3rd millennium BC
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(4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC – 2nd millennium BC – other millennia)
Contents |
Events
The 3rd millennium BC represents the beginning of factual history, since it is the first time we do have real names to name and detailed stories to tell. And this new abundance of information may be best summarized as The rise of absolute ambition.
The last millennium had seen the emergence of advanced urbanized civilization, new bronze metallurgy extending the productivity of agricultural work, highly developed techniques of information treatment in the form of writing. These exciting potentials and riches were certainly too tempting to be left alone, and it wasn’t long before powerful individuals were to prey on the new civilization all around for their aggrandizement, to accumulate more wealth and power, and mark their names in the written books of fame. The 3rd millennium BC saw the first explosive appearances of mega architecture, imperialism, organized absolutism and… revolution.
The civilization of Sumer and Akkad in southern Mesopotamia became a collection of irate city-states where war was the normal way of life and peace an unlikely event. Ever bigger empires succeeded one another until they extended to the whole Mesopotamia and more, the greatest of them all, that of Sargon of Akkad, so extended that it would be surpassed in size only 1500 years later. Conquerors were titled “The Great”, were depicted twice as tall as others on official representations, and wars after wars of glorious conquests drained all resources, energies and populations available around until general exhaustion.
In Egypt’s Ancient Kingdom, the trend of absolute ambition was pushed even further. Military expeditions were thrown all around the kingdom to bring back thousands of slaves at a time. Pyramids were engineered so immense that they would remain the highest and most massive human constructions ever for thousands of years ahead. And Pharaohs were openly posturing themselves as living Gods made of an essence different than that of other human beings.
Even in still neolithic Europe during the same period of time, the megalithics were rising giant monuments of their own. Across the Near East and the Occident during the 3rd millennium BC, it seemed like if the spirit of the time was that limits do not exist.
But in Egypt the fall was to be on the same scale as the ambition, and the very first popular revolution recorded in human history exploded at the end, putting the living Gods back down to their humble human stature.
Also by the end of the millennium, the Sumerians had finally learned the necessity of unifying and settling down into a stable form of national government, a relatively peaceful, well-organized, complex technocratic state called the Third Dynasty of Ur. It could have lasted longer than it did, if it hadn’t been for a wave of nomadic invaders known as the Amorites, that were to play some of the major roles during the following centuries.
- Syria: Foundation of the city of Mari (29th century BC )
- Iraq: Creation of the Kingdom of Elam
- Germination of the Bristlecone pine tree "Methuselah" about 2700 BC, the oldest known tree still living now
- Dynasty of Lagash in Sumeria
- Golden age of Ur in Mesopotamia. (2474–2398 BC)
- Third and Fourth dynasties in Egypt.
- Unified Indus Valley Civilisation (2600 BC)
- Indo-Europeans first invade Greece (23rd century BC)
- Megalithic, Corded Ware culture and the Beaker flourish in Europe.
- mid- to late 3rd millennium, Hellenic immigration to the Greek mainland.
Environmental changes
- Major migration of Central Saharans into West Africa possibly due to climate change starting in 4th millennium BC.
Significant persons
- Djoser, king of Egypt, commissions the Step Pyramid at Saqqara.
- Khufu, king of Egypt, builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza
- Urukagina, king of Lagash, creates the first known judicial code. (24th century BC)
- Lugalsaggizi, king of Uruk and Umma conquers Lagash (2371–2347 BC)
- Sargon the Great, founder of the empire of Akkad and Sumeria (2371–2316 BC middle chronology)
- Ur-Nammu founder of the 3rd dynasty of Ur (2112–2095 BC middle chronology)
Cultures
- Old Elamite period (ca. 2700 BC – 1600 BC)
- Battle-axe people
- late Maikop culture
- late Vinca culture
- late Funnelbeaker culture
- Baden culture
- Globular Amphora culture
- Corded Ware culture (Battle-axe people)
- early Beaker culture
Inventions, discoveries, introductions
- Pottery developed in Americas (30th century BC)
- Domestication of the horse in Central Asia
- Chinese record a comet
- Building of the Great Pyramid of Giza (26th century BC)
- Sails used on ships (20th century BC)
- First ziggurats built in Sumeria
- Near East civilizations enter Bronze Age around 3000 BC
- Oldest known medicine wheel constructed in the Americas
- Bronze and metallurgy introduced to Ireland.
Cultural landmarks
- Completion of the Great Pyramid of Giza
- Completion of first phase of Stonehenge monument in England
Centuries
- 30th century BC
- 29th century BC
- 28th century BC
- 27th century BC
- 26th century BC
- 25th century BC
- 24th century BC
- 23rd century BC
- 22nd century BC
- 21st century BC
