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Chronology Tables
June 13th, 2023 Andrew Cross
PeriodStandard ChronologyAncient List ChronologyComments
Stone Ages3 mya - 4500 BC? - 3500(?) BC
  • Franchthi and Shanidar Caves
  • Hassuna, Halaf, and Samarra cultures (Syria and Mesopotamia)
  • Ubaid culture (Mesopotamia)
  • Yarmukian culture (Southern Levant)
  • Catalhoyuk (Anatolia)
Chalcolithic / Early Bronze I4500-2900 BC3500(?)-2700 BC
  • European Stone Age
  • Predynastic—Protodynastic periods (Egypt)
  • Uruk—Jemdet Nasr periods (Mesopotamia)
  • Ghassulian culture (Southern Levant)
  • Megiddo XX—XIX (Southern Levant)
Early Bronze II2900-2700 BC2750-2500 BC
  • Early Dynastic I - II (Mesopotamia)
  • Early Dynastic (Egypt)
  • Megiddo XVIII
Early Bronze III2700-2300 BC2600-2200 BC
  • Early Dynastic III  (Mesopotamia)
  • Dynasties III-V (Egypt)
  • Megiddo XVII - XV (Southern Levant)
  • Mari (City II) and Ebla (Mardikh IIB1)
Early Bronze IV2300-2150 BC2200-2060 BC
  • Akkadian Period (Mesopotamia)
  • Egyptian Dynasty VI (Late Old Kingdom)
  • Mature Harappan period (Indus Valley)
  • Qala'at al-Bahrain City II (Persian Gulf)
Middle Bronze I2100-2000 BC2060-1900 BC
  • Guti, Lagash II, and Ur III periods (Mesopotamia)
  • Egyptian First Intermediate
  • Jericho Shaft Tombs
  • Megiddo Stratum XIV
Middle Bronze II-III2000-1550 BC1900-1550 BC
  • Rise of Amorite city-states (Canaan and Syria)
  • Dynasty XII (Egypt)
  • Old Babylonian Period (Mesopotamia)
  • Middle Minoan (Aegean)
  • Hyksos Dynasty XV - XVI (Egypt)
Late Bronze I1550-1400 BC-
  • Expulsion of the Hyksos marks beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty
  • Kassites control Mesopotamia
Late Bronze II1400-1200 BC-
  • Conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes
  • Akhenaten moves capitol to Amarna
  • Reign of Seti I marks beginning of Nineteenth Dynasty in Egypt
  • Battle of Kadesh between Hittites and Egyptians
  • Period ends in some kind of catastrophe and invasion of the Sea Peoples
Iron Age I1200-1050 BC-
  • Arrival of sea peoples from the West
  • The Assyrians begin to consolidate power in Mesopotamia
  • The period of the Judges in the Bible which ends with the defeat of Saul and Jonathan by the Philistines
Iron Age II1050-586 BC-
  • Rise of a united Israelite kingdom under David and Solomon
  • Reign of Tiglath Pileser III marks beginning of Assyrian expansion
  • Phoenicians and Greeks vie for control of Mediterranean
  • Period ends with the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
Babylonian586-539 BC-
  • Period ends with the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great
Persian and Greek Period539-333 BC-
  • Period end with the defeat of Darius III at the Battle of Issus by the forces of Alexander the Great
Hellenistic Period333-31 BC-
  • Period ends with the conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt by the forces of Octavian and Marcus Agrippa
Roman Period31 BC - 476 AD
  • Period ends with the deposition of the last Roman emperor in 476 AD
Chronology of the ANE  
PeriodStandard ChronologyField School ChronologyComments
Chalcolithic /
Early Bronze I		3700 - 2900 BC3000 - 2550 BC- Predynastic (Egypt)
- Uruk Period (Mesopotamia)
- Megiddo XX - XIX (Southern Levant)
- the Ghassulian culture (Southern Levant)
- Susa II & III (Iran)
- the Kura-Araxes culture (Armenia)
Chronology of the Chalcolithic / EB I  
PeriodStandardAraratSignificant Event
Chalcolithic4800 - 3300 BC3500 (?) - 3000 BC
  • Late Ubaid and Early Uruk (?)
