bk   hifiKs   hifiM   hifiS   hifiUb   hifiUk   hifiUr   mxfld   rcM   stnr,   wikA   wikEAP   wikEDPM   wikHAg   wikHs   wikIMR   wikLMD   wikMri   wikNnv,    wikPPNA   wikS   wikTBr   wikTSA   wikUb   wikUk   wikUkP   wohiST 

Assyria, Babylon
c. 10,000 Pre-Pottery Neolithic A begins in Mesopotamia until 8800.  Archaeological remains are in Levant and Upper Mesopotamia.  Human cultures shift from hunting/gathering to agriculture and settlement, by deforestation, which allows surplus food, making large populations possible.  Tiny circular unbaked clay brick houses, semi-subterranean with stone foundations and terrazzo-floors, small hearths covered with cobbles.  Flint tools, crops cultivated, game hunted, heated rocks used in cooking, corpses buried below floors of houses.  Sickle-blades and arrowheads continue traditions from late Natufian culture; transverse-blow axes and polished adzes first appear.  Some instruments instead of being chipped are now polished.  Most settlement have storage bins of stones or mud-brick. 10,000 wikNl, wikPPNA
c.10,000 Domesticated GOATS  V evidenced at Cayonu in Syria.   See Levant 7450. 10,000 Copilot, TTPC, bk     7-6500 mxfld
c.10,000 DOGS domesticated in Palegawra west Mesopotamia.   See Levant 8000 10,000 IDBS 679
c.10,000 World population: 3,000,000. 10,000 TTPC
c.10,000 SHEEP (mouflon species) first domesticated in Mesopotamia. 11-9000 Copilot
c.9700 PLEISTOOCENE PERIOD from 2,578,000 ends.
HOLOCENE PERIOD begins until present.  GREENLANDIAN AGE begins until 6200.  Ice melt causes sea levels to rise 35m, as Earth warms.
9700 wikHlc, wikS
c.9600 Wild eincorn WHEAT V collected in north Syria at Abu Hureyra. 10,700-9000 wikWt 9000 PW 12
c.9550 Wild eincorn WHEAT collected in Syria at Mureybet. 98-9300 wikWt
c. 9500 Hallan CemiProtoneolithic site HALLAN CEMI founded west of Lake Van.  Huts built around a multi-functional pit, which is used in all 3 building levels as a garbage dump.  Animal bones and stone fragments were found in this pit.  Tools of flint and obsidian, evidence of imported malachite.  They eat mostly nuts, lentils, peas, vetches, almonds, peanuts, legumes, pistachios, pigs, and game animals.  Imported malachite is evidenced, suggesting a trade network. 9500 wikHC, wikPI
c.9000 agricultureAgriculture is limited to southeast Anatolia, Levant, and Mesopotamia). timelapse: Wikirictor
c.9000 QUERNS, a flat stone bed and a rounded stone operated manually against it, in use from ???, earliest example evidenced at Abu Hureyra Syria. 9000 Copilot
agriculture map: Joe Roe
c.9000 copperCOPPER V is first used in east Anatolia, Levant, and Mesopotamia.  Nuggets of it are found lying on the ground.  Evidence suggests that gold and meteoric iron (but not smelted iron) were the only metals used before copper.   Persia 7000. photo: Jonathan Zander

9000 wikCpr
c.9000 PIGS domesticated in Mesopotamia, followed by sheep. 9000 wikHAg
c.9000 SHEEP domesticated in north Mesopotamia - or possibly brought from around the Caspian Sea by nomads who had domesticated them even earlier.   Anatolia 8630. 9000 PW 12, mxfld
7700 TTPC, bk
c.9000 grind stonesNatufian site Tell ABU HUREYRA in Upper Euphrates valley in Syria, inhabited from 11,000, but abandoned from ??, 2nd occupation begins until 7000.  Home to a few hundred people at a time, originally hunters, who eat mostly gazelle, but also onager, sheep, cattle, hare, fox, and birds.  They were also fishers, and gatherers of wild plants.  These grinding stones are from 95-9000. photo: Zunkir

9000 wikTAH
c.9000 CATS in Levant and Mesopotamia domesticated in agricultural communities to combat rodents. 10-8000 acat
c.8800 Pre-Pottery Neolithic A endsi in Anatolia, Levant, and Mesopotamia from 10,000Pre-Pottery Neolithic B begins begins until 6500, centered in upper Mesopotamia and Levant.  Animals domesticated to supplement earlier agrarian and hunter-gatherer diet.  New flint tools include naviform cores.  Fire is better controled.  Thick white clay made of lime from limestone covers walls and floors.  It is polished, and leads to invention of pottery.  8800 wikPPNA, wikPPNB
c.8800 Eincorn Λ WHEATV, cultivated in Levant from 9600, first cultivated in Mesopotamia at Cayonu, Cafer Huyuk, Karacadag, and possibly Nevali Cori.   Quickly spreads west to  Anatolia.   Asia 7000 8800 wikWt 8000 Copilot
