All Events
It is not known when cats are first domesticated, but from the start of Egyptian civilization they are sacred animals in temples
To ensure continued comfort in the afterlife, rich Egyptians have models placed in their tombs of the necessary servants and utensils
Clay tablets discovered at Ebla reveal a busy trading economy reinforced by aggressive military policies
The rich trading city of Mari, on the Euphrates, is an important centre in northern Mesopotamia
Sargon conquers the other Mesopotamian states and establishes a dynasty with a new capital at Akkad, close to modern Baghdad
A ring of large standing stones is raised in England at Avebury, now a village in Wiltshire
Mentuhotep II wins control of all Egypt, establishing the period known as the Middle Kingdom
Bantu-speaking tribes begin to spread through Africa, from their original homelands south of the Sahara
Knossos, and other such palaces, are built for dynasties in Minoan Crete
The water buffalo, domesticated somewhere in southeast Asia, features on the seals of the Indus civilization
Trade is carried on from Crete round the Mediterranean as far west as Sicily and in the east down to Egypt
The god Ashur is worshipped at a shrine on the Tigris known by his name (the origin of the word Assyria)
Africa south of the equatorial forests is largely inhabited by the Khoisan, of whom the San and the Hottentots are the modern survivors
Medicine men in Peru practise trephination, cuttting holes in the skulls of brave or foolhardy patients
The cemetery at Los Millares in Spain contains more than 100 beehive tombs
Rice is by now grown in the Indus Valley civilization, in the region of Lothal in modern Pakistan, and in parts of China and Korea
The elephant is tamed in the Indus civilization
The centre of power in Egypt moves to the interior, with the capital at Thebes rather than Memphis
The red jungle fowl is domesticated as poultry in southeast Asia
Administrative records and accounts at Knossos are kept in a script, as yet undeciphered, known as Linear A
The Beaker people arrive in Britain, bringing several desirable commodities - including horses, alcohol and bronze
Wrestlers are painted on the walls of an Egyptian tomb, performing most of the holds and falls still in use today
Babylon is a tiny region, about 50 miles across, when Amorites establish there the first Babylonian dynasty
Abraham leaves Ur and moves with his tribe and flocks towards Canaan
In Mesopotamia the new weapon is a light chariot, drawn by two horses