  • Ghassulian culture
  • Predynastic Egypt (Naqada I-II)
  • Uruk Expansion (Uruk VI-V)
  • Uruk accounting tablets and bullae
  • Enmerkar and Etana (?)
EB I3300 - 2900 BC3000 - 2750 BC
  • Late Uruk (Uruk IV)
  • Temple 4050 (Megiddo Stratum XIX)
  • Protodynastic (Naqada III)
  • Jebel Hafeet Tombs (Magan)
  • Uruk III (Jemdet Nasr)
  • Jemdet Nasr Tablets
EB II2900 - 2600 BC2750 - 2500 BC
  • Early Dynastic I-II
  • Earliest tombs in Royal Cemetery of Ur
  • Sin Temples VI-VIII at Khafajah
  • "Great Temple" (Megiddo Stratum XVIII)
  • First and Second Dynasties of Egypt
EB III2600 - 2350 BC2400 - 2200 BC
  • Reigns of Gilgamesh, Agga, Mesannapeda (?)
  • Fara and Abu Salabikh Tablets
  • Pyramid of Djoser (Dynasty III of Egypt)
  • First Dynasties of Ur and Lagash
  • Eannatum of Lagash conquers Sumer
  • The Great Pyramid (Dynasty IV)
  • First Eblaite Dynasty (Ebla Archive)
  • Megiddo XV (Megaron Temples)
  • Dynasty V and Campaigns of Weni against Canaan
  • Umm an-Nar Tombs (Magan)
  • Early Dilmun and Harappa
EB IV2350 - 2150 BC2200 - 2050 BC
  • The rise and fall of the Akkadian Empire
  • Dynasty VI of Egypt
  • Qala'at al-Bahrain City II (Dilmun)
MB I2150 - 2000 BC 2050 - 1900 BC
  • Guti, Lagash II and Ur III periods
  • Ziggurat of Ur
  • First Intermediate Period
  • Jericho Shaft Tombs
  • Megiddo Stratum XIV
MB IIA2000 - 1750 BC1900 - 1700 BC
  • The breakup of Mesopotamia into petty kingdoms dominated by Isin and Larsa
  • Many of the tablets from the Library at Nippur were copied during this period
Chronology of Mesopotamia during the Early Bronze Age  
PeriodEraCultureStandardAFSComments
Chalcolithic / EB IBadarian4500-4000 BC
"Naqada IAmratian4000-3600 BC
"Naqada IIGerzean3600-3300 BC
  • Black-top Pottery
  • Cemetery HK-6
"Naqada IIIProtodynastic3300-3100 BC2800-2600 BC
  • roughly contemporary with Late Uruk and Jemdet Nasr periods
  • Scorpion I (II?)