c.8700 Tell MUREYBET in Syria on the Euphrates is continually occupied until 8000.  Phase 1 = hunter/fishers use Natufian stone tools.  Phase 2 = a village of round houses of pressed mud.  Phase 3 = wider, multi-roomed rectangular houses of limestone blocks.  Wild animals only, shot with arrows. pre-8600 RAI3 41
c.8700 A Λ COPPER V pendant exists in north Iraq, where it will be discovered. 8700 wikCpr
c.8630 Pre-Pottery Neolithic-A CAYONU TEPESI settlement founded at the foot of the Taurus mountains near the Bogazcay, a tributary of the upper Tigris.  Originally single room structures that are round or have rounded corners.  On top are built wattle and daub constructions.  Pigs domesticated.    Lasts until 6800. 8630 wikCy
c.8500 Wild AUROCHS are domesticated into CATTLE V in Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and India. 8500 Copilot, wikCtl, wikHAg, wikTop    8000 ISBE 4-689, coca     60-5800 mxfld
c.8500 Domesticated Λ GOATS evidenced by bones in Mesopotamia and Anatolia, and Persia. 8500 fdAI 8000 Copilot'  
c.8500 SUMERIANS begin arriving in the Tigris-Euphrates valley, and cluster in the far south, on the borders of reed-choked swamps.  They have light skin and black hair. 8500 bk
c.8400 Neolithic site NEVALI CORI village founded in foothills of Taurus Mountains, on both banks of Kantara stream, a tributary of the Euphrates, lasts until 8100.  Has 5 architectural levels, temples and monumental sculpture, long rectangular rock-built houses containing 2 or 3 parallel flights of rooms, small clay figurines, flint tools, domesticated Einkorn wheat. 8400 wikNC
c.8000 Post-glacial sea level rise decelerates, slowing submersion of landmasses that had taken place over the previous 10,000 years.  From 8000 to 5000, plants and animals are domesticated in tropical and subtropical parts of Asia, Africa, and Central America.  Farming allows transition from hunter-gatherer nomadic cultures.  Mass extinctions of plants and animals caused by human activity. 8000 wikHlc, wikTop
c. 8000 extinctionsQUATERNARY EXTINCTION EVENT, which has been ongoing since Late-Pleistocene, ends.  About 65% of all megafaunal species worldwide go extinct, rising to 72% in North America, 83% in South America and 88% in Australia.  Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia have much lower extinctions than other regions.  Extinct mammals include megatherium, woolly rhinoceros, Irish elk, cave bear, cave lion, and sabre-toothed cats.  The mammoth goes extinct in Eurasia and North America, but is preserved in small island populations until c.1650. map: Sandom, Faurby, Sandel, Svenning

8000 wikQEE, wikTop
c.8000 farmingAGRICULTURE begins in southeast Anatolia, Levant, and Mesopotamia.  Digging sticks are used to plant grass seed. map: Eva Fernández

8000 TTPC 7000 IDBS 679
c.8000 First domesticated morphologic cereals begin at Natufian site Tell ABU HUREYRA in Upper Euphrates valley in Syria.  8000 wikTAH
c.8000 Tell MUREYBET on east bank of the Euphrates in Syria, occupied from 10,200, abandoned.  Walls are compacted earth, sometimes reinforced with stones.  Hearths and cooking pits are outside the buildings.  Harvested crops included barley, rye and Polygonum.  Sickle blades and grinding stones are common.  They hunt gazelle and equids and fish.  Shows coarse, lightly fired clay pots, and evidence of domestic animals.  Mureybetian culture is a part of Pre-Pottery Neolithic-A & B.  . 8000 RAI3 46, wikMrb
c.8000 Flooding in the Persian Gulf begins until 5000.  The sea reaches inland over hundreds of miles. 8000 mxfld
c.8000 World population: 5,300,000. 8000 TTPC, mxfld
c.8000 ACCOUNTING:  Small clay tokens of various shapes are used by farmers to keep inventory of their commodities.  A cone-shaped token, for instance, might indicate that a farmer has a certain amount of barley in his granary. 8000 hifiUb
fertile crescent fertile crescent

GFDL
c.7500 Tell SABI-ABYAD in north Syria inhabited until 5500.  Consists of 4 mounds, inhabited not always at the same time. 7500 wikTSA
c.7500 In southeast Anatolia, Λ COPPER is cold worked, annealed, smelted, and, lost-wax casted at the beginning of the Neolithic. 7500 wikCpr
c.7500 BARLEY and Λ WHEAT V cultivated in north Mesopotamia - first for gruel, and soup, eventually for bread.  8-7000 wikTop
c.7500 Tell SABI ABYAD in the Balikh River valley in north Syria, inhabited until 5500, but burnt 6000. 7500 wikTSA
c.7500 CAYONU TEPESI at the foot of the Taurus mountains near the Bogazcay, a tributary of the upper Tigris now has more cattle than any other time in its history, but they are still phenotypically unchanged. 7500 wikCy
