1st millennium BC

Millennium between 1000 BC and 1 BC March 2025 -1 The 1st millennium BC, also known as the last millennium BC, was the period of time lasting from the years 1000 BC to 1 BC (10th to 1st centuries BC; in astronomy: JD 1356182.5 gaps – 1721425.5 gapshttps://keisan.casio.com/exec/system/1227779487 Julian Day Number from Date Calculator keisan.casio.com ). It encompasses the Iron Age in the Old World and sees the transition from the Ancient Near East to classical antiquity. World population roughly doubled over the course of the millennium, from about 100 million to about 200–250 million after the birth of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Julio-Claudian dynasty led by its founder Octavian.Klein Goldewijk, K., A. Beusen, M. de Vos and G. van Drecht (2011). The HYDE 3.1 spatially explicit database of human induced land use change over the past 12,000 years, Global Ecology and Biogeography20(1): 73–86. 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00587.x (pbl.nl). Goldewijk et al. (2011) estimate 188 million as of AD 1, citing a literature range of 170 million (low) to 300 million (high). Out of the estimated 188M, 116M are estimated for Asia (East, South/Southeast and Central Asia, excluding Western Asia), 44M for Europe and the Near East, 15M for Africa (including Egypt and Roman North Africa), 12M for Mesoamerica and South America. North America and Oceania were at or below one million. Jean-Noël Biraben, "Essai sur l'évolution du nombre des hommes", Population 34-1 (1979), 13–25 (p. 22) estimates c. 100 million at 1200 BC and c. 250 million at AD 1. Overview Ancient history Human history The Neo-Assyrian Empire dominates the Near East in the early centuries of the millennium, supplanted by the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century. Ancient Egypt is in decline, and falls to the Achaemenids in 525 BC. In Greece, Classical Antiquity begins with the colonization of Magna Graecia and peaks with the conquest of the Achaemenids and the subsequent flourishing of Hellenistic civilization (4th to 2nd centuries). The Roman Republic supplants the Etruscans and then the Carthaginians (5th to 3rd centuries). The close of the millennium sees the rise of the Roman Empire. The early Celtic culture dominate Central Europe while Northern Europe is in the Pre-Roman Iron Age. In East Africa, the Nubian Empire and Aksum arise. In South Asia, the Vedic civilization gives rise to the Maurya Empire. The Scythians dominate Central Asia. In China, the Zhou dynasty rules the Chinese heartland at the beginning of the millennium. The decline of the Zhou dynasty during Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period sees the rise of such philosophical and spiritual traditions as Confucianism and Taoism. Towards the close of the millennium, the Han dynasty extends Chinese power towards Central Asia, where it borders on Indo-Greek and Iranian states. Japan is in the Yayoi period. The Olmec civilization declines, and the Maya and Zapotec civilizations emerge in Mesoamerica. The Chavín culture flourishes in Peru. The first millennium BC is the formative period of the classical world religions, with the development of early Judaism and Zoroastrianism in the Near East, and Vedic religion and Vedanta, Jainism and Buddhism in India. Early literature develops in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Tamil and Chinese. The term Axial Age, coined by Karl Jaspers, is intended to express the crucial importance of the period of c. the 8th to 2nd centuries BC in world history. World population more than doubled over the course of the millennium, from about an estimated 50–100 million to an estimated 170–300 million. Close to 90% of world population at the end of the first millennium BC lived in the Iron Age civilizations of the Old World (Roman Empire, Parthian Empire, Graeco-Indo-Scythian and Hindu kingdoms, Han China). The population of the Americas was below 20 million, concentrated in Mesoamerica (Epi-Olmec culture); that of Sub-Saharan Africa was likely below 10 million. The population of Oceania was likely less than one million people. Ancient history Ancient history Iron Age Classical Antiquity Axial Age thumb|300x300px|Map of the Eastern Hemisphere in 1000 BC. Timeline thumb|300x300px|Map