The Dawson Ledger

Work / Civilization / Timeline

Timeline

Five thousand years, one long view

Each bar is a state or empire, from formation to dissolution, grouped by civilization. Dots on the bottom lane are turning points. Every bar opens its entry.

MesopotamianSumer: 4500 BCE – 1900 BCEUruk: 4000 BCE – 300 BCESidon: 3000 BCE – 332 BCETyre: 2750 BCE – 332 BCEAkkadian Empire: 2334 BCE – 2154 BCEUr: 2112 BCE – 2004 BCEAssyrian Empire: 2025 BCE – 609 BCEBabylonian Empire: 1894 BCE – 539 BCEOld Babylonian Empire: 1894 BCE – 1595 BCEHittite Empire: 1650 BCE – 1178 BCEPhoenicia: 1500 BCE – 332 BCENile ValleyAncient Egypt: 3100 BCE – 30 BCENubia: 2500 BCE – 350 CEMiddle Kingdom of Egypt: 2055 BCE – 1650 BCENew Kingdom of Egypt: 1550 BCE – 1070 BCEKingdom of Kush: 1070 BCE – 350 CEKingdom of Nubia: 350 BCE – 350 CEKingdom of Axum [kingdom-of-axum]: 100 CE – 940 CEKingdom of Ethiopia: 1270 CE – 1974 CEMesoamericanMaya Civilization: 2000 BCE – 1697 CETeotihuacan: 100 BCE – 550 CEToltec Empire: 900 CE – 1150 CEAztec Empire: 1428 CE – 1521 CESinitic / East AsianShang Dynasty: 1600 BCE – 1046 BCEZhou Dynasty: 1046 BCE – 256 BCEQin Dynasty: 221 BCE – 206 BCEHan Dynasty: 206 BCE – 220 CESilla: 57 BCE – 935 CEGoguryeo: 37 BCE – 668 CESui Dynasty: 581 CE – 618 CEKingdom of Tibet: 618 CE – 842 CETang Dynasty: 618 CE – 907 CELiao Dynasty: 907 CE – 1125 CEKingdom of Goryeo: 918 CE – 1392 CESong Dynasty: 960 CE – 1279 CEĐại Việt: 968 CE – 1804 CEJin Dynasty: 1115 CE – 1234 CEYuan Dynasty: 1271 CE – 1368 CEMing Dynasty: 1368 CE – 1644 CEJoseon Dynasty: 1392 CE – 1897 CEKingdom of Joseon: 1392 CE – 1897 CEKingdom of Ryukyu: 1429 CE – 1879 CETokugawa Shogunate: 1603 CE – 1868 CEQing Dynasty: 1644 CE – 1912 CEGreco-RomanKingdom of Thebes: 1000 BCE – 335 BCEThebes (Greece): 1000 BCE – 335 BCESparta: 900 BCE – 192 BCECarthage: 814 BCE – 146 BCEArgos [argos]: 800 BCE – 146 BCECorinth [corinth]: 800 BCE – 146 BCEArgos [kingdom-of-argos]: 800 BCE – 146 BCECorinth [kingdom-of-corinth]: 800 BCE – 146 BCEPeloponnesian League: 550 BCE – 366 BCERoman Republic: 509 BCE – 27 BCEAthenian Empire (Delian League): 478 BCE – 404 BCEDelian League: 478 BCE – 404 BCEIllyrian Kingdoms: 400 BCE – 168 BCEMacedonian Empire: 336 BCE – 323 BCEKingdom of Armenia: 331 BCE – 428 CESeleucid Empire: 312 BCE – 63 BCEPtolemaic Kingdom: 305 BCE – 30 BCEAetolian League: 300 BCE – 146 BCEAchaean League: 280 BCE – 146 BCERoman Empire: 27 BCE – 476 CEByzantine Empire: 330 CE – 1453 CEWestern Roman Empire: 395 CE – 476 CEKievan Rus: 882 CE – 1240 CEKingdom of Georgia: 1008 CE – 1490 CERepublic of Lucca: 1119 CE – 1799 CERepublic of Siena: 1125 CE – 1555 CEKingdom of Sicily: 1130 CE – 1816 CEKingdom of Cyprus: 1192 CE – 1489 CEKingdom