Zedekiah as king
594: Pharaoh Necho dies, new Pharaoh Psammetichus II (594-589)
590: Zedekiah of Judah revolts against Babylon with Egyptian assistance
586: Judah, Jerusalem, Temple fall to Babylon. Jews and their scrolls and other
Temple artifacts are exiled to Babylon, Temple destroyed [2K25]
585: Jeremiah, who fled to Egypt, dies there
580: Heraion, Greek temple of Hera the Queen of Heaven, island of Samos
575: (P) Priestly source of Gn/Ex/Lv/Nm written in Babylon, Gn 1-2:4 ...
560: (D) Deuteronomist source of Joshua to Kings written in Babylon
560: Solon, b.640, Athenian law giver and statesman
556-552: Nabonidus king of Babylon,literate,tried to elevate Sin the moon-god
553?: Zarathushtra, b. 630?, Persian Dualism, (Good/Evil), Zoroastrianism
564: Anaximander of Miletus, b.611, Greek philosopher
552-543: Bel-shar-usur (Belshazzar of Daniel) acting regent of Babylon
550-530: Cyrus the Great of Persia, restores various native religions
545: Thales of Miletus, b.624, Greek philosopher and mathematician, first
known accurate prediction of solar eclipse in Europe
543-539: Nabonidus returns from Teima Arabia as king of Babylon
539: Babylon falls to Persia, Cyrus named "King of Babylon, King of the Lands"
538-530: Cyrus grants Temple rebuilding to Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel, Ez1:1f
in Hebrew, Ez6:3f in Babylonian Aramaic, work halted during Cambyses II reign
536: Milo of Crotona takes six crowns in Olympic Games
531?: Lao Tzu, b. 604?, (pseudonym?), Chinese philosopher, Tao Te Ching
530: Second Isaiah written in Babylon by Deutero-Isaiah, proclaims Cyrus as
Jewish Messiah because of his decree to rebuild Temple, [I44:25-45:4]
530-522: Cambyses II king of Persian empire, defeats and becomes King of Egypt
526: Anaximenes of Miletus, b.586, Greek philosopher
522-483: Darius I king of Persian empire, creates 20 provinces (satrapies)
521: Buddha goes to the holy city Benares, first sermon in deer park
515: Second Jerusalem Temple construction completed during Darius I reign
510: Cleisthenes introduces sweeping democratic reforms in Athens
509: Romans complete Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus
500: Indian surgeon Susrata performs cataract operations
500-300: Attic Greek of Athens becomes standard Greek, height of Greek lit.
498: Temple of Saturn in Rome
497: Pythagoras, b. 570, inventor of Greek mathematics, musical octave
483-465: Xerses king of Persian empire, b. 519, decline of empire begins
464-424: Artaxerxes I king of Persian empire, Greeks aid Egyptians in revolt
465: Democracy in Syracuse
483: Heraclitus, b. 544, Greek philosopher, "Concerning Nature"
483?: Gautama Buddha, Siddhartha, b. 563?, Indian philosopher, Buddhism
479: K'ung Fu Tzu, Confucius, b. 551, Chinese philosopher, Confucianism
465: Sparta damaged by earthquakes
451: Three Roman senators sent to Athens to study Laws of Solon (see 560)
450: Torah (Pentateuch) compiled from E/J/P/D sources in Babylon
450: Roman Law codified as the Twelve Tables by the Decemvirs
445: Nehemiah comes from Babylon to aid in Temple rebuilding at Jerusalem
445-415: "30-year truce" between Athens and Sparta
431-404: Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta
431: Temple of Apollo in Rome
430: Ruth written
424-405: Darius II king of Persian empire
424: Herodotus, b.485, Greek "Father of History"
415: "real" war begins between Athens and Sparta
407: Rhodes built by Hippodamus of Miletus
406: Sophocles, b. 496?, Greek tragic dramatist
405-359: Artaxerxes II king of Persian empire
403: Tzu-ssu, b. 482, Chinese philosopher, "The Central Harmony"
400: Thucydides, b. 471, Greek historian
399: Socrates, b. 470?, Greek philosopher
398?: (458?) Ezra brings Torah to Jerusalem from Babylon
390: Gauls from northern Italy under Brennus sack Rome, "Vae victis"
380-343: 30th and last native dynasty in Egypt
377: City walls of Rome built
377?: Hippocrates, b. 460?, Greek "Father of Medicine"
366: Temple of Concordia in Rome
356: China begins building Great Wall against Huns
350: "The Chronicler" writes Chronicles, Ezra/Nehemiah?, probably in Jerusalem
350: Jonah, Job, Judith, Tobit written
350: Revolt of the Jews against Artaxerxes III
350: Indian epic Mahabharata (inc. Bhagavad Gita), recounts events 1400-800 BCE
350: Heraclides, disciple of Plato, teaches heliocentric system
350: Shuang Tzu, (Tzu means Master), Chinese philosopher
347: Plato, b. 427?, Greek philosopher
343: Persians reconquer Egypt
343: Aristotle begins teaching Alexander the Great the son of Zeus and a virgin
340: Praxagoras of Cos discovers difference between arteries and veins
338: Artaxerses III of Persia assassinated, Arses reigns
338: first Roman coins
336: Philip of Macedon assassinated at Aegae, Alexander reigns
336: Arses of Persia assassinated, Darius III Codomannus reigns
335: Aristotle returns to Athens and founds Peripatetic philosophy school
334-333: Alexander the Great of Macedon defeats Darius III at Granicus, Issus
332: Alexander the Great of Macedon (356-323) establishes Greek Empire
330: Darius III of Persia murdered
330: Greek explorer Pytheas of Massilia (Marseilles) reaches Britain
327: Alexander invades India to the Indus river but generals turn back
325: earliest extant Greek papyrus, "Persae of Timotheus of Miletus"
323: wars of the diadochs or 'successors' who fought over inheritance of Alex.