c.7500 HOLOCENE CLIMATE OPTIMUM begins until 3500.  A global warm period. 7500 wikHCO
7000 icseHCO, wikS
c.7200 CAYONU TEPESI settlement at the foot of the Taurus mountains 8630-6800, shows earliest evidence of the cold-hammering of native COPPER until 6600. 7200 wikCy
c.7000 EMER Λ WHEAT domesticated from wild wheat in west Mesopotamia. 7000 TTPC, bk
c.7000 BARLEY, WHEAT, PULSES evidenced from Anatolia to Pakistan. 7000 PW 13
c.7000 Natufian site Tell ABU HUREYRA in Upper Euphrates valley in Syria, inhabited from 11,000, in 2nd occupation from 9000, abandoned.  Later, some of the world's first farmers.  Rye was the first cereal crop cultivated, then einkorn and emmer wheat, and lentils. 7000 wikTAH
c.7000 ACCOUNTING first evidenced in Mesopotamia.  Documents show lists of expenditures, and goods received and traded.  Its development is closely related to writing, counting, and money.   See banking 2000. 7000 Copilot, wikHAc
c.7000 POTTERY first evidenced in Mesopotamia.   See Africa 10,000, China 9000, Levant 6900, Persia 6500, Mediterranean 6000 7000 Copilot
c.7000 WEAVING evidenced at Jarmo, north-east Iraq and Çayonu Tepesi, with impressions of plain-weave and basket-weave on clay. 7000 Copilot
c.7000 Pre-Proto-Hassuna period begins in Upper Mesopotamia.  Late Neolithic period, when ceramic containers are just beginning.  Pottery has a mineral temper, as opposed to later plant-tempered pottery.  Lasts until 6700. 7000 wikHs
c.7000 Site of CARCHEMISH on west bank of the Euphrates 1st occupied, but no city until 3000. 7000 hifiCr
by 7000 Mesopotamia is settled by humans. by 7000 mxfld
c.7000 Bees are kept for HONEY in the Mid East. 7000 wikHAg
c.7000 OBSIDIAN, caused by a volcano near Lake Van, is gathered and exported to Mesopotamia. 7000 mxfld
c.7000 Pre-pottery Neolithic cultures appear in Levant and many parts of Near East.  They have domestic wheat, barley, sheep, goats. 7000 IDBS 11-12
c.6850 Earliest POTTERY V in Syria is evidenced at Tell Sabi-Abyad.  Some of it is mass-produced and some is painted. 69-6800 wikTSA
c.6800 CayonuPre-Pottery Neolithic CAYONU TEPESI settlement at the foot of the Taurus mountains prospering from 8630 ends.  Last phase consists of grill-plan foundations under buildings.  Analysis of blood found at the site suggests human sacrifice. photo: Krahenstein

6800 wikCy
c.6700 Pre-Proto-Hassuna period in Upper Mesopotamia from 7000, ends.  Proto-Hassuna period begins until 6300 6700 wikHs
c.6500 Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period in Anatolia, Levant, and Mesopotamia from 8800 ends. 6500 wikPPNA, wikPPNB
c.6500 TELL BRAK in Syria is first occupied by proto-Hassuna people until 5900.  Its original name is unknown.  It contains Halaf pottery. 6500 wikTBr
c.6500 BASKET WEAVING evidenced at Abu Hureyra by women's skulls with large grooves in their front teeth, which suggests they used their mouth as a 3rd hand while weaving baskets. 6500 wikTAH
c.6500 Λ POTTERY V is widespread in the Near East. 6500 bk
6000 IDBS 679
c.6300 Proto-Hassuna period in Upper Mesopotamia from 6700, ends.  Archaic Hassuna period begins until 6000.  Pottery kilns show up in many sites.  The type site, Tell Hassuna, possess Archaic Hassuna artifacts. 6300 wikA, wikEAP, wikHs 5000 ISBE 1-265
Λ POTTERY with incised and painted decor from Tell Hassuna 6500-6000
Hassuna ware
left: Vassil
mid: Vassil
right: Vassil
c.6200 Tell SABI-ABYAD, 4 mounds in north Syria, has cultural changes:  new types of architecture, including extensive storehouses and small circular buildings (tholoi);   further development of pottery in many complex and often decorated shapes; small transverse arrowheads and short-tanged points;  many clay spindle whorls, suggesting changes in textile manufacture;  seals and sealings to indicate property, and organization of controlled storage. 6200 wikTSA
c.6200 GREENLANDIAN AGE from 9700 ends.  NORTHGRIPPIAN AGE begins until 2200. 6200 wikHlc, wikS
c.6100 A sudden global temperature decrease, probably caused by the final collapse of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, leads to drier conditions in east Africa and Mesopotamia. 62-6000 wikTop
c.6100 Tell Halaf site flourishes until 5400. 6100 wikTHf
c.6100 HALAF culture begins primarily in the valley of the Khabur River (Nahr al-Khabur), of southeast Anatolia, Syria, and northwest Mesopotamia, not sudden and not the result of foreign people, but a continuous process of indigenous cultural changes.  Named after the site of Tell Halaf in north Syria.  Round houses, painted pottery.  Most important site is Tell Arpachiyah, now in the suburbs of Mosul, Iraq.  Lasts until 5100Early Halaf begins until 5400. 6100 wikHlf, wikTHf