of Naples: 1282 CE – 1816 CEKingdom of Malta: 1530 CE – 1798 CESteppe / Central EurasianSamarkand: 700 BCE – 1868 CEXiongnu Empire: 209 BCE – 156 CETürk Khaganate: 552 CE – 744 CEKhazaria: 650 CE – 969 CEUyghur Khaganate: 744 CE – 840 CESeljuk Empire: 1037 CE – 1194 CEMongol Empire: 1206 CE – 1368 CEChagatai Khanate: 1226 CE – 1347 CEGolden Horde: 1240 CE – 1502 CEIlkhanate: 1256 CE – 1335 CETimurid Empire: 1370 CE – 1507 CEKazan Khanate: 1438 CE – 1552 CECrimean Khanate: 1441 CE – 1783 CEAstrakhan Khanate: 1466 CE – 1556 CEUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR): 1922 CE – 1991 CEPersian / IranianAchaemenid Empire: 550 BCE – 330 BCEPersian Empire (General): 550 BCE – 651 CEParthian Empire: 247 BCE – 224 CESassanid Empire: 224 CE – 651 CESafavid Empire: 1501 CE – 1736 CEIndus / South AsianKingdom of Sri Lanka: 377 BCE – 1815 CEMauryan Empire: 322 BCE – 185 BCEChola Empire: 300 BCE – 1279 CEMauryan Empire (Ashoka Period): 268 BCE – 232 BCEKushan Empire: 30 CE – 375 CEPallava Empire: 275 CE – 897 CEGupta Empire: 320 CE – 550 CEKingdom of Kashmir: 550 CE – 1339 CERashtrakuta Empire: 753 CE – 982 CEDelhi Sultanate: 1206 CE – 1526 CEVijayanagara Empire: 1336 CE – 1646 CEMughal Empire: 1526 CE – 1857 CEKingdom of Nepal: 1768 CE – 2008 CEEthiopian / AxumiteKingdom of Axum [axum]: 100 CE – 940 CESoutheast Asian maritimeChampa: 192 CE – 1832 CEKingdom of Champa: 192 CE – 1832 CESrivijaya: 650 CE – 1377 CEKhmer Empire: 802 CE – 1431 CEPagan Kingdom: 849 CE – 1297 CEMajapahit Empire: 1293 CE – 1527 CEAyutthaya Kingdom: 1351 CE – 1767 CELan Xang: 1353 CE – 1707 CEKingdom of Burma: 1752 CE – 1885 CEAndeanTiwanaku: 300 CE – 1000 CEWari Empire: 600 CE – 1100 CEChimu Empire: 900 CE – 1470 CEInca Empire: 1438 CE – 1533 CEWest African / SahelianGhana Empire: 300 CE – 1200 CEKingdom of Ghana: 300 CE – 1240 CEKanem-Bornu Empire: 700 CE – 1900 CEGreat Zimbabwe: 1000 CE – 1450 CEBenin Empire: 1180 CE – 1897 CEMali Empire: 1235 CE – 1670 CEKingdom of Kongo: 1390 CE – 1914 CEOyo Empire: 1400 CE – 1835 CESonghai Empire: 1464 CE – 1591 CEAshanti Empire: 1701 CE – 1901 CEWestern / AtlanticKingdom of Burgundy: 411 CE – 1795 CEFrankish Kingdom: 481 CE – 800 CEAnglo-Saxon Kingdoms: 500 CE – 1066 CEKingdom of Lombardy: 568 CE – 774 CEFirst Bulgarian Empire: 681 CE – 1018 CERepublic of Venice: 697 CE – 1797 CEPapal States: 756 CE – 1870 CECarolingian Empire: 800 CE – 888 CEHoly Roman Empire: 800 CE – 1806 CEKingdom of Navarre: 824 CE – 1620 CEEast Francia: 843 CE – 962 CEKingdom of Scotland: 843 CE – 1707 CEWest Francia: 843 CE – 987 CEKingdom of León: 910 CE – 1230 CEKingdom of Normandy: 911 CE – 1204 CEDuchy of Normandy: 911 CE – 1204 CEKingdom of Croatia: 925 CE – 1918 CEKingdom of England: 