323: remaining Jews in Judea sent to Alexandria, Egypt by Ptolemy Soter
323: Euclid's "Elements", standard work on geometry
322: Aristotle, b. 384, Greek philosopher
320: Ptolemy Soter of Egypt (Ptolemaic Empire) invades Syria
319: Chandragupta Maurya (India) expells Macedonians, founds Mauryan dynasty
314: Syria-Mesopotamia (Seleucid Empire) rule Galilee/Samaria/Judea
312: Judea ruled by Antigonus I
312: Roman Censor Appius Claudius Caecus, Appian aqueduct, Appian Way
307: Museum and Library of Alexandria begun under Ptolemy Soter
301: Antigonus I killed, Ipsus Battle of Kings, Judea reverts to Ptolemaic rule
300: Atetello at Teotihuacan, Mexican sun temple
300-550CE: Koine (Common) Greek from Alexandria becomes standard Greek
300?: Euclid, Greek mathematician and physicist
285-246: Ptolemy II Philadelphos rules Egypt, including Judea/Samaria/Galilee
275: end of history of city of Babylon the Great
275: Manetho, Egyptian high priest, writes History of Egypt, in Greek
275: Colossus of Rhodes, destroyed by earthquake in 224
270: Epicurus, b. 342, Greek philosopher
270?: Zeno of Citium, b. 342?, founder of Greek Stoic philosophy
268: first appearance of Roman silver coin, the Denarius
264: Roman public gladiator combats
264-241: First Punic War
255: Septuagint LXX translation (Hebrew -> Greek) begun in Alexandria, Egypt
250: Ecclesiastes written by Jesus ben Sirach
250: Synagogues, places to study Torah, appear
250: Arcesilaus founds Second Academy of Athens
250: Asoka the Great, d.232, buddhist king of Magadha (273-232), unites India
in "unity of diversity," erects columns 40ft high inscribed with Laws of
Peaceful Nonviolence later picked up by Gandhi and Martin Luther King
247-221: Ptolemy III Euergetes, king of Egypt, includes Judea/Samaria/Galilee
239: Egyptians add leap year to calender
233: Sun Tzu, (Tzu means Master), Chinese philosopher, "The Art of War"
225: Quintus Fabius Pictor, first Roman historian
223-187: Antiochus III, Seleucid king of Syria-Mesopotamia
223-217: Judea/Samaria/Galilee under rule of Antiochus III
221: China standardizes weights and measures
219-201: Second Punic War
217: Antiochus III defeated by Ptolemy IV Philopator at Raphia,
Judea/Samaria/Galilee revert to Ptolemaic rule until 198
200: Book of Esther written in Susa, Persia
200: Cato the Elder of Rome writes "De agricultura"
200?: Ma-wang-tui silks, oldest and complete Tao Te Ching (Taoism), Lao Tzu
200?: Targums begun, paraphrases of Hebrew Scriptures into Syrian Aramaic
200?: Aristophanes of Byzantium, librarian at Alexandria, invents vowel accents
200?-68CE: Qumran community, Dead Sea Scrolls (1949), Essene?, mostly Hebrew
198: Antiochus III of Syria takes Judea/Samaria/Galilee from Egypt, Seleucid
(Greek Babylonian) Empire begins period of extreme missionary Hellenism
194: Eratosthenes, b.276, accurately calculates earth's circumference
182: Hannibal, Carthaginian general, crossed the Alps, b.246
180?: Wisdom of Ben Sira written in Jerusalem
179: Pons Aemilius, first stone bridge in Rome
175-163: Antiochus Epiphanes IV, Seleucid king of Syria, persecutes Jews
170: Jerusalem High Priest Jason builds gymnasium for Greek athletic games
170: Ennius the poet, b.239, "Father of Latin Literature"
168: Antiochus IV plunders and desecrates Jerusalem Temple, erects Zeus altar
167: Temple worship abolished in December by Antiochus IV
167-164: Maccabean Revolt, Judean response to above
164: Jerusalem Temple rededicated by Judas Maccabaeus
164: Daniel written in Jerusalem, 1/2 Aramaic, some basis in past: 280-180
160-144: Jonathan Maccabaeus, High Priest and King of Jerusalem
149-146: Third Punic War, Romans kill 450,000 at Carthage ...
