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Antiquity

Antiquity is the first epochs of history. For a civilization, Antiquity begins with the development or adoption of the writing. The transition from antiquity has thus arisen at different times for different people. Antiquity following the period of prehistory , or of the protohistoric.

Similarly, the ancient ends on different dates for different regions of the world, and precedes the Middle Ages or the modern era , as civilization.

In history European , Antiquity means the period of civilizations of the writing around the Mediterranean and the Middle East after the Prehistory and before the Middle Ages. Most historians estimated that begins in ancient times there ^IVth millennium BC. BC ( -3500 , -3000 ) with the invention of writing in Mesopotamia and Egypt , and saw its end during the great migrations of Eurasian around ^the fifth century ( 300 to 600 ). The date is symbolic on civilization or nation, the deposition of the last Western Roman Emperor in 476 is a landmark treaty for Europe West , but other terminals can be significant for the end of the ancient world. In a Eurocentric approach, antiquity is often reduced to ancient Greco-Roman called classical antiquity.

In the Americas , is associated with ancient pre-Columbian civilizations , so that it starts around 1200 BC with the invention of writing system icons - ideograms by the Olmecs ^Africa

The hieroglyphic writing is attested from the end of IV ^millenniumBC. AD.

The end of ancient Egyptian history varies depending on the perspective adopted. It concludes:

a view ethnological , death of the last pharaoh Aboriginal Nectanebo II in -343 , and ancient Egyptian becomes intermingled with that of the Hellenistic world;
a point of view policy , the death of the last sovereign autonomous Ptolemy XV Caesarion in -30 and Egyptian antiquity becomes intermingled with that of the Roman world;
a cultural point of view, upon conversion of the last Egyptian temple into a church Coptic , the temple of Isis at Philae in 535 (closed in 551 ).

America

Main article: Pre-Columbian Civilizations.

Europe

Agrigento Temple of Concord

In Europe , beginning with the ancient Minoan civilization in Crete between -2700 and -1200. The latter invented writing Linear A , then a derivative, Linear B , the first forms of written evidence about the continent that were used to write an archaic form of Greek. Later, the records derived from the Greek alphabet (based on the Phoenician alphabet ) is needed on the entire continent (alphabets Etruscan , Latin , Cyrillic and Glagolitic , Gothic , etc.)..

The End of Antiquity - whose civilizations reference for Europe are the ancient Greece and ancient Rome - is traditionally set at the fall of the Roman Empire in 476. The period of barbarian invasions (see Late Antiquity ) is at the crossroads of antiquity and the period following the Middle Ages.

Because of the permanence of the great features of Late Antiquity - Roman civilization and the Netherlands continued in the East Roman Empire ( Byzantium ) - beyond the political event constituted by the deposition of the last Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus The medieval historian Jacques Le Goff has proposed to extend such late antiquity until ^the tenth century. In contrast, other historians of the Middle Ages ^Asia

Mesopotamia

The oldest known ancient civilization is that of Sumer in Mesopotamia. To -3400 , she developed writing called cuneiform , which forms the pictograms were taking sharp, because of the tapered shape of the reed with which they were drawn.

China / Japan

Antiquity ends around the year -200 in China and India , respectively with the Qin Dynasty who inaugurated the Imperial period in China and the beginning of the dynasty Chola. It starts much later in Japan : in 250 with the Yamato period , which is followed in 710 by the Nara period. The ancient Japanese ends in 1185 with the end of the Heian period.

Chronology

The three major ages in antiquity:
- The Copper Age , which began around 3800 BC, spread throughout the Indo-European from -3500 and up to -2500 ;
- To -2500 begins the Bronze Age ;
- Around 1200 BC: Start the Iron Age.

The first three great civilizations:
- Around 3300 BC: civilization Sumerian in Mesopotamia (now Iraq ) invented cuneiform writing (city-states of Ur , Uruk ...). The first empire in the region, the Akkadian Empire , founded around 2345 BC, lasted only a century.
- Around 3100 BC: the unification of Egypt by Narmer (Mani), a follower of Horus, let's not forget the Scorpion King Narmer preceding 300 years. The hieroglyphic writing is, it was invented around 3400 BC The ancient Egyptian civilization was born Kemet very well before the others because the discovery of the removal of iliac Sepedet (Sirius, Sothis) and any state organization that it requires, to 4332 BC, shows the precedence of the ancient Egyptian civilization, Kemet.
- Around 2500 BC: peak of the civilization of the Indus (cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa ). Their writing is not yet deciphered.