927 CE – 1707 CEKingdom of France: 987 CE – 1792 CEKingdom of Hungary: 1000 CE – 1918 CEMilan: 1000 CE – 1797 CEPisa: 1000 CE – 1406 CERepublic of Genoa: 1005 CE – 1797 CEKingdom of Poland: 1025 CE – 1795 CEDuchy of Burgundy: 1032 CE – 1477 CEKingdom of Aragon: 1035 CE – 1479 CEKingdom of Wales: 1055 CE – 1283 CEKingdom of Castile: 1065 CE – 1230 CERepublic of Florence: 1115 CE – 1532 CESiena: 1125 CE – 1555 CENovgorod Republic: 1136 CE – 1478 CEKingdom of Portugal: 1139 CE – 1910 CESecond Bulgarian Empire: 1185 CE – 1396 CEKingdom of Bohemia: 1198 CE – 1918 CEKingdom of Latvia: 1200 CE – 1561 CEKingdom of Estonia: 1219 CE – 1346 CEKingdom of Lithuania: 1251 CE – 1795 CESwiss Confederacy [kingdom-of-switzerland]: 1291 CE – 1798 CESwiss Confederacy [swiss-confederacy]: 1291 CE – 1798 CEPskov Republic: 1348 CE – 1510 CEHanseatic League: 1356 CE – 1669 CEKingdom of Bosnia: 1377 CE – 1463 CEKalmar Union: 1397 CE – 1523 CEKingdom of Russia: 1478 CE – 1721 CEKingdom of Spain: 1479 CE – 1978 CEKingdom of Ireland: 1542 CE – 1801 CEPolish-Lithuanian Commonwealth: 1569 CE – 1795 CEKingdom of Prussia: 1701 CE – 1918 CEKingdom of Sardinia: 1720 CE – 1861 CEKingdom of Bavaria: 1806 CE – 1918 CEKingdom of Saxony: 1806 CE – 1918 CEKingdom of Württemberg: 1806 CE – 1918 CEKingdom of Hanover: 1814 CE – 1866 CEKingdom of Greece: 1832 CE – 1974 CEKingdom of Italy: 1861 CE – 1946 CEKingdom of Romania: 1881 CE – 1947 CEKingdom of Serbia: 1882 CE – 1918 CEKingdom of Bulgaria: 1908 CE – 1946 CEKingdom of Montenegro: 1910 CE – 1918 CEKingdom of Finland: 1918 CE – 1919 CEKingdom of Iceland: 1918 CE – 1944 CEKingdom of Albania: 1928 CE – 1939 CETibetanTibetan Empire: 618 CE – 842 CEIslamicRashidun Caliphate: 632 CE – 661 CEUmayyad Caliphate: 661 CE – 750 CEAbbasid Caliphate: 750 CE – 1258 CEUmayyad Emirate of Córdoba: 756 CE – 929 CESammanid Empire: 819 CE – 999 CEFatimid Caliphate: 909 CE – 1171 CECaliphate of Córdoba [caliphate-of-cordoba]: 929 CE – 1031 CECaliphate of Córdoba [cordoba-caliphate]: 929 CE – 1031 CEGhaznavid Empire: 977 CE – 1186 CEAyyubid Dynasty: 1171 CE – 1260 CEMamluk Sultanate: 1250 CE – 1517 CEMamluk Sultanate (Egypt): 1250 CE – 1517 CEOttoman Empire: 1299 CE – 1922 CE4500 BCE4000 BCE3500 BCE3000 BCE2500 BCE2000 BCE1500 BCE1000 BCE500 BCE0 CE500 CE1000 CE1500 CE2000 CENile Valley Unification (3100 BCE)Indus Urbanism Begins (2600 BCE)Shang Dynasty (1600 BCE)Bronze Age Collapse (1200 BCE)Zhou Dynasty (1046 BCE)Achaemenid Empire Founded (550 BCE)Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE)Alexander's Conquests Begin (330 BCE)Qin Unification of China (221 BCE)Roman Conquest of Carthage (146 BCE)Roman Empire Established (27 BCE)Fall of Han Dynasty (220 CE)Crisis of the Third