  • significant Mesopotamian influence in Egypt
  • Decorated Ware
  • Tomb 100
EB IIDynasties I & IIEarly Dynastic3100-2700 BC2750-2500 BC
  • Upper and Lower Egypt united
  • First dynasty kings ruled from Thinis (Abydos) in Upper Egypt
  • founding of Memphis in Lower Egypt
Chronology of Egypt during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Periods  
PeriodStandardAncient ListComments
Chalcolthic / EB I4500-3150 BC3500-2750 BC
  • The Ghassulian Culture
  • Grey and Red Burnished Pottery
  • Temple 4050 of Megiddo XIX
  • Ledge-handled Jars
  • Uruk & Jemdet Nasr periods (Mesopotamia)
  • Predynastic period (Egypt)
EB II3150-2700 BC2750-2500 BC
  • Arad II-III
  • Great Temple of Megiddo XVIII
  • Kura Araxes Red and Black Ware
  • Early Dynastic I & II (Mesopotamia)
  • Dynasties I and II (Egypt)
EB III2700-2350 BC2500-2200 BC
  • Flourishing Canaanite city-states
  • Megaron Temples of Megiddo XV
  • Khirbet Kerak Ware
  • Troy II
  • Early Dynastic III  (Mesopotamia)
  • Dynasties III-V (Egypt)
  • Ebla Temple G (Mardikh IIB1)
  • Megaron-style temples at Megiddo (Stratum XVII-XV)
EB IV2350-2100 BC2200-2060 BC
  • Dynasty VI (Egypt)
  • Akkadian Period (Mesopotamia)
  • Qala'at al-Bahrain City II
  • Royal Tombs of Alacahoyuk
MB I2100-2000 BC2060-1900 BC
  • Guti domination of Sumer
  • First Intermediate Period (Egypt)
  • Megiddo XIV Shrine
  • Amorite Shaft Tombs
  • Ur III
Chronology of the Levant during the Early Bronze Age  
CulturePeriodStandard ChronologyField School ChronologyComments
Grotta-PelosEarly Cycladic I3200-2700 BC2900-2500 BC
  • No settlements from this period have been discovered
  • Only evidence comes from small, scattered cemeteries, primarily on Naxos and Paros
  • Metal grave goods are scarce and limited to beads and short lengths of copper wire
Keros-SyrosEarly Cycladic II2700-2300 BC2500-2200 BC
  • Cemetery of 600 graves at Chalandriani
  • Metal grave goods become common
  • Roughly contemporary with Troy II and the Royal Tombs of Alacahoyuk
  • Fortified settlement of Kastri on Syros constructed towards end of this period
Phylakopi IEarly Cycladic III2300-2000 BC2200-1911 BC
  • EC II settlements largely depopulated
  • The primary source of information for this period comes from Phylakopi on Melos
  • Contemporary with Akkadian and Ur III periods
Chronology of the Cyclades  
PeriodStandard ChronologyAncient List ChronologyComments
Stone Ages3 mya - 4500 BC? - 3500(?) BC
  • Franchthi and Shanidar Caves
  • Hassuna, Halaf, and Samarra cultures (Syria and Mesopotamia)
  • Ubaid culture (Mesopotamia)
  • Yarmukian culture (Southern Levant)
  • Catalhoyuk (Anatolia)
Chalcolithic / Early Bronze I4500-2900 BC3500(?)-2700 BC
  • European Stone Age
  • Predynastic—Protodynastic periods (Egypt)
  • Uruk—Jemdet Nasr periods (Mesopotamia)
  • Ghassulian culture (Southern Levant)
  • Megiddo XX—XIX (Southern Levant)
Early Bronze II2900-2700 BC2750-2500 BC
  • Early Dynastic I - II (Mesopotamia)
  • Early Dynastic (Egypt)
  • Megiddo XVIII
Early Bronze III2700-2300 BC2600-2200 BC
  • Early Dynastic III  (Mesopotamia)
  • Dynasties III-V (Egypt)
  • Megiddo XVII - XV (Southern Levant)
  • Mari (City II) and Ebla (Mardikh IIB1)
Early Bronze IV2300-2150 BC2200-2060 BC
