Upper and Lower Egypt are unified into a single kingdom, inaugurating the first Egyptian dynasty

Egypt enters the period known as the Old Kingdom, its first era of monumental architecture

Sargon conquers the other Mesopotamian states and establishes a dynasty with a new capital at Akkad, close to modern Baghdad

Mentuhotep II wins control of all Egypt, establishing the period known as the Middle Kingdom

The centre of power in Egypt moves to the interior, with the capital at Thebes rather than Memphis

The Hittites build an empire based on their stronghold at Hattusa (now Bogazkale) in Anatolia

The Hyksos, arriving from the middle east, win control of Egypt and rule for a century

The New Kingdom begins in Egypt, bringing the most spectacular of all the dynasties

Hatshepsut takes power in Egypt, and is unusual in being a female pharaoh

The Great City Shang, on a site later known as An-yang, develops as the capital of China's first dynasty

The pharaoh Akhenaten creates a new capital city on the Nile at Tell el Amarna

The young Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamun, dies and is buried in a suitable tomb

Ramses II, perhaps the greatest of Egypt's pharaohs, begins a reign of sixty-six years

The Zhou defeat the Shang, and establish a new dynasty with a capital at Ch'ang-an (now Xi'an)

Saul, anointed king of Israel by Samuel, establishes himself at Gibeah, just north of Jerusalem

David, already king of Judah and now anointed king of Israel, brings into one realm the twelve tribes of the Israelites

David captures Jerusalem, which he makes his capital - bringing here the ark of the covenant

Solomon becomes king of Israel and presides over a period of peace and prosperity

The Queen of Sheba, who visits Solomon in Jerusalem, is legendary - but her kingdom of Saba is a historical reality

Libyans in the Egyptian army take control of the nation and rule as pharaohs

Solomon's son Rehoboam is unable to prevent the ten northern tribes going their own way, under the leadership of Jeroboam

Ashurnasirpal II creates a spectacular new capital at Nimrud (and claims to have had 69,574 guests at his palace-warming party)

The Zhou rulers, driven east from Xi'an, create a new capital at Loyang and establish the Eastern Zhou dynasty

The king of Cush, or Nubia, conquers down the Nile to the sea, establishing the Cushite dynasty

Judah and Benjamin, together forming the kingdom of Judah, are the only two surviving tribes of Israel