Planet Earth - Historical Age 1990 BCE to 1 BCE

C. 2000 - 1990 BCE - glass as a basic product started to appear.

1876 BCE - the Israelites enter Egypt after two years of famine, it is suggested that this event may also be dated as 1986 BCE.

1800 BCE - Iron Age starts in India and the Nordic Bronze Age starts.

1800 - 1700 BCE - between these dates is a the decline of the Indus Valley civilisation.

1750 BCE - a large volcanic eruption in Alaska occurred, whilst nomadic shepherds (known as the Aryans) migrated to India from Asia and the Russian Steppes, this could be due to a change in the localised weather patterns after the volcanic eruption.

1700 BCE - the Bronze Age starts in China.

1627 BCE - the eruption of Thera or the eruption of Mount Vesuvius led to a period of world climatic cooling, this period has been recorded by dendrochronologists (they study tree rings).

1600 BCE - this is a proposed date of the earliest discovery of a rubber ball.

1500 BCE - Mercury, the element, was discovered in an Egyptian tomb and it was dated back to this time. This is also the period of when there are early traces of the Mayan civilisation (recorded in present day Belize). It is also the time when the Phoenicians start to develop an alphabet as well as the earliest evidence of a settlement at Aylesbury. There is also evidence that a millet-bean-rice form of agriculture is found in an area (now known as the Korean peninsula).

1400 BCE - bronze helmets were found in Knossos in Crete. This century was also the time of when the tumuli civilisation (burying people beneath burial mounds) started to spread across Central Europe.

1300 BCE - although a lot of people were born and died, nothing of significance with reference to Whatlington and Vinehall Street was found in the 1300's. But maybe you can tell me something different.

1251 BCE - a lunar eclipse that occurred was supposed to mark the birth of Hercules.

1206 BCE - this is the approximate date of the collapse of the Bronze Age that led to the migration, destruction and unrest in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. C. 1200 BCE - there is evidence that chariots have been used in China at around this time.

1194 BCE - the start of the Trojan War.

1184 BCE - April the 24th is the end of the Trojan War. c.

1100 BCE - the alphabet is still being further developed by the Phoenicians.

1050 BCE - the Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant from Israel in a battle.

1000 BCE - the Iron Age starts in the India.

965 BCE - David, the king of the Israelites dies and is followed by Solomon in 962 BCE

Late 900's BCE - artefacts from the Bronze Age to the Middle Iron Age are found at Mount Batten in Plymouth, Devon that marks it out as one of the first trading posts in England at the time. The late 900's was also the time of when the first examples of written Aramaic were created.

c. 800 BCE - is the beginning of the Iron Age in Central Europe and a form of a proto-Celtic language (also known as Common Celtic) was recorded.

776 BCE - is thought to be the date for the first Olympiad, although the date is up for some disagreement between scholars.

753 BCE - is the date of when Rome was founded by Romulus

600 BCE - Milan was founded by the Celts and Marseilles was founded by the Phoceans whilst the Chinese have invented printing.

510 BCE - 496 BCE is the lifetime of the Chinese writer Sun Tzu, who wrote the Art of War.

510 BCE - the Roman Republic is established.

Late 500's BCE - the art of lost wax casting spread to Ancient Greece.

Early 400's BCE - Greek philosophy starts to spread as well as Zoroastrianism (a form of dualistic philosophy).

490 BCE - Phidippides runs 40 kilometres to deliver some news,this is the origin of the marathon long distance race.

470 BCE - Socrates the Philosopher is born - "I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing" and "By all means marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you marry a bad one, you'll become a philosopher" are two of his quotes.

440 BCE - Democritus, another Ancient Greece philosopher, proposes the existence of indivisible particles, which he calls atoms.

430 BCE - In Athens, an illness in the city is thought to have been started by an epidemic typhus.

429 BCE - A plague kills over a third of the city's population.

427 BCE - Plato, the Greek philosopher is born "A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers" and "As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser" are two of his quotes.

c. 400 BCE - it is said that London as a settlement can be dated back to this date, but maybe earlier, so can you prove me wrong?

312 BCE - Rome devised the first aquaduct, the Aqua Appia.

c. 4th century BCE - it was thought that during the 4th Century burnt bricks became more common in the construction industry, after being first used in Greece.

c. 3rd century BCE - Erasthosthenes calculated an accurate diameter of the Earth and may have invented the leap day. Also during the third century, silk is exported to Europe from China.

c. 2nd century BCE - the Silk Road or Route becomes an established route between Europe and Asia; the Chinese are the first to produce paper; meanwhile the Romans are the first to use a form of concrete called Pozzolana, it is similar to Portland cement. Polybius created a form of fire based semaphore using a form of cryptography based on the Polybius square.