of the world in 1 AD, just after the end of the 1st millennium BC. 10th century BC Near East: Neo-Assyrian Empire Near East: Shoshenq I invades Canaan Aegean: Helladic period ends Sub-Saharan Africa West: Nok Culture slowly diffuse discernible ceramic sculpting, iron metallurgy and cereal farming cultures through the inland Niger Delta region, though debatable possible settling period and or foundation of proto Ile-Ife 9th century BC Chavín culture in Peru Egypt: 872 BC: Nile floods the Temple of Luxor Egypt: 836 BC: Civil war in Egypt South Asia: 872 BC: Jainism re-organized by Parshvanatha North Africa: 814 BC: Carthage founded China: 841 BC–828 BC Gonghe Regency 8th century BC 727 BC: Egypt: Kushite invasion (25th Dynasty) 771 BC: China: Spring and Autumn period Near East: 727 BC: Death of Tiglath-Pileser III, Babylonia secedes from Assyria Near East: 722 BC: Sargon II takes Samaria; Assyrian captivity of the Israelites. Greece: Archaic Greece, Greek alphabet Greece: Homer 776 BC: Greece: First Olympiad 753 BC: Europe: foundation of Rome 7th century BCthumb|Relief of King Ashurbanipal of Assyria hunting a Mesopotamian lion, from the Northern Palace in Nineveh, 645-635 BC Egypt: 671 BC: Assyrian conquest of Egypt 656 BC: Egypt gains independence from Assyrian rule, Psamtik I was firmly in control of all Egypt 655 BC: Fall of Ashdod: Egyptian forces conquers Ashdod 609 BC: The Judaean forces battles the Egyptian army at Battle of Meggido, resulting in Josiah's death in the battle and his kingdom becoming a vassal state of Egypt Near East: 631 BC: Death of Ashurbanipal, decline of the Assyrian Empire 6th century BC Egypt: 592 BC: Psamtik II sacks Napata Sudan: Aspelta moves the Kushite capital to Meroe Near East: 539 BC: Achaemenid conquest of Babylon under Cyrus the Great South Asia: Śramaṇa movement and "second urbanisation" South Asia: Early Buddhism Europe: 509 BC: Roman Republic 5th century BC China: 479 BC: death of Confucius China: 476 BC: Warring States period China: 486 BC: Grand Canal construction begins Near East: Second Temple Judaism, redaction of the Hebrew Bible Egypt: 404 BC: Egypt gains its full independence and sovereignty, Amyrtaeus becomes pharaoh Greece: beginning of the classical period (Greece in the 5th century BC). Greece: Greco-Persian Wars (Battle of Marathon, Battle of Thermopylae) Greece: 440 BC: Herodotus' Histories Greece: 431 BC: Peloponnesian War Oceania: Austronesian expansion reaches Western Polynesia 4th century BC Greece: 395 BC: Corinthian War 343 BC: Achaemenid conquest 338 BC: Egypt gains independence from Persian rule thumb|300px|right|Map of the world in 323 BC Greece/Asia/Egypt: 330s BC: conquests of Alexander the Great, end of the Achaemenid Empire, Macedonian Empire, beginning of the Hellenistic period Egypt: 206 BC: The Great Theban Revolt: Egyptian revolt against Greek rule, Horwennefer proclaimed pharaoh over Upper Egypt South Asia: Mauryan Empire 3rd century BC China: Qin Unified China China: 206 BC: Han dynasty South Asia: 261 BC: Kalinga war Rome: Roman expansion in Italy Rome/Carthage: Punic Wars 264 BC: First Punic War 218 BC Second Punic War 2nd century BC Rome/Carthage: 149 BC Third Punic War, Roman province of Africathumb|Augustus Caesar, the first emperor of the Roman Empire Rome/Greece: 146 BC Battle of Corinth, beginning of the Roman era South Asia: 185 BC: Fall of the Maurya Empire China: Confucianism became the state ideology of China Egypt: 199 BC: Ankhwennefer succeeds Horwennefer as pharaoh over Upper Egypt 131 BC: Capture of Thebes, Egyptian leader Harsiesi seized Thebes in the summer of 131 BC, proclaimed pharaoh, for a short period of time 1st century BC   China: 91 BC: Records of the Grand Historian finished Rome/Europe: 58–50 BC Gallic Wars Rome: 32/30 BC: Final War of the Roman Republic (Battle of Actium) Rome/Egypt: 31 BC: Roman conquest of Egypt 30/29 BC: The Revolt of Thebes erupt in Egypt against Roman rule Rome/Europe/West Asia/Africa: 27 BC: Roman Empire Inventions, discoveries, introductions Ancient technology thumb|Scythian gold plaque with panther (late 7th century BC) thumb|The Parthenon, Athens (5th century BC) thumb|upright|The Victorious Youth (c. 310 BC), a preserved bronze statue of a Greek athlete in Contrapposto pose upright|thumb|"The Wrestler", an Olmec era statuette, dated roughly 1400–400 BC thumb|Lamassu facing forward. Bas-relief from the king Sargon II's palace at Dur Sharrukin in Assyria (now Khorsabad in Iraq), c. 713–716 BC. From Paul-Émile Botta's excavations in 1843–1844. 