  • Akkadian Period (Mesopotamia)
  • Egyptian Dynasty VI (Late Old Kingdom)
  • Mature Harappan period (Indus Valley)
  • Qala'at al-Bahrain City II (Persian Gulf)
Middle Bronze I2100-2000 BC2060-1900 BC
  • Guti, Lagash II, and Ur III periods (Mesopotamia)
  • Egyptian First Intermediate
  • Jericho Shaft Tombs
  • Megiddo Stratum XIV
Middle Bronze II-III2000-1550 BC1900-1550 BC
  • Rise of Amorite city-states (Canaan and Syria)
  • Dynasty XII (Egypt)
  • Old Babylonian Period (Mesopotamia)
  • Middle Minoan (Aegean)
  • Hyksos Dynasty XV - XVI (Egypt)
Late Bronze I1550-1400 BC-
  • Expulsion of the Hyksos marks beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty
  • Kassites control Mesopotamia
Late Bronze II1400-1200 BC-
  • Conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes
  • Akhenaten moves capitol to Amarna
  • Reign of Seti I marks beginning of Nineteenth Dynasty in Egypt
  • Battle of Kadesh between Hittites and Egyptians
  • Period ends in some kind of catastrophe and invasion of the Sea Peoples
Iron Age I1200-1050 BC-
  • Arrival of sea peoples from the West
  • The Assyrians begin to consolidate power in Mesopotamia
  • The period of the Judges in the Bible which ends with the defeat of Saul and Jonathan by the Philistines
Iron Age II1050-586 BC-
  • Rise of a united Israelite kingdom under David and Solomon
  • Reign of Tiglath Pileser III marks beginning of Assyrian expansion
  • Phoenicians and Greeks vie for control of Mediterranean
  • Period ends with the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
Babylonian586-539 BC-
  • Period ends with the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great
Persian and Greek Period539-333 BC-
  • Period end with the defeat of Darius III at the Battle of Issus by the forces of Alexander the Great
Hellenistic Period333-31 BC-
  • Period ends with the conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt by the forces of Octavian and Marcus Agrippa
Roman Period31 BC - 476 AD
  • Period ends with the deposition of the last Roman emperor in 476 AD
Chronology of the ANE  
PeriodStandard ChronologyField School ChronologyComments
Chalcolithic /
Early Bronze I		3700 - 2900 BC3000 - 2550 BC- Predynastic (Egypt)
- Uruk Period (Mesopotamia)
- Megiddo XX - XIX (Southern Levant)
- the Ghassulian culture (Southern Levant)
- Susa II & III (Iran)
- the Kura-Araxes culture (Armenia)
Chronology of the Chalcolithic / EB I  
PeriodStandardAraratSignificant Event
Chalcolithic4800 - 3300 BC3500 (?) - 3000 BC
  • Late Ubaid and Early Uruk (?)
  • Ghassulian culture
  • Predynastic Egypt (Naqada I-II)
  • Uruk Expansion (Uruk VI-V)
  • Uruk accounting tablets and bullae
  • Enmerkar and Etana (?)
EB I3300 - 2900 BC3000 - 2750 BC
  • Late Uruk (Uruk IV)
  • Temple 4050 (Megiddo Stratum XIX)
  • Protodynastic (Naqada III)
  • Jebel Hafeet Tombs (Magan)
  • Uruk III (Jemdet Nasr)
  • Jemdet Nasr Tablets
EB II2900 - 2600 BC2750 - 2500 BC
  • Early Dynastic I-II
  • Earliest tombs in Royal Cemetery of Ur
  • Sin Temples VI-VIII at Khafajah
  • "Great Temple" (Megiddo Stratum XVIII)
  • First and Second Dynasties of Egypt
EB III2600 - 2350 BC2400 - 2200 BC
  • Reigns of Gilgamesh, Agga, Mesannapeda (?)
