Timeline II

Timeline II (c. 100 BCE to 1300 CE): Kingdoms, Empires, and the Movement of Ideas

This timeline shifts focus from the Roman Empire alone to kingdoms and empires across the whole world. It covers roughly fourteen centuries, a period when some empires — most notably Rome — stretched across three continents. But the timeline is not only about political power. It also captures the birth of major religious and cultural traditions, the rise of institutions of learning, the writing of books, and the movement of ideas across continents. Several things we now take for granted in daily life — paper, the magnetic compass, stirrups, paper money, fireworks — were used for the first time during this period.

The timeline is organised region-wise: Africa, Europe, Asia, South Asia, the Americas, and Australia/Pacific Islands. Reading it as a whole, you can see how developments in one part of the world were often connected to events elsewhere.

Africa

Africa's entries begin with the arrival of bananas from Southeast Asia to East Africa through sea routes — an early sign of long-distance exchange. In Egypt, Cleopatra ruled as queen from 51 to 30 BCE. Around the same time, Hero of Alexandria built a machine that ran on steam, and later Ptolemy of Alexandria wrote a major work on geography. Christianity reached the kingdom of Axum around 330 CE. In 429, the Vandals, a people from Europe, set up a kingdom in North Africa. In 615, some Muslims made the hijra (emigration) to Abyssinia. In 652, Muslim Arabs signed a treaty with Nubia, south of Egypt.

West Africa saw the rise of the kingdom of Ghana, followed by the Almoravid kingdom (1056–1147), which stretched from Ghana to southern Spain. Zimbabwe (1120–1450) emerged as a centre for producing gold and copper artefacts and for long-distance trade. By 1200, Christian churches were established in Ethiopia, and the kingdom of Mali arose in West Africa, with Timbuktu becoming a centre of learning.

Europe

Europe's timeline opens with a massive slave revolt led by Spartacus in 73 BCE, involving about 100,000 slaves. The Colosseum was built in Rome, and the Roman Empire reached its peak. Constantine became emperor and established the city of Constantinople. Later, the empire was divided into eastern and western halves, and then invaded by tribes from northern and central Europe.

Several landmarks shaped Christian Europe. Clovis of Gaul (France) converted to Christianity in 496. St Benedict established a monastery in Italy in 526. St Augustine introduced Christianity to England in 596. Gregory the Great, in 590, laid the foundations of the power of the Roman Catholic Church. Bede wrote the History of the English Church and People. In 800, Charlemagne, king of the Franks, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. The first Russian states were founded at Kiev and Novgorod, and Viking raids swept across western Europe. A medical school was set up in Salerno, Italy, in 1030. In 1066, William of Normandy invaded England and became king; in 1095 came the proclamation of the first crusade. Construction of the cathedral of Notre Dame began in 1163. In 1209, St Francis of Assisi set up a monastic order emphasising austerity and compassion. Around the same time, lords in England rebelled against the king, who signed the Magna Carta, accepting to rule according to law. The Hapsburg dynasty was established — it continued to rule Austria until 1918.

Asia

In China, the Han empire flourished and the Silk Route developed, linking Asia to Europe. Jesus Christ lived in Judaea, a province of the Roman Empire, and Rome invaded Arabia in 24 CE. Paper was invented in China in 118, and the first seismograph was developed in 132. The Han empire ended in 221, and Sasanid rule began in Persia in 226. Tea appeared at the royal court in China in 262, and the magnetic compass came into use in 270. The Chinese began using stirrups while riding horses.

Buddhism was introduced in Japan in 594. The Grand Canal, built in China between 584 and 618 to transport grain, took about 5,000,000 workers and 34 years to complete. The Tang dynasty began in China in 618. In 622, Prophet Muhammad went to Medina, marking the beginning of the Hijri era. The Sasanian empire collapsed in 642. The Umayyad caliphate ruled from 661 to 750, and a branch of the Umayyads conquered Spain. The Abbasid caliphate was established, and Baghdad became a major cultural and commercial centre. The Khmer state was founded in Cambodia in 802. The first printed book appeared in China in 868, and paper money came into use there. Ibn Sina, a Persian doctor, wrote a medical text that was followed for centuries. The Turkish empire was established by Alp Arsalan in 1075. The first recorded display of fireworks took place in China. The Angkor empire in Cambodia reached its height in 1180, with the temple complex at Angkor Wat. Genghis Khan consolidated power in 1206, and his grandson Qubilai Khan became emperor of China.

South Asia

In the north-west, Bactrian Greeks and Shakas established kingdoms, while the Satavahanas rose in the Deccan. Trade grew between South Asia, Southeast and East Asia, and Europe. The Kushana state was established in the north-west and Central Asia. The Gupta dynasty was founded in 320. The Chinese traveller Fa Xian came to India in 399. Aryabhata worked as an astronomer and mathematician. Chalukya temples were built at Badami and Aihole. Xuan Zang travelled from China to India, and Nalanda emerged as an important educational centre. The Arabs conquered Sind in 712. Mahmud of Ghazni raided the north-west, Alberuni travelled to India, and the Rajarajesvara temple was built at Thanjavur. Kalhana wrote the Rajatarangini. The Delhi sultanate was established in 1206. Amir Khusrau (1253–1325) introduced new forms of poetry and music, and the Sun Temple was built at Konark.

The Americas …