Century (250 CE)Gupta Empire (320 CE)Fall of Western Roman Empire (476 CE)Tang Dynasty (618 CE)Islamic Hijra (622 CE)Abbasid Revolution (750 CE)Charlemagne Crowned Holy Roman Emperor (800 CE)Song Dynasty (960 CE)Mongol Empire Founded (1206 CE)Black Death (1347 CE)Ming Dynasty (1368 CE)Fall of Constantinople (1453 CE)Columbus Reaches Americas (1492 CE)Spanish Conquest of Tenochtitlan (1521 CE)Copernicus Publishes "On the Revolutions" (1543 CE)Newton Publishes "Principia" (1687 CE)Industrial Revolution Begins (1760 CE)United States Independence (1776 CE)French Revolution (1789 CE)Meiji Restoration (1868 CE)German Unification (1871 CE)Republic of China (1912 CE)World War I (1914-1918 CE)Russian Revolution (1917 CE)Soviet Union Formation (1922 CE)World War II (1939-1945 CE)Cold War (1945-1991 CE)Nuclear Weapons (1945 CE)Indian Independence (1947 CE)People's Republic of China Formation (1949 CE)Soviet Union Dissolution (1991 CE)Samye Debate (c. 792–794 CE)Sino-Tibetan Treaty (821/822 CE)Founding of the Ganden Phodrang government (1642 CE)Battle of Kirina (c. 1235 CE)Mansa Musa's pilgrimage (1324 CE)Battle of Tondibi (1591 CE)Inca civil war (c. 1529–1532 CE)Capture at Cajamarca (16 November 1532)Caral-Supe urban complexes (c. 3000–1800 BCE)Aksumite intervention in Himyar (c. 520–525 CE)Classic Maya collapse (c. 800–950 CE)Fall of Tenochtitlan (1521 CE)An Lushan Rebellion (755-763 CE)Anglo-Zulu War (1879 CE)Battle of Adwa (1896 CE)Battle of Ain Jalut (1260 CE)Battle of Cajamarca (1532 CE)Battle of Cannae (216 BCE)Battle of Changping (262-260 BCE)Battle of Hattin (1187 CE)Battle of Isandlwana (1879 CE)Battle of Kirina (c.1235 CE)Battle of Lepanto (1571 CE)Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE)Battle of Salamis (480 BCE)Battle of Talas (751 CE)Battle of Tondibi (1591 CE)Battle of Trafalgar (1805 CE)Siege and Battle of Vienna (1683 CE)Battle of the Yarmuk (636 CE)Caesar's Civil War (49-45 BCE)Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire (1532-1572 CE)Crusades (1095-1291 CE, conventional span)First Battle of Panipat (1526 CE)First Opium War (1839-1842 CE)First Punic War (264-241 BCE)Han-Xiongnu Wars (134/133 BCE)Inca Civil War (1529-1532 CE)Mfecane / Difaqane (c.1815-c.1840 CE, contested)Muslim (Rashidun) Conquest of Persia (633-651 CE)Muslim (Rashidun) Conquest of Syria/Levant (634-638 CE)Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 CE)Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE)Qin's Wars of Unification (230-221 BCE)Second Punic War (218-201 BCE)Siege of Baghdad (1258 CE)Siege of Tyre (332 BCE)Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864 CE)Thirty Years' War (1618-1648 CE)Tibetan Occupation of Chang'an (763 CE)Turning points

