Forgot Password?

Don't have an account?

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
PeriodStandard ChronologyAFS ChronologyComments
Chalcolithic / Early Bronze I4500-2900 BC3500-2700 BC
  • Predynastic - Protodynastic periods (Egypt)
  • Uruk - Jemdet Nasr periods (Mesopotamia)
  • Ghassulian culture (Southern Levant)
  • Megiddo XX - XIX (Southern Levant)
Early Bronze II2900-2650 BC2650-2500 BC
  • Early Dynastic I-II (Mesopotamia)
  • Dynasties I-II (Egypt)
  • Megiddo XVIII-XVII (Southern Levant)
Early Bronze III2650-2300 BC2500-2150 BC
  • Early Dynastic III (Mesopotamia)
  • Dynasties III-V (Egyptian Old Kingdom)
  • Megiddo XVI - XV (Canaan)
  • Early Dilmun (Persian Gulf)
  • Early Harappan (Indus Valley)
Early Bronze IV2300-2150 BC2150-2000 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 I2150-2000 BC2000-1850 BC
  • Guti, Lagash II, and Ur III period (Mesopotamia)
  • Egyptian First Intermediate Period
  • Jericho Shaft Tombs
  • Megiddo Stratum XIV
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)
PeriodStandard ChronologyField School ChronologyComments
Early Bronze I /
Chalcolithic		3700 - 2900 BC3200 - 2750 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)
Early Bronze II2900 - 2700 BC2750 - 2475 BC
  • the Jemdet Nasr period (Mesopotamia)
  • Early Dynastic (Egypt)
Early Bronze III2700-2000 BC2600-1900 BC
  • the Early Dynastic and Akkadian periods (Mesopotamia)
  • the Old Kingdom (Egypt)
  • the Eblaite kingdom (Syria)
  • Megiddo XVII - XV (Canaan)
Early Bronze IV /
MB I		2000 - 1800 BC1930 - 1696 BC
  • Ur III Period (Mesopotamia)
  • 5th-6th Dynasties (Egypt)
  • The breakup of Mesopotamia into petty kingdoms dominated by Isin and Larsa (Mesopotamia)
  • Many of the tablets from the Library at Nippur copied during this period
  • Amorite invasion of Levant and Mesopotamia
Middle Bronze I1900 - 1750 BC1900 - 1750 BC
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
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
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
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
DesignationPeriodDateKey Markers
PrepalatialEarly Bronze2800 - 2000 BCEvidence of trade with Egypt.
ProtopalatialMiddle Bronze I2000 - 1700 BCLarge palaces constructed at Knossos, Phaistos, and Mallia.  Administrative centers use Linear A writing system.
NeopalatialMiddle Bronze II1700 - 1600 BCEarthquake destruction results in rebuilding of palaces at Knossos and Phaistos.  No sign of foreign invasion.
Late Minoan ILate Bronze I1600-1450 BCMinoan Influence is at its height.  Period ends in widespread destruction of Minoan sites.
Late Minoan IILate Bronze II1450 - 1100 BCMycenaeans occupy important sites in Crete.  Administrative system centered on Knossos.  Unstable living conditions may have contributed to the migration of 'sea peoples' such as the Philistines who are said to have originated from Crete (Deut. 2:23, Jer. 47:4, Amos 9:7).

Last modified: May 24, 2024

© 2026 AFS — Terms and Conditions — Privacy   Report a problem