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Ancient history

Ancient history is from the period of time when writing and historical records first appear, roughly 5,500 years before the Birth of Christ. For some, the discovery of agriculture, roughly 6,000 BC is the beginning of ancient history. The most common date for an end of ancient history in Europe is AD 476 (the fall of the Western Roman Empire), however the exact date is still disputed among various historians. In Europe ancient history was followed by Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000-5,500 years, with cuneiform possibly being the oldest form of writing. Genetic evidence, however, points to the first appearance of human beings about 150,000 years ago. There is also a growing body of evidence that Homo sapiens first left Africa about 60,000 years ago.

Contents

Chronology

Beginning of ancient history

  • 10,000 BC - invention of agriculture is the earliest given date for the beginning of Ancient Era
  • 3,300 - oldest historical documents
  • 5,000
  • 4,000

Important events

BC
AD


End of ancient history in Europe

The exact date era of ancient history ends is still disputed among historians. Most common dates are:

Civilizations

The most prominent civilisations of the Ancient Era:

See also

Last updated: 05-07-2005 17:37:44
Last updated: 05-07-2005 18:09:53