Dates are approximate. This is a reading of selected civilizations, not a complete world history.

Turning points

Conflicts on the timeline

Chronological list of the war records, from earliest to latest. Each links to its conflict record, or to its card on the polity page when the record page is not in the build yet. Draft estimates.

  1. 26 or 27 September 480 BCE Battle of Salamis (480 BCE) naval battle · Persian / Iranian / Greco-Roman Primary text read
  2. 431 BCE-404 BCE Peloponnesian War (431-404 BCE) interstate war · Greco-Roman Primary text read
  3. Maimacterion (Nov-Dec), archonship of Nicostratus = 333 BCE Battle of Issus (333 BCE) battle · Greco-Roman / Persian / Iranian Primary text read
  4. January-July 332 BCE Siege of Tyre (332 BCE) siege · Greco-Roman / Persian / Iranian Primary text read
  5. 264 BCE-241 BCE First Punic War (264-241 BCE) interstate war · Greco-Roman Primary text read
  6. 262-260 BCE Battle of Changping (262-260 BCE) battle · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  7. 230 BCE-221 BCE Qin's Wars of Unification (230-221 BCE) war series · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  8. 218 BCE-201 BCE Second Punic War (218-201 BCE) interstate war · Greco-Roman Formal source
  9. 2 August 216 BCE Battle of Cannae (216 BCE) battle · Greco-Roman Primary text read
  10. 134/133 BCE Han-Xiongnu Wars (134/133 BCE) war series · Sinitic / East Asian / Steppe / Central Eurasian Primary text read
  11. 83 BCE-82 BCE Sulla's Civil War (83-82 BCE) civil war · Greco-Roman Primary text read
  12. 10 January 49 BCE-17 March 45 BCE Caesar's Civil War (49-45 BCE) civil war · Greco-Roman Primary text read
  13. 9 August 48 BCE Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE) battle · Greco-Roman Primary text read
  14. 3 and 23 October 42 BCE Battle of Philippi (42 BCE) battle · Greco-Roman Primary text read
  15. 2 September 31 BCE Battle of Actium (31 BCE) naval battle · Greco-Roman Primary text read
  16. 537 CE-838 CE (per Wikipedia infobox, Long-Count based) Tikal-Calakmul Wars (c.537-838 CE) war series · Mesoamerican Stub only
  17. 633 CE-651 CE Muslim (Rashidun) Conquest of Persia (633-651 CE) conquest · Islamic / Persian / Iranian Primary text read
  18. 634 CE-638 CE Muslim (Rashidun) Conquest of Syria/Levant (634-638 CE) conquest · Islamic / Greco-Roman Primary text read
  19. 15-20 August 636 Battle of the Yarmuk (636 CE) battle · Islamic / Greco-Roman Primary text read
  20. May-September 751 CE Battle of Talas (751 CE) battle · Sinitic / East Asian / Islamic Primary text read
  21. 16 December 755-17 February 763 An Lushan Rebellion (755-763 CE) rebellion · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  22. October 763 CE (about 15 days) Tibetan Occupation of Chang'an (763 CE) conquest · Tibetan / Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  23. 1025 CE-1026 CE Chola Invasion of Srivijaya (1025-1026 CE) naval expedition · Indus / South Asian / Southeast Asian maritime Primary text read
  24. 1095 CE-1291 CE (conventional; convention cited to Tyerman 2006, book-level) Crusades (1095-1291 CE, conventional span) war series · Greco-Roman / Islamic Primary text read
  25. 3-4 July 1187 Battle of Hattin (1187 CE) battle · Islamic Primary text read
  26. 1211 CE-1234 CE Mongol Conquest of the Jin Dynasty (1211-1234 CE) conquest · Steppe / Central Eurasian / Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  27. c.1235 CE (traditional date) Battle of Kirina (c.1235 CE) battle · West African / Sahelian Stub only
  28. 11 February 1235-19 March 1279 Mongol Conquest of the Song Dynasty (1235-1279 CE) conquest · Steppe / Central Eurasian / Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  29. 1258, 1283-1285, 1287-1288 Mongol Invasions of Vietnam (1258-1288 CE) war series · Sinitic / East Asian / Southeast Asian maritime Primary text read
  30. January-February 1258 (13 days of siege) Siege of Baghdad (1258 CE) siege · Steppe / Central Eurasian / Islamic Stub only
  31. 3 September 1260 Battle of Ain Jalut (1260 CE) battle · Islamic / Steppe / Central Eurasian Primary text read