5500 PW 13, RAI3 48, Sag2 8
5300 ISBE 4-690
4500 ISBE 1-265
by 6000 People move into the foothills of northernmost Mesopotamia where there is enough rainfall to allow for "dry" agriculture. by 6000 wikHsn
c.6000 NINEVEH 1st occupied as a Halaf village until 5000. 6000 wikNnv
5000 ISBE 3-539
c.6000 Archaic HASSUNA period in Upper Mesopotamia from 6300, ends.  Some other Hassuna period begins until 5500.  6000 Sag2 8, wikHs
5800 RAI3 48, wikA, wikEAP    4500 ISBE 1-265
c.6000 Tell SABI-ABYAD, 4 mounds in the Balikh River valley in north Syria from 7500, destroyed by violent fire.  But it will be re-occupied until 5500. 6000 wikTSA
c.6000 TELL AQAB in northeast Syria near the headwaters of the Khabur tributary of the Euphrates, occupied until 3800.  Ubaid pottery is tempered; Halaf is not.  Some pottery is imported from Chagar Bazar. 6000 wikTA
c.6000 IRRIGATION is discovered around the Euphrates, also in Egypt, and Persia. 6000 Copilot
c.6000 Irrigation around the Euphrates. 6000 bk
c.6000 Wooden PLOW V invented in Mesopotamia, pulled by 2 men.   See Egypt 5000. 10,000 scidi 6000 apwh, bk
c.5900 A sudden rise in sea level by 6.5m in less than 140 years concludes the early Holocene sea level rise.  Sea level remains stable thruout the Neolithic. 62-5600 wikTop
c.5900 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by proto-Hassuna people from 6500, now occupied by Halaf culture until 5200. 5900 wikTBr
c.5720 Biblical CREATION according to Josephus. 5720 stnr
Cultures 6000-5300
cultures
map: Jolle
c.5500 Tell SABI-ABYAD, village on 4 mounds in north Syria inhabited from 7500, burnt 6000, abandoned. 5500 wikTSA
c.5500 8000-3000 Identical ancestors point:  In this period live the latest subgroup of humans consisting of all common ancestors of all present humans, the rest having no present descendants. 8-3000 wikTop
c.5500 Mesopotamia has farming villages with irrigated agriculture, supplemented by hunting, animal paintings and imported copper tools. 5500 mxfld
c.5500 SAMARRA period, an offshoot of Hassuna, begins until 4900 5700 wikS
5600 RAI3 48
5500 Sag2 8, wikSmr
CONFUSION ALERT!  There is also a SAMARA (one R) Culture in Asia beginning 5000.
c.5500 UBAID PERIOD begins.  Lasts until 3700.  Large unwalled villages, multi-roomed rectangular mud-brick houses, first temples and public architecture in Mesopotamia.  2 tier settlement hierarchy of centralized large sites of more than 10 hectares surrounded by smaller villages of less than 1 hectare.  Fine buff or greenish pottery with geometric designs in brown or black paint.  Sickles made of hard fired clay in the south; stone and sometimes metal in the north.  Irrigated agriculture supports larger communities. 6500 wikUb, 5500 wikS, wikUb
5300 hifiS, hifiUb, wikS
5000 PW 13, RAI3 48, wohiST
c.5500 OUEILI phase of Ubaid period begins.  first excavated at Tell el-Oueili.  Lasts until 5400. 5500 wikUb
c.5500 Ubaid phase 2 and 3 pottery evidenced at site H3 in Kuwait and in Dosariyah in eastern Arabia. In Dosariyah, 9 samples of Ubaid-associated obsidian came from east and northeast Anatolia, and from Armenia.  The obsidian is in finished blade fragments.  5500 wikUb
c.5500 Solid WHEELS with axles appear.  First used for pottery, milling, and raising water buckets from wells until 3500.   See Persia 4950, Asia 3700, Europe 3500, Levant 2675, China 2500 6400 bk 5500 Copilot 4200 wikWl
c.5450 Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period begins until 5100.  Sites like Tell el-Oueili, Choga Mami, Tell Zeidan, Tell Aqab, Tell Kurdu, Tell Masaikh, and Chagar Bazar.  Halaf-Ubaid Transitional pottery from Tell Begum is plentiful. 5500 wikTGr 55-5400 wikHUT
c.5400 EARLY HALAF period ends.  In the valley of the Khabur River (Nahr al-Khabur), of southeast Anatolia, Syria, and northwest Mesopotamia from 6100Late Halaf begins until 5100. 5400 wikHlf, wikTHf
c.5400 ERIDU agricultural village founded on a sand-dune site with no previous occupation by Sumerian ENKI.  3 cultures come together:
  • fisher-hunter cultures of Arabia living in reed houses
  • Samarra culture Living in rectangular houses
  • nomads living in tents in semi-desert areas
Main deity is Enkidu, god of waters.  It is 1st city to have a king.  Wool is woven and there is evidence of obsidian trade.