8th century BC Greek alphabet, the first alphabet with vowels. 7th century BC Trireme 6th century BC Paved trackwayWho Built it First Ancient Discoveries A&E Television Networks 2008 http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&display_order=5&content_type_id=60600&mini_id=52979 2009-07-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20090429202316/http://www.history.com/minisite.do?content_type=Minisite_Generic&display_order=5&content_type_id=60600&mini_id=52979 2009-04-29 live Pythagorean theorem MonotheismAlthough disputed, some scholars see the emergence of monotheism proper in the context of the Babylonian exile, during which the Israelites adopted aspects of Babylonian religion, resulting in Second Temple Judaism by 515 BC. No Other Gods: Emergent Monotheism in Israel Also credited with early monotheism is Zoroastrianism, founded at roughly the same time. Zoroastrianism 5th century BC Blast furnace ChinaTemple 1986 Atomism Crossbow Siege engine 4th century BC formal grammar Kyrenia ship 3rd century BC Lighthouse of Alexandria Malleable Cast iron ChinaTemple 1986 15 Archimedes' principle Spherical Earth Water clock Qin built and unified various sections of the Great Wall of China. Qin built Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum guarded by the life-sized Terracotta Army. 2nd century BC Antikythera mechanism Literature Ancient literature List_of_languages_by_first_written_accounts#First_millennium_BC Greco-Roman literature Greek literature Latin literature Archaic period Homer (late 8th or early 7th c.), Iliad, Odyssey Hesiod (8th to 7th c.), Theogony and Works and Days Archilochus (7th century), Greek poet Sappho, (late 7th to early 6th c.), Greek poet Ibycus Alcaeus of Mytilene Aesop's Fables Classical period Aeschylus (c. 525–455 BC), Greek playwright Herodotus (484–425 BC), Histories Euripides (c. 480–406 BC), Greek playwright Xenophon: Anabasis, Cyropaedia Aristotle (384–322 BC), corpus Aristotelicum Hellenistic to Roman period Septuagint Apollonius of Rhodes: Argonautica Callimachus (310/305-240 B.C.), lyric poet Manetho: Aegyptiaca Theocritus, lyric poet Euclid: Elements Menander: Dyskolos Theophrastus: Enquiry into Plants Old Latin Livius Andronicus, Gnaeus Naevius, Plautus, Quintus Fabius Pictor, Lucius Cincius Alimentus Classical Latin: Cicero, Julius Caesar, Virgil, Lucretius, Livy, Catullus Chinese literature Chinese literature I Ching (date unknown, between the 10th and 4th centuries BC) Classic of Poetry (Shījīng), Classic of Documents (Shūjīng) (authentic portions), Classic of Changes (I Ching) Spring and Autumn Annals (Chūnqiū) (722–481 BC, chronicles of the state of Lu) Confucius: Analects (Lúnyǔ) Classic of Rites (Lǐjì) Commentaries of Zuo (Zuǒzhuàn) Laozi (or Lao Tzu): Tao Te Ching Zhuangzi: Zhuangzi (book) Mencius: Mencius Sanskrit literature Sanskrit literature Vedic Sanskrit: Vedas, Brahmanas Vedanga Mukhya Upanishads Early layers of the Sanskrit epics (c. 3rd century BC to 4th century AD) Hebrew Ancient Hebrew writings Hebrew Bible c. 8th to 7th c.: the Book of Nahum, Book of Hosea, Book of Amos, Book of Isaiah c. 6th c.: Psalms c. 5th century: redaction of the Torah 3rd century: Ecclesiastes 2nd century: Book of Wisdom Avestan Yasht, Avesta, Vendidad Other (2nd to 1st century BC) Pali literature: Tipitaka Tamil:Sangam literature Aramaic: Book of Daniel Archaeology Iron Age Pre-Columbian Americas Culture Region Period NotesUrnfield cultureEurope, Central1300–750 BCBronze Age EuropeAtlantic Bronze AgeEurope, Western1300–700 BCBronze Age EuropePainted Grey Ware cultureSouth Asia1200–600 BCBronze Age India, Indo-Aryan migrationLate Nordic Bronze Age Europe, North1100–550 BCBronze Age EuropeVillanovan cultureEurope, Italy1100–700 BCIron Age EuropeGreek Dark Ages Greece1100–800 BCDorian invasionIron Age II Near East1000–586 BCAncient Near East, List of archaeological periods (Levant)Sa Huỳnh cultureSoutheast Asia, Vietnam1000 BC–AD 200Woodland periodNorth America1000 BC – AD 1000 List of archaeological periods (North America)Bantu