73 BCE - there was a slave rebellion led by a gladiator that led to the Third Servile War - his name was Spartacus.

55 BCE - on August the 22nd or the 26th, Julius Caesar invaded Britain, thought to be a reconnaissance mission.

49 BCE - on January the 10th, Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon. This is now used as a metaphor for a point of no return...

44 BCE - Julius Caesar is murdered.

c. 6-4 BCE - the birth of Jesus of Nazareth

It was during this last century that sunspots were first recorded by the Chinese and that glass blowing was invented in Roman Syria.

Next time...on this blog...the first century of Anno Domini or Common Era.

 

Planet Earth - Historical Age 2988 BCE - 2000 BCE

The Historical Age runs from 5,000 to 300 years ago. Well, alright lets deal with some better dates, the Historical Age runs from 2,988 BCE (Before Common Era) to 1712 CE (Common Era). 

Details to come...but for ease this period is then divided up into even smaller bite sized chunks...some information is taken from Wikipedia with other sources relevant to the two villages taken when and where with references.

2,988 BCE The Sumerians establish cities around this time whilst the Egyptians play with heiroglyphs and the Chinese start turning their potter's wheels as do the Mesoamericans, but please note they did not all start on this date.

2,900 BCE - In 2,900 BCE, the Sumerian pictograms started their 500 year evolution into phonograms; 2,880 BCE was the estimated germination of, one of the earth's oldest trees, the Prometheus Tree (a Great Basin Bristlecone Pine - Pinus longaeva) that is found in eastern Nevada in the USA - the tree was thought to be 4,862 years old before it was felled in 1964; another Great Basin Bristlecone Pine's germination was estimated to be in 2,832, it was named the Methuselah Tree, and it is thought to be 4,844 years old. 2,807 BCE is the suggested date for an asteroid or comet that fell between Africa and Antarctica that may have led to flood mythologies in 266 cultures.

2,800 BCE - In 2,773 BCE, the Egyptian 365 day calendar was introduced to Egypt; 2750 BCE, the work on Silbury Hill, an artificial chalk hill in Wiltshire, was begun; and according to legend, tea was invented by Shennong in 2737 BCE, he was the Divine Farmer or the Emperor of the Five Grains - this ruler supposedly taught the Chinese how to use the plough, the concepts of slash and burn agriculture and other aspects of agriculture.

2,700 BCE - By this time, Egypt was in the middle of its second dynasty (2775 BCE - 2650 BCE) and by  around 2640 BCE, there was the cultivation and weaving of a material from a larva's cocoon in China. The larva turns into a Mulberry silkworm (Bombys mori). The silk refracts light in a unique way due to the triangular prism structure of the silk fibre. It is thought that the Mesoamericans had started to cultivate and domesticate corn (Zea mays) also known as maize

2,600 BCE - Wild horses were eaten in feasts in Denmark, whilst it is thought that the Bactrian (two humps) and Dromedary (one hump) camels were domesticated before 2500 BCE. With respect to the civilisations and their growth, it is thought that cities started to become more established in Afghanistan, northern India, the Indus Valley, Iran and Pakistan and rivaled the urbanised areas of Egypt and Mesopotamia

2,500 BCE - It is thought that construction of the Stonehenge started and continued for a few hundred years.

2,400 BCE - There are records from 2422 BCE, on the walls of the sun temple at Nyuserre in Egypt, that bees were specifically kept for their honey - the walls show workers blowing smoke into hives. It is also thought that this century was the time for the first organisation of courier based messages and messengers by the Egyptians.

2,300 BCE - 2300 BCE is the registered date for the beginning of the Bronze Age, although the Bronze Age in Great Britain was between 2100 - 750 BCE (and will be examined later). The comet Hale-Bopp (last seen by us in May 1996 - December 1997) appeared in the night skies during 2215 BCE

2,200 BCE - There was an aridification (severe lack of water that prevented the growth of animal and plant life) event that lasted most of this century that spread through the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East, North Africa, mid-continental North America and the Red Sea  is thought to have led to the collapse and change of many civilisations. This event conjoined with the growth of glaciers growing in western Canada and a cooling event in the North Atlantic, this global change affected the output growth of rice paddies. It led to a change in the Arabian Peninsula, China, Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is thought that the date of the Biblical flood (according to Hebrew calendars) was between 2104 - 2103 BCE; this may relate to the catastrophic events in the century 

2,100 BCE - The Bronze Age in Great Britain starts with the influx of new migrants from Switzerland (according to teeth identification from bodies buried around Stonehenge). The climate had started to deteriorate from its warm and dry conditions to more becoming wetter - this was actually an advantage for the country as it forced people to move from isolated hill top forts to the more fertile valleys. This led to larger farms with domesticated animals and may have led to the forest clearances.