List of important dates:
- Around 2205 BC: Rise of the Great Yu in China.
- Towards 2065 / 1786 BC: Egyptian Middle Kingdom.
- Around 2000 BC: Indo-European Invasions.
- Towards 1792 / one thousand seven hundred fifty BC: Reign of Hammurabi in Mesopotamia.
- Around 1650 BC: Foundation of the Empire Hittite.
- Around one thousand five hundred seventy / in 1085 BC: Egyptian New Kingdom.
- Around 1450 BC: occupation of Crete by Mycenaeans.
- Towards 1230 / one thousand one hundred and ninety BC: Invasion of the Sea Peoples.
- Around 1150 BC: Destruction of Mycenae by the Dorians.
- 814 BC: Foundation of Carthage (now the Bay of Tunis ).
- 776 BC: Establishment of the Olympic Games in Greece.
- 753 BC: Foundation of Rome.
- 722 / 721 BC: First of Samaria by the Assyrians.
- 664 / 663 BC: Destruction of Thebes by the Assyrians.
- 660 BC: Rise of Jimmu in Japan.
- 612 BC: First of Nineveh by the Medes and Babylonians.
- 587 / 586 BC: Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.
- 563 / 483 BC: Life of the Buddha.
- 551 / 479 BC: Life of Confucius.
- 539 BC: First of Babylon by the Persians.
- 510 / 507 BC: Fall of tyranny and establish democracy in Athens.
- 509 BC: Fall of monarchy and establishment of the republic in Rome.
- 499 / 478 BC: Median war.
- 470 / 399 BC: Life of Socrates.
- 461 / 429 BC: Pericles dominated Athenian political life.
- 431 / 404 BC: Peloponnesian War.
- 390 BC: Capture of Rome by the Gauls .
- 338 BC: Victory of Philip II of Macedonia on the Athenians and Thebans at Chaeronea.
- 336/323 BC: Reign of Alexander the Great.
- 321 BC: Rise of Chandragupta Maurya (Candragupta) in India.
- 264 / 146 BC: Punic Wars.
- 221 BC: Rise of Qin Shi Huang (Shih Huang-Ti) in China.
- 146 BC: Destruction of Carthage and Corinth by the Romans.
- 113 / 101 BC: Invasion of the Cimbri and Teutons (rejected by Marius (Roman consul).
- 82 / 79 BC: Dictatorship of Sulla to Rome.
- 63 BC: Acquisition of Jerusalem by Pompey.
- 58 / 51 BC: Gallic War.
- 44 BC: Murder of Gaius Iulius IV, "said Julius Caesar.
- 31 / 30 BC: Battle of Actium and conquest of Egypt by Octavian.
- 27 BC: Octavian became the first Roman emperor under the name of Augustus.
- 30 AD: Crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. The Christianity was born 20 years after his death with the Gospels of the Apostles describing his actions.
- 64 AD: the persecution of early Christians in Rome (during the reign of Nero ).
- 70 AD: Beginning of the Jewish Diaspora (dispersion of the Jewish people), following the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by the Romans.
- 96 / 192 AD: Apogee of the Roman empire under the dynasty of the Antonines (Rome).
- 211 / 212 AD: Edict of Caracalla gave Roman citizenship to the free inhabitants of the empire.
- 293 AD: Reorganization of the Roman Empire by Diocletian (introduction of the tetrarchy ).
- 301 AD: Conversion of Armenia to Christianity ( History of Armenia ).
- 313 AD: Edict of Milan (see Edict of Constantine ) establishing freedom of worship in the Roman Empire.
- Around 330 AD: Conversion of Ethiopia to Christianity ( History of Ethiopia ).
- 380 AD: Edict of Thessaloniki making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
- 395 AD: Death of Theodosius. Final separation between the Western Roman Empire ( Chronology of the Western Roman Empire ) and the Eastern Roman Empire ( Byzantine ).
- 406 AD: Early Germanic invasions ( invasions Large ).
- 410 AD: Sack of Rome by the Visigoths.
- 434 / 453 AD, Reign of Attila.
- 455 AD: Sack of Rome by the Vandals.
- 476 AD: The last Western Roman Emperor ( Romulus Augustus ) was tabled by the Barbarians.

Ancient Civilizations

European antiquity
- Ancient Greece
- Etruscan
- Ancient Rome
- Minoan civilization : grows in Crete from 2700 to 1200 BC. AD.
- Celts ?
- Dacians ?
- Slavic ?
- Baltic ?
- Germans ?
- Thracians ?

Ancient African

Ancient pre-Columbian (Americas)
- Aztec ( 1375 to 1525 AD. with the death of the last emperor Cuauhtmoc )
- Inca (circa 1230 to 1533 AD. with the death of the last emperor Atahualpa )
- Maya
- Olmec ( 1200 to 500 BC.'s oldest)
- Mississippian
- Chavin de Huantar