5400 bk, wikEr, wohiST
5000 mxfld, wohiST
4200 MCAW
4000 hifiS
c.5400 OUEILI phase of Ubaid period from 5500 ends.  first excavated at Tell el-Oueili.  ERIDU phase begins until 4700. 5400 wikUb
c.5300 UBAID 3 ceramic phase of Ubaid period begins until 4700.  . 5300 wikUb
c.5200 GODIN TEPE in west Mesopotamia occupied as a trading outpost until 1400 5200 wikGT
c.5200 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by Halaf culture from 5900, now occupied by north Ubaid culture until 4400. 5200 wikTBr
c.5100 Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period ends.  Began 5450. 52-5000 wikHUT 5000 wikTGr
c.5100 HALAF culture ends.  Primarily in the valley of the Khabur River (Nahr al-Khabur), of southeast Anatolia, Syria, and northwest Mesopotamia from 6100.  Late Halaf from 5400 ends.  Ubaid culture spreads from south to north Mesopotamia, and takes over the Halaf culture.  Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period begins in northwest Mesopotamia.  Many Halafian settlements are abandoned, and the rest showed Ubaidian characters. 5200 wikHUT
5100 wikHlf 5000 wikUb 4500 RAI3 48 4000 ISBE 1-265
c.5000 World population: 5,000,000. 5000 wodo, wikWP
c.5000 TEPE GAWRA in NW Mesopotamia occupied until 1500. 5000 wikTGr
c.5000 ZIGGURATS V first built during Ubaid period. 5-4100 Copilot
c.5000 NINEVEH, a Halaf village from 6000, transitions to an Ubaid village until ??.   See 2000. 5000 wikNnv
c.5000 Flooding in Persian Gulf from 8000 ends. 5000 mxfld
c.5000 Alluvial plain is cultivated and irrigated.  . 5000 TWAH 16, TTPC
by 5000 People living in reed huts along the Persian Gulf on the Arabian peninsula trade with Mesopotamia. by 5000 mxfld
c.5000 Villages in Fertile Crescent fight over water.  Wars over water are fought in Mesopotamia. 5000 TTPC, bk
c.5000 Domestic CATTLE, in Mesopotamia from 8500 become common.  5000 TTPC
c.5000 BURIAL, practiced from Middle Paleolithic times, evidenced in Sumer. 5000 wohiST
c.5000 Cooperative irrigation canals are built in Mesopotamia. 5000 TTPC
UBAID sites 5900-4300
Ubaid sites
map: Nord Nord West
by 5000 Cultivated grapes come from the Caucasus to Mesopotamia. by 5000 mxfld
5000 Sumerians have irrigation systems as far as 3 miles on either side of a river. 5000 mxfld
c.5000 Urbanization begins in south Mesopotamia until 4000.  Animal domestication in sedentary communities.  South has intensive irrigated hydraulic agriculture, and the plow, both introduced from the north,    Specialised craftsmen, potters, weavers, metalworkers, but most are agricultural laborers, farmers and seasonal pastoralists.  Social stratification produces an elite class of hereditary chiefs, perhaps heads of kin groups linked to administration of temple shrines and their granaries, responsible for maintaining order. 5000 wikUb
c.5000 SAILING begins in Persian Gulf. 5000 wikUb
c.4900 SAMARRA period, an offshoot of Hassuna, from 5500, ends. 5000 RAI3 48    4900 wikS     4800 wikSm
c.4800 UBAID 2 phase of Ubaid period begins until 4500.  Extensive canal networks begin near major settlements. 4800 wikUb
c.4700 UBAID 3 ceramic phase of Ubaid period from 5300 ends.  UBAID 4 ceramic phase begins until 4200. 4700 wikUb
c.4700 ERIDU phase of Ubaid period from 5400 ends.  UBAID 2 phase continues 4800-4500.  Irrigation agriculture, develops first at Choga Mami. 4700 wikUb
c.4600 Irrigation agriculture at Choga Mami from 4700, spreads, requires collective effort and centralised coordination of labor. 4600 wikUb
c.4500 NEOLITHIC AGE in Mesopotamia from 12,000 ends.
CHALCOLITHIC AGE begins
until ?.  COPPER is used by Sumerians from now on.
5000 mxfld 4500 wikNl
c.4500 UBAID 2 phase of Ubaid period from 4800 ends.  . 4500 wikUb
c.4500 Boats sail on the Euphrates. 4500 bk
c.4500 URUK founded by King Enmerkar.  Under secular kings until 4000.  Remains small until 3500. 4500 himyUk, wohiST 3600 MCAW
c.4500 Λ PLOW V with a flint blade invented in Mesopotamia. 5500 apwh 4500 PW 13 4000 Copilot, TAWH 16
c.4500 BEER, evidenced in Levant from 10,000, V first evidenced in Mesopotamia from jug fragments at Godin Tepe. 5-4000 Copilot
c.4400 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by north Ubaid culture from 5200, now occupied by Late Chalcolithic Terminal Ubaid culture until 4200. 4400 wikTBr
c.4200 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by Late Chalcolithic Terminal Ubaid culture from 4400, now occupied by Late Chalcolithic north Early Uruk culture until 3900.  City walls are built. 4200 wikTBr
c.4200 Earliest temple at Tepe Gawra.  . 4200 wikTGr