149: Hu Shin produces Chinese dictionary of 10,000 characters
147: Greece under Roman rule
144: Jonathan Maccabaeus, who succeeded Judas, assassinated
144-135: Simon Maccabaeus rules Jerusalem, expels Syrians
133: Asia Minor annexed by Rome
135-104: John Hyrkanos I, Ethnarch and High Priest of Jerusalem, "age of
expansion", annexes Transjordan, Samaria, Idumea. Forces Idumeans to convert
to Hellenistic Judaism
130: 1 Maccabees, a Greek translation of lost Hebrew original
120: 2 Maccabees, a Greek text based on earlier Greek text now lost
112: Rise of Pharisees (a lay group) and Sadducees (Priests) in Judea
105: Jugurtha king of Numidia Africa defeated by Marius and Sulla of Rome
105: first College of Technology in Alexandria, founded by mathematician Heron
103: Aristobulus I, High Priest and King of Jerusalem, was a brute
102-75: Alexander Janneus, High Priest and King of Jerusalem, was cruel
100: Ossuaries, stone bone boxes, with Greek inscriptions appear in Jerusalem
100: tomb of Goliath family linked to Temple Priesthood, inscriptions in Greek
90: Vitruvius' "De architectura"
82: Alexander Polyhistor of Miletus writes a history of the Jews
78: Book of Esther translated into Greek in Jerusalem
75-69: Hyrcanus II, High Priest of Jerusalem
75-69: Salome Alexandra, Queen of Jerusalem, last independent Judean ruler
69: Hyrcanus II deposed, rise of House of Antipater in Jerusalem
69-63: Aristobulus II, High Priest and King of Jerusalem
63-41: Hyrcanus II is back as High Priest of Jerusalem
63: Pompey the Great (106-48) of Rome captures Jerusalem
55: Cicero's "De oratore", "De republica" in 54
54: erection of new (Julian) forum in Rome
51: Caesar's "De bello Gallico", account of Gallic War, "De bello civili" in 47
47: Herod governor of Galilee
47: Library of Ptolemy I in Alexandria destroyed by fire
46: North Africa becomes Roman province
46: Julian calendar of 365.25 days, leap year
44: Gaius Julius Ceasar, b.100, Roman jurist, "et tu Brutus"
40-37: Antigonus, High Priest and King of Jerusalem
40: Herod appointed king of Judea in Rome by Mark Antony and Octavian Augustus
37: Herod captures Jerusalem
37-4: King Herod the Great of Judea, b. 73?, an Idumean, "Massacrer of the
Innocents", kills Antigonus and all heirs, Augustus said: "One would rather
be Herod's swine than his son", posed as a champion of Hellenistic culture,
purely Greek inscriptions used on coins and weights, Herod's Jerusalem was
thoroughly Hellenic including a Greek theatre and Hippodrome.
31: Egypt falls to Rome, becomes Roman province, Cleopatra VII commits suicide
31-14CE: Octavian Augustus, b. 63, 1st Roman emperor, son of Apollo and virgin
30: Roman Pantheon begun
25: 3 Maccabees written in Alexandria
19-4: Herod rebuilds a Hellenized Jewish Temple, includes Roman eagle gate
12-4: Jesus [G:Iesous,H:Yeshu,E:Joshua] son of Mary of Nazareth, Galilee born
6: Judea officially annexed as a province, (part of Syria), by Rome
4-39CE: Herod Antipas, son of Herod & Malthace(Samaritan), tetrarch of Galilee
4-6CE: Herod Archelaus, son of Herod & Malthace, ethnarch of Judea, "The Fool"
4-34CE: Philip, son of Herod & Cleopatra, tetrarch of Iturea & Trachonitis
2: Ovid's "Ars Amatoria"