2,000 BCE - The trees for Seahenge, a prehistoric monument located near Hunstanton, were felled in around 2049 BCE

Planet Earth - Prehistory Age

The Prehistory Age runs from 11,700 to 5,000 years ago. Details to come...but for ease this period is then divided up into even smaller bite sized chunks...

70,000 years ago, the last ice age or glacial period began and with this came the evolution of the body louse and potentially the origins of clothing.

50,000 years ago,  there was a great leap forward - a human cultural revolution - it is also thought that both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbreed.

45,000 years ago, there is the colonisation of the landmass that we now know as Australia or that place down under.

40,000 years ago, there are Denisova hominin in Siberia

24,000 years ago, the species of Human known as the Neanderthals have become extinct

18,700 years ago, the sub species of Human, found in Indonesia, known as Homo floresiensis or the Hobbit (no relation to the works of J. R. R. Tolkien) becomes extinct.

15,000 years ago, Humans have started to colonise the land masses known as the Americas (or the North and South American continents)

Planet Earth - Holocene Epoch - Parish Notices

The Holocene Epoch ran from 11,700 years to today (2012) and has been subdivided into three ages, these being Prehistory (11,700 to 5,000 years ago), Historical (5,000 to 300 years ago) and Recent (300 years ago to the present day (2012)). These will all be examined in greater detail in further entries in this blog. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Tarantian Age

The Tarntian Age ran from 126,000 to 11,700 million years ago with a marginal difference of 5,000 years. Details to come...

125,000 years ago, some humans leave Africa to travel to the Near East.

Planet Earth - Ionian Age

The Ionian Age ran from 0.781 to 0.126 million years ago. Details to come...

0.6 million years ago, Homo heidelbergensis was capable of speech, partially due to an expanded brain size of  1200 cubic centimetres.

0.5 million years ago or 500,000 years ago, it is thought that more sophisticated stone axes, compared to those ones found in 2.6 million years ago (show link to the blog site).

230,000 years ago, the species of Man known as Neanderthals evolved with the average brain capacity of 1,300 cubic centimetres.

200,000 years ago, the species of man known as Homo sapiens evolved also with the same brain capacity as Neanderthals.

Planet Earth - Calabrian Age

The Calabrian Age ran from 1.806 to 0.781 million years ago. Details to come...

Our aforementioned Homo erectus leaves the continent of Africa, at around 1.8 million years ago, and moves towards Asia, it is thought that the brain volume has now expanded to 1,000 cubic centimetres.

1.7 million years ago, the so-called savannah  living was established...more details to come

1.6 million years ago, the Pleistocene ice age begins (is this the first use of fire?)...more details to come

Planet Earth - Gelasian Age

The Gelasian Age ran from 2.588 to 1.806 million years ago. Details to come...

2.5 million years ago, the genus Homo evolved and through this evolution, the brain capacity grew to 600 cubic centimetres (this has expanded from the 400 to 500 cubic centimetres of Australopithecines).

2.0 million years ago, the genus Homo erectus evolved and once again the brain capacity grew, this time to 850 cubic centimetres.

Planet Earth - Pleistocene Epoch - Parish Notices

The Plesitocene Epoch runs from 2.588 to 0.0118 million years ago and is further split into four ages. These being the Gelasian (2.588 to 1.806 million years ago), the Calabrian (1.806 to 0.781 million years ago), the Ionian (0.781 to 0.126 million years ago) and the Late Epoch (0.126 to 0.0118 million years ago). Details to come...

Planet Earth - Quaternary Period - Parish Notices

The Quaternary Period runs from 2.588 million years to the present day (2012) and is split into two epochs, these being the Pleistocene (2.588 to 0.0118 million years ago) and the Holocene (0.0118 to AD 2012). These epochs will be examined in greater detail, later in this blog, where they will be further subdivided into ages. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Neogene Period

The Neogene Period runs from 23.03 to 2.588 million years ago. We are getting closer to the 21st Century. Details of this era to come...