c.4200 UBAID 4 ceramic phase of Ubaid period from 4700 ends.  UBAID 5 begins until 3700. 4200 wikUb, wikUkP
c.4100 WINE:  Large scale production begins in Armenia. 4100 Copilot
c.4000 World population: 7,000,000. 4000 wodo, wikWP
c.4000 World population: 85,000,000. 4000 TTPC
c.4000 Civilizations develop in Fertile Crescent.  Earliest supposed dates for invention of the potter's wheel, domestication of chickens and horses, which are not ridden until ?. 4000 ISBE 4-875, wikTop
c.4000 PLUMBING V invented in Mesopotamia.  Clay sewer pipes are used in the Temple of Bel at Nippur and at Eshnunna, used to remove wastewater from sites and capture rainwater in wells. 4000 Copilot
c.4000 ZAIPA (Tell Hammam et-Turkman) on the left bank of the Balikh River in north Syria inhabited until 3300.  . 44-3600 wikTHT'  
c.4000 URUK, founded 4500, comes under priest-kings until 3400, begins expansion until 3200.  The URUK PERIOD may begin depending on what source.  During this period pottery painting declines as copper started to become popular, along with cylinder seals. 4000 wikUk, wikUkP
The term URUK PERIOD was coined at a conference in Baghdad in 1930, along with the preceding Ubaid and following Jemdet Nasr periods.  Chronology of the Uruk period is so contradictory that I've trashed most of the references.   wikUkP
c.4000 BRONZE CASTING begins in Mid East. 4000 TAWH 16
c.4000 SUMER, until now under Ubaidians, 1st inhabited by Sumerians. 4000 IDB 4-454
c.4000 ANU Λ ZIGGURAT V built at Uruk.  Lasts until 3500.   See Persia: 3000. 4000 wikS, wikUk, wikUkP
c.4000 YOKE V, used for oxen in Mesopotamia to pull wagons & chariots. 4000 B76 8-657
c.4000 WINE PRESS inventted in Armenia.   4000 Copilot
c.4000 Archaic MEASUREMENT V System adopted in Mesopotamia during the Uruk Period of Sumer. 4000 wikAM
c.3900 The Sumerian religious center of Eridu is gradually surpassed in size by the nearby city of Uruk. 4100 wikS, wikUk     3900 hifiUb 3750 RAI3 48, 67     3500 wikTop 3300 wikS     3100 WPOT
c.3900 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by Late Chalcolithic north Early Uruk culture from 4200, now occupied by Late Chalcolithic north Middle Uruk culture until 3600.  The "Eye Temple" is built in this period. 3900 wikTBr
c.3800 TELL AQAB in northeast Syria near the headwaters of the Khabur tributary of the Euphrates, occupied from 6000, abandoned. 3800 wikTA
c.3800 URUK has 10,000 people. 3800 bk
c.3700 Mass graves at Tell Brak in Syria. 3700 wikTop
c.3700 UBAID PERIOD ends.  began 6500.  Ubaid 5 from 4200 ends.  Large unwalled villages, multi-roomed rectangular mud-brick houses, first temples and public architecture in Mesopotamia.  2 tier settlement hierarchy of centralized large sites of more than 10 hectares surrounded by smaller villages of less than 1 hectare.  Fine buff or greenish pottery with geometric designs in brown or black paint.  Sickles made of hard fired clay in the south; stone and sometimes metal in the north. 4100 wikS, wohiST 3900 hifiS, hifiUb
3750 RAI3 48
3700 wikUb, wikUkP
3500 ISBE 4-654
c.3600 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by Late Chalcolithic north Middle Uruk culture from 3900, now occupied by Late Chalcolithic 4 culture until 3200. 3600 wikTBr
c.3500 HOLOCENE CLIMATE OPTIMUM from 7500 ends.  A global warm period. 3500 wikHCO
3000 icseHCO wikS
c.3500 ARSIANTEPE on north Euphrates from ??, abandoned, and replaced by a monumental complex which appears to be the regional center of power until 3000. 3500 wikUk, wikUkP
c.3500 CALENDAR of Nippur is based on older astronomical knowledge of uncertain origin. 3500 wikAM
c.3500 Sumerians are governed by priests. 3500 bk
c.3500 cyllinder sealsCYLLINDER SEALS invented at Uruk to function as signatures.  They follow the development of stamp seals in Halaf culture or earlier, and are linked to the invention of cuneiform writing on clay tablets.  Made typically from hardstones, some from glass or ceramics; some are a form of engraved gem.  Most have a hole thru the center, probably to wear around the neck for convenience.  Images on seals are mostly theme-driven and often sociological or religious.  Sizes vary, as shown here. photo: Gryffindor

3500 wikCS,
c.3500 SEMITES 1st appear in Mesopotamia. 3500 ISBE 4-690
c.3500 HABUBA KABIRA trading post founded on the west Euphrates by Uruk. 3500 wikHK 3100 PW 14
c.3500 WHITE TEMPLE ZIGGURAT built on top of the Anu Ziggurat (4000) at Uruk. photo: tobeytravels

3500 wikS, wikUk, wikUkP
c.3500 In the Uruk Period ZIGGURATS  V are built in every major city, honoring its patron deity.  This continues thru the Early Dynastic Period. 41-2900 Copilot