expansion Sub-Saharan Africa1000 BC–AD 500 Middle Nok Period Sub-Saharan Africa, West900–300 BCIron metallurgy in AfricaNovocherkassk cultureEurope, Eastern900–650 BC Chavín de HuántarSouth America, Peru World Timeline of the Americas 1000 BC – AD 200 The British Museum 2005 http://www.worldtimelines.org.uk/world/americas/1000-200BC 2009-07-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20090227042132/http://www.worldtimelines.org.uk/world/americas/1000-200BC 2009-02-27 dead 1200–500 BCPoverty Point earthworks North America, Louisiana 1650–700 BCOlmecs Mesoamerica 1500–400 BCAdena cultureNorth America, Ohio 1000–200 BCLiaoning bronze dagger cultureEast Asia800–600 BCMiddle Mumun East Asia, Korea800–300 BC Etruscan civilization Europe, Italy800–264 BC Paracas culture South America, Peru800–100 BC Hallstatt culture Europe, Central 800 BC–500 BCIron Age Europe, Thraco-Cimmerian, CeltsBritish Iron AgeEurope, Britain 700–50 BC Insular CeltsZapotec civilization Mesoamerica700 BC – AD 700Pazyryk culture Central Asia600–300 BCScythians, Saka, Pazyryk burialsAldy-Bel culture Central Asia600–300 BCScythians, SakaLa Tène culture Europe, Central/Western 500–50 BCGaulsPre-Roman Iron Age Europe, North500–50 BC Proto-GermanicNorthern Black Polished WareSouth Asia500–300 BC Vedic periodLate Mumun East Asia, Korea 550–300 BCUrewe Sub-Saharan Africa 400 BC–AD 500 Iron metallurgy in Africa Late Nok Period Sub-Saharan Africa, West300–1 BCIron metallurgy in AfricaNasca culture South America, Peru100 BC–800 ADCalima cultureSouth America, Colombia200 BC–400 ADHopewell tradition North America100 BC–AD 400TeotihuacanMesoamerica100 BC –AD 550Ipiutak siteNorth America, Alaska100 BC –AD 800 World Timeline of the Americas 200 BC – AD 600 The British Museum 2005 http://www.worldtimelines.org.uk/world/americas/200BC-AD600 2009-07-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20090227042137/http://www.worldtimelines.org.uk/world/americas/200BC-AD600 2009-02-27 dead Astronomy List of solar eclipses in antiquity Historical solar eclipses Year (BC)DateEclipse TypeSaros SeriesEclipse MagnitudeGammaEcliptic Conjunction (UT)Greatest Eclipse (UT)Duration (Min & Sec)Description89921 AprAnnular530.95910.896422:32:1522:21:5600:03:04China's 'Double-Dawn' Eclipse 76315 JunTotal441.05960.271508:11:1308:14:0100:05:00Assyrian Eclipse 6486 AprTotal381.06890.689808:24:0508:31:0300:05:02Archilochus' Eclipse 58528 MayTotal571.07980.320114:25:4114:22:2600:06:04Thales Eclipse (Medes vs. Lydians), firstly recorded in Herodotus History. 55719 MayTotal481.02580.314512:49:0212:52:2600:02:22The Siege of Larisa, firstly recorded by Xenophon. 4802 OctAnnular650.93240.495111:56:5411:51:0100:07:57Xerxes' Eclipse. recorded by Herodotus History. 4313 AugAnnular480.98430.838814:45:3414:54:5200:01:05Peloponnesian War. 42421 MarAnnular420.94300.943307:43:3007:54:2900:04:398th Year of Peloponnesian War. Centuries and decades 10th century BC 990s BC 980s BC 970s BC 960s BC 950s BC 940s BC 930s BC 920s BC 910s BC 900s BC 9th century BC 890s BC 880s BC 870s BC 860s BC 850s BC 840s BC 830s BC 820s BC 810s BC 800s BC 8th century BC 790s BC 780s BC 770s BC 760s BC 750s BC 740s BC 730s BC 720s BC 710s BC 700s BC 7th century BC 690s BC 680s BC 670s BC 660s BC 650s BC 640s BC 630s BC 620s BC 610s BC 600s BC 6th century BC 590s BC 580s BC 570s BC 560s BC 550s BC 540s BC 530s BC 520s BC 510s BC 500s BC 5th century BC 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC 460s BC 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC 4th century BC 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC 330s BC 320s BC 310s BC 300s BC 3rd century BC 290s BC 280s BC 270s BC 260s BC 250s BC 240s BC 230s BC 220s BC 210s BC 200s BC 2nd century BC 190s BC 180s BC 170s BC 160s BC 150s BC 140s BC 130s BC 120s BC 110s BC 100s BC 1st century BC 90s BC 80s BC 70s BC 60s BC 50s BC 40s BC 30s BC 20s BC 10s BC 0s BC References The Genius of China: 3000 years of science, discovery and invention Temple Robert 1986 Simon and Schuster New York Based on the works of Joseph Needham Zimmer Heinrich Heinrich Zimmer Philosophy of India 1952 Joseph Campbell Joseph Campbell Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd London https://archive.org/details/Philosophy.of.India.by.Heinrich.Zimmer Not in copyright -99