  • Fara and Abu Salabikh Tablets
  • Pyramid of Djoser (Dynasty III of Egypt)
  • First Dynasties of Ur and Lagash
  • Eannatum of Lagash conquers Sumer
  • The Great Pyramid (Dynasty IV)
  • First Eblaite Dynasty (Ebla Archive)
  • Megiddo XV (Megaron Temples)
  • Dynasty V and Campaigns of Weni against Canaan
  • Umm an-Nar Tombs (Magan)
  • Early Dilmun and Harappa
EB IV2350 - 2150 BC2200 - 2050 BC
  • The rise and fall of the Akkadian Empire
  • Dynasty VI of Egypt
  • Qala'at al-Bahrain City II (Dilmun)
MB I2150 - 2000 BC 2050 - 1900 BC
  • Guti, Lagash II and Ur III periods
  • Ziggurat of Ur
  • First Intermediate Period
  • Jericho Shaft Tombs
  • Megiddo Stratum XIV
MB IIA2000 - 1750 BC1900 - 1700 BC
  • The breakup of Mesopotamia into petty kingdoms dominated by Isin and Larsa
  • Many of the tablets from the Library at Nippur were copied during this period
Chronology of Mesopotamia during the Early Bronze Age  
PeriodEraCultureStandardAFSComments
Chalcolithic / EB IBadarian4500-4000 BC
"Naqada IAmratian4000-3600 BC
"Naqada IIGerzean3600-3300 BC
  • Black-top Pottery
  • Cemetery HK-6
"Naqada IIIProtodynastic3300-3100 BC2800-2600 BC
  • roughly contemporary with Late Uruk and Jemdet Nasr periods
  • Scorpion I (II?)
  • significant Mesopotamian influence in Egypt
  • Decorated Ware
  • Tomb 100
EB IIDynasties I & IIEarly Dynastic3100-2700 BC2750-2500 BC
  • Upper and Lower Egypt united
  • First dynasty kings ruled from Thinis (Abydos) in Upper Egypt
  • founding of Memphis in Lower Egypt
Chronology of Egypt during the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Periods  
PeriodStandardAncient ListComments
Chalcolthic / EB I4500-3150 BC3500-2750 BC
  • The Ghassulian Culture
  • Grey and Red Burnished Pottery
  • Temple 4050 of Megiddo XIX
  • Ledge-handled Jars
  • Uruk & Jemdet Nasr periods (Mesopotamia)
  • Predynastic period (Egypt)
EB II3150-2700 BC2750-2500 BC
  • Arad II-III
  • Great Temple of Megiddo XVIII
  • Kura Araxes Red and Black Ware
  • Early Dynastic I & II (Mesopotamia)
  • Dynasties I and II (Egypt)
EB III2700-2350 BC2500-2200 BC
  • Flourishing Canaanite city-states
  • Megaron Temples of Megiddo XV
  • Khirbet Kerak Ware
  • Troy II
  • Early Dynastic III  (Mesopotamia)
  • Dynasties III-V (Egypt)
  • Ebla Temple G (Mardikh IIB1)
  • Megaron-style temples at Megiddo (Stratum XVII-XV)
EB IV2350-2100 BC2200-2060 BC
  • Dynasty VI (Egypt)
  • Akkadian Period (Mesopotamia)
  • Qala'at al-Bahrain City II
  • Royal Tombs of Alacahoyuk
MB I2100-2000 BC2060-1900 BC
  • Guti domination of Sumer
  • First Intermediate Period (Egypt)
  • Megiddo XIV Shrine
  • Amorite Shaft Tombs
  • Ur III
Chronology of the Levant during the Early Bronze Age  
CulturePeriodStandard ChronologyField School ChronologyComments
Grotta-PelosEarly Cycladic I3200-2700 BC2900-2500 BC
  • No settlements from this period have been discovered
  • Only evidence comes from small, scattered cemeteries, primarily on Naxos and Paros
  • Metal grave goods are scarce and limited to beads and short lengths of copper wire
Keros-SyrosEarly Cycladic II2700-2300 BC2500-2200 BC
  • Cemetery of 600 graves at Chalandriani
  • Metal grave goods become common
  • Roughly contemporary with Troy II and the Royal Tombs of Alacahoyuk
  • Fortified settlement of Kastri on Syros constructed towards end of this period
Phylakopi IEarly Cycladic III2300-2000 BC2200-1911 BC
  • EC II settlements largely depopulated
  • The primary source of information for this period comes from Phylakopi on Melos
  • Contemporary with Akkadian and Ur III periods
Chronology of the Cyclades  
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