  32. 16 October 1268-14 March 1273 Siege of Xiangyang (1268-1273 CE) siege · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  33. 19 March 1279 Battle of Yamen (1279 CE) naval battle · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  34. 9 April 1288 Battle of Bach Dang (1288 CE) naval battle · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  35. 22 January-early August 1293 Mongol (Yuan) Invasion of Java (1293 CE) naval expedition · Southeast Asian maritime / Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  36. c.1427 CE-1428 CE (conventional; not extracted from a source) Tepanec War and Formation of the Triple Alliance (c.1427-1428 CE, conventional) war · Mesoamerican Primary text read
  37. 1454 CE-1519 CE (per Wikipedia infobox) Flower Wars (Xochiyaoyotl) (c.1454-1519 CE) war series · Mesoamerican Primary text read
  38. 3 February 1509 Battle of Diu (1509 CE) naval battle · Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  39. 15 August 1511 (21 Jumada I 917 AH) Capture of Malacca (1511 CE) siege · Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  40. 23 August 1514 Battle of Chaldiran (1514 CE) battle · Islamic / Persian / Iranian Primary text read
  41. February 1519-13 August 1521 Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519-1521 CE) conquest · Mesoamerican / Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  42. 7 July 1520 Battle of Otumba (1520 CE) battle · Mesoamerican / Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  43. 30 June-1 July 1520 La Noche Triste (1520 CE) battle · Mesoamerican / Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  44. 21 April 1526 First Battle of Panipat (1526 CE) battle · Indus / South Asian Primary text read
  45. 1529 CE-April 1532 Inca Civil War (1529-1532 CE) civil war · Andean Primary text read
  46. 16 November 1532 Battle of Cajamarca (1532 CE) battle · Andean / Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  47. 1532 CE-1572 CE Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire (1532-1572 CE) conquest · Andean / Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  48. 1532 CE-1555 CE Ottoman-Safavid War (1532-1555 CE) interstate war · Islamic / Persian / Iranian Stub only
  49. 7 October 1571 Battle of Lepanto (1571 CE) naval battle · Islamic / Western / Atlantic Stub only
  50. 13 March 1591 Battle of Tondibi (1591 CE) battle · West African / Sahelian Primary text read
  51. 26 September 1603-20 November 1612 Ottoman-Safavid War (1603-1612 CE) interstate war · Islamic / Persian / Iranian Stub only
  52. 23 May 1618-24 October 1648 Thirty Years' War (1618-1648 CE) interstate war · Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  53. Siege 14 July-11 September 1683; battle 12 September 1683 Siege and Battle of Vienna (1683 CE) siege · Islamic / Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  54. 1687 CE-1758 CE Dzungar-Qing Wars (1687-1758 CE) war series · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  55. 1716–1717 Dzungar Conquest of Tibet (1716–1717) conquest · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  56. 1720 CE Qing Expedition to Tibet (1720 CE) expedition · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  57. 1803 CE-1815 CE Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815 CE) war series · Western / Atlantic Formal source, metadata only
  58. 21 October 1805 Battle of Trafalgar (1805 CE) naval battle · Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  59. 4 September 1839-29 August 1842 First Opium War (1839-1842 CE) interstate war · Sinitic / East Asian / Western / Atlantic Primary text read
  60. December 1850-August 1864 Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864 CE) civil war · Sinitic / East Asian Primary text read
  61. 1 March 1896 Battle of Adwa (1896 CE) battle · Nile Valley Primary text read

Conflicts with no civilization yet

Out of scope as a civilization pending an editor's decision (Zulu / Mfecane group). They have no polity record, so they appear here only.

  1. 22 January 1879 Battle of Isandlwana (1879 CE) battle · unassigned Primary text read

Art: Patterns of Civilization chronicle art, made with AI: illustrations, not historical evidence. Entries are drafts preserved from civilization.study. Method and sources.