According to Alylwyn Scally of the Sanger Institute, in an article in the New Scientist, "15 million years ago was a good time to be an ape" as the climate and vegetation parameters helped to expand the geographical location and the diversity of these creatures. But as we have learned, from past extinctions and other historic events, when a parameter such as climate changes this has a knock on effect to the creature - be it through the change in population and social structure of the animal, the evolution of the animal or the decision for the animal to find a creative solution to continue life.

It is thought around 10 million years ago (according to an article in the New Scientist) the creatures, known as gorillas, split from their other common ancestors, the chimpanzees and the humans. 

8 to 6 million years ago, it is thought that humans and chimpanzees shared a common ancestor.

6.42 million years ago, it is estimated as the origin of bipedalism (walking on two legs rather than four).

4 million years ago, the creatures that were later called Australopithecines appear on the planet. The fossilised remains suggest a cerebral volume of between 400 to 500 cubic centimetres. Current brain volume is around 1300 cubic centimetres.

3.3 million years ago was the evolution of the crab or pubic louse (Pthirus pubis) and it was suggested that this may have promoted the loss of body hair on humans. An article, quotes Dr. Pagel, in the New York Times suggests that the lack of body hair acts like an advert for healthy skin - "No fleas, lice or ticks on me!" Although, there are many theories as to why fur was lost, which will be touched on later.


2.6 million years ago is the estimated date of the oldest known stone tool...more details to come.

Planet Earth - Paleogene Period

The Paleogene Periods runs from 65.5 to 23.03 million years ago. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Cenozoic Era - Parish Notices

The Cenozoic Era ran from 65.5 miilion years ago to the present day (2012) and is split up into three periods - these being the Paleogene, the Neogene and the Quaternary. These are looked into greater detail in further entries in this blog.

Planet Earth - Cretaceous Period

The Cretaceous Period ran from 146 to 65.5 million years ago. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Jurassic Period

The Jurassic Period, the one that people tend to know either due to Michael Crichton or Steven Spielberg, ran from 200 to 146 million years ago. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Triassic Period

The Triassic Period runs from 251 to 200 million years ago. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Mesozoic Era - Parish Notices

The Mesozoic Era ran from 251 to 65.5 million years ago, it has been split up into three periods - these being the Triassic, the Jurassic and the Cretaceous. These will be covered in greater detail in their own entries in this blog.

Planet Earth - Permian Period

The Permian Period ran from 299 to 251 million years ago. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Carboniferous Period

The Carboniferous Period ran from 359 to 299 million years ago. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Devonian Period

The Devonian Period ran from 416 to 359 million years ago. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Silurian Period

The Silurian Period ran from 444 to 416 million years ago. Details to come...

Planet Earth - Ordovician Period

The Ordovician Period spanned from 488 to 444 million years ago. The biodiversity of the marine life continued to expand, especially in the shallower seas where organisms that used calcium carbonate in their shell, with such appearances of arthropods and molluscs. The period also saw the first vertebrate (species with a back bone) family start, namely the fish and some with jaws that evolved in the latter part of the period.  

There were higher sea levels in the Ordovician and at the start period, from around 480 MYA, the climate was very hot due to high carbon dioxide levels within the atmosphere - an early example of the Greenhouse Effect - which led to a potential sea temperature of 45 degrees Centigrade. These levels of water temperature may sound wonderful but it reduced the biodiversity of the more complex (multi-cellular) organisms.

By 460 MYA, the sea temperature had reduced to the types of temperature found in the current equatorial seas. The shallower seas became more inhabited by organisms that exploited the calcium carbonate present in the sea to provide more elaborate shells and body parts. Just think of that, the next time you see a crab, lobster or oyster in the fishmongers.

The marine faunal (means animals) life of this period included some communities of suspension feeders in tiers, which led to the basis of a food chain that still exist today. It is thought that the diversity of marine faunal organisms that share similar characteristics increased fourfold (Dixon, Dougal; et al. (2001) Atlas of Life on Earth. New York: Barnes & Noble Books pp 87)  as well as an increase in filter feeder organisms. The creatures that were typical of the Cambrian period - the archaeocyathids, the eocrinoids, the inarticulate brachiopods, the trilobites were succeeded by the articulate brachipods, the cephalopods and the crinoids by the middle of the Ordovician period. It was also a good time to start scuba diving, if such a thing had been invented, as coral species that create reef-like structures were taking advantage of the calcium carbonate in the water.

But life on the land was restricted to the bryophytes and a few fungal structures (Arbuscular mycorrhiza) that made nutrients more readily available to plant cells - there have been fossils found of hyphae and spores from around 460 MYA.