c.3500 Solid WHEELS V with axles, invented 5500, but just used for pottery, irrigation, and milling, now used in Sumer for vehicles drawn by animals.   See 3000 45-3300 wikWl
42-4000 wikWl     3500 Copilot, MCAW, bk, hifiS, inenWIW ttcW    3000 mxfld
c.3500 Λ PLOWS with WHEELS are invented or brought to Mesopotamia.  Cattle are used as beasts of burden about the same time. 3500 mxfld
c.3500 URUK, founded 4500, has become a substantial town. 3500 Sag2 19
c.3400 URUK, under priest-kings from 4000, comes under 1st dynasty until 2500. 3400 wikUk 2750 hifiUk
c.3400 OPIUM first cultivated by Sumerians. 3400 anor
c.3300 ZAIPA (Tell Hammam et-Turkman) on the left bank of the Balikh River valley in north Syria from 4000, burnt and abandoned until ?. 34-3200 wikTHT'  
c.3300 Tell HADIDI on the west bank of the Euphrates in north Syria occupied until 1200.  See 2300. 3300 wikTHd
c.3200 India trades lapis lazuli to Mesopotamia and Egypt. 3200 wikIMR
c.3200 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by Late Chalcolithic 4 culture from 3600, now occupied by Late Uruk / Late Chalcolithic 5 culture until 3000. 3200 wikTBr
c.3200 PIORA OSCILLATION begins until 2900.  An abrupt global cold and wet period. 3900 wikPO 3200 wikS
c.3200 PROTO-LITERATE period in Mesopotamia begins until 2800. 3300 wikSL     3200 LEWH 29 3100 ENBD 120
pre-3000 Sag2 28, wikS
c.3200 Λ PLUMBING: used in the Temple of Bel at Nippur and at Eshnunna from 4000, evidenced at Uruk.  Brick latrines built atop interconnecting fired clay sewer pipes. 3200 Copilot
Uruk period terracotta pottery From Telloh, city of Girsu 3500-2900
Hassuna ware
3 photos by Marie-Lan Nguyen
left
middle
right
c.3200 URUK-IV Period from ???, ends. 3200 hifiUb     3100 RAI3 48, wikJNP, wikS     3000 Sag2 28    2700 WPOT
c.3200 URUK-III Period (aka Jemdet Nasr period) begins until 2900. 3200 hifiKs, hifiUb, wikUk
3100 RAI3 48, wikJNP, wikS
3000 Sag2 28     2700 WPOT
c.3200 COPPER CASTING evidenced in Mesopotamia. 3200 Copilot
c.3195  METEORS  bombard Earth, resulting atmospheric dust-veil as evidenced as cold period in narrow tree rings, and other world events. 3195 kpol 3123 CWH
c.3129 A stone potter's Λ WHEEL V is preserved at Ur. 3129 inenWIW
c.3112  ADAM created if the Biblical flood occurred in 2900 BCE. 3112 dstnr 3100 stnr
c.3100 Tell SWEYHAT on the east bank of the Euphrates opposite Tell Hadidi, occupied.  Lasts until 1900. 3100 wikSwh
c.3100 Pictographic and CUNEIFORM V WRITING developed in Sumer by priests to keep temple accounts, and record reigns of the "servant of the god" (king), and by kings to record triumphs. 3600 wohiST   3500 TTPC 3400 bk     3300 RAI3 73 3100 MCAW, TAWH 15 3000 WPOT 181
2900 wikSL
c.3100 JEMDET NASR period begins until 2900.  Tell consists of 2 adjacent mounds, A & B.  Mound A is 160x140m, 2.9m high. Mound B, northeast of A, measures 350x300m, 3.5m above the modern plain. Proto-Cuneiform clay tablets, mudbrick buildings, kilns for firing pottery and baking bread. 3300 MCAW
3200 ISBE 1-265
3150 RAI3 48, 67
3100 hifiS, wikJN, wikS 3000 Sag2 28
c.3100 MASK of WARKA, aka Lady of Uruk, one of the earliest known representations of the human face.  The carved marble, 21.2cm tall, is probably a depiction of Inanna, though not necessarily of a deity, and was probably part of a larger life sized statue, probably wooden.  The hollow eyes and eyebrows bear traces of an ancient inlay, perhaps shell and lapis lazuli.  Perforations at the ears indicate that the image once wore jewelry. photo: Muhammed Amin

3100 wikMoW, wikUk
c.3100 Archaic Sumerian Language Period begins until 2500. 3100 B76 17-797
c.3100 SEMITES from southeast Arabia at Magan and Meluhha enter Mesopotamia.  Their gods are Samsu (sun), Athar (Venus), Shahar (moon). pre-3000 MOAR 6 p4
c.3100 Sumerian trading post Habuba Kabira in Syria shows evidence of long distance trade. 3100 PW 14
c.3100 Domestic DONKEYS, in Levant from 3500, evidenced in Mesopotamia. 3000 ISBE 4-894 36-3100 Copilot
by 3000 The Kish civilization had expanded into Nineveh.  At this time, the main temple of Nineveh is dedicated to Semite goddess Ishtar.  Ishtar of Nineveh is conflated with Sauska from the Hurro-Urartian pantheon. by 3000 wikNnv
by 3000 A network of irrigation canals connects the Tigris and Euphrates to outlying farmlands. by 3000 ISBE 4-1027
c.3000 World population: 14,000,000. 3000 wodo, wikWP
c.3000 World population 100,000,000. 3000 TTPC
c.3000 CARCHEMISH on west bank of the Euphrates, occupied from 7000, founded as a city. 3000 hifiCr
c.3000 EBLA founded, mostly in Levant.
1st kingdom of EBLA established until 2300.
3000 wikEbl, wikHS
c.3000 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by Late Uruk / Late Chalcolithic 5 culture from 3200, abandoned, deliberately leveled by its occupants, occupied by Post-Uruk culture until 2900. 3000 wikTBr
c.3000 ARSIANTEPE monumental complex on north Euphrates from 3500, destroyed by a fire. 3000 wikUk, wikUkP
c.3000 MATH V:  NUMBERING systems developed in Sumeria and Egypt: sexagesimal in Sumeria; decimal in Egypt. 3000 MCAW
c.3000 Sumerians establish several city states in south Mesopotamia.  Cities form a short lived federation under religious center at Nippur. 3000 MCAW, TAWH 16
by 3000 SILVER mining and metalurgy practiced in Near East. by 3000 ISBE 4-512
c.3000 Λ WHEEL V & AXLE, invented 5500, 1st used for bringing ore out of mine shafts. 3000 B76 11-232
c.3000 WHEELED VEHICLES used by Sumerians in battle. 3000 ISBE 4-1034
c.3000 Dromedary CAMEL (1 hump) domesticated as a pack animal in Mesopotamia and south Arabia. 3000 ENBD 182
c.3000 YOKE, used for oxen in Mesopotamia from 4000, now used for ONAGERS to pull wagons & chariots faster. 3000 B76 8-657
c.3000 ArgolisSICKLE invented in Sumer.  Wood or bone fitted with flint teeth.  This Sumerian harvester's SICKLE made of baked clay shows that ceramic blades may have preceeded copper blades. photo: CC

3000 wikHAg 2800 TTPC, bk
c.3000 Persian Gulf is up to Eridu and Ur. 3000 FLAP
c.3000 Uruk has 50,000 people. 3000 bk
c.3000 A temple (probably to Anu) is built at Uruk similar to the Eridu temple, except that the platform is replaced by an artificial hill 40 feet high.  A stairway is on the northeast slope. 3000 KS 136
c.2978 1st dynasty of Uruk begins until 2550.
MESKIAG ASHER becomes 1st en (priest or lord) until 2948. 
2978 SKL 2750 hifiUk
c.2948 MESKIAG ASHER, 1st en (priest or lord) of 1st dynasty of Uruk from 2978, ends.  Son ENMERKAR succeeds until 2928.  2948 SKL   2740 RAI2
c.2928 ENMERKAR, 2nd en (priest or lord) of 1st dynasty of Uruk from 2948, ends.  General LUGALBANDA succeeds until 2908.  2928 SKL 2740 RAI2
2720 RAI2
c.2900 PIORA OSCILLATION from 3200 ends.  An abrupt global cold and wet period. 3000 wikPO 2900 wikS
c.2900 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by Post-Uruk culture from 3000, now occupied by Ninevite 5 culture until 2400. 2900 wikTBr
c.2900 MARI becomes a Semitic independent city state until 2550.  It is on the Euphrates on trade routes between Sumer in the south and Ebla and Levant in the west. 2900 hifiMr wikMri 2600 IDBS 567
c.2900 JEMDET NASR period from 3100 ends.  Tell consists of 2 adjacent mounds, A & B.  Mound A is 160x140 m, 2.9 m high. Mound B, northeast of A, measures 350x300 m, 3.5 m above the modern plain. Proto-Cuneiform clay tablets, mudbrick buildings, kilns for firing pottery and baking bread. 3000 MCAW
2900 RAI3 48, 67, Sag2 28, hifiKs, hifiS, wikJN, wikJNP, wikS 2850 LEWH 16
2800 Sag1 30
2700 wikS
c.2900 Sumerian ZIUSUDRA becomes king of Shuruppak until ?.  In the WB-62 Sumerian king list recension, Ziusudra, or Zin-Suddu of Shuruppak, is listed as son of the last king of Sumer before a great flood.  He is recorded as having reigned as king and gudug priest for 10 sars (periods of 3,600 years) - probably a copyist error for 10 years.  Utnapishtim is the Akkadian translation of Ziusudra. 2900 wikZsd,
by 2900 Sumerian LANGUAGE has developed, lasts until 1800.  Archaic Sumerian begins until 2600, the earliest stage of inscriptions with linguistic content. by2900 wikSL
c.2900 GREAT FLOOD "Shuruppak Flood" in Sumeria. 2900 MCAW, RAI3 112, dstnr, stnr 29-2750 hifiKs
 Sumerian King List says: "Then the flood swept over. After the flood had swept over, and the kingship had descended from heaven, the kingship was in Kish." 
The tale of Ziusudra is known from a single fragmentary tablet written in Sumerian, datable by its script to the 17th century BC (Old Babylonian Empire).   wikZsd
c.2900 1st dynasty of KISH begins until 2650.
GA-UR becomes king of 1st dynasty of Kish until ??.
2900 hifiKs, rcM, wikEDPM
c.2900 EARLY DYNASTIC Period begins until 2334.
EARLY DYNASTIC-I begins until 2750
3100 WPOT     3000 IDB 4-455
2900 RAI3 22, 79, Sag2 28, SOTS 22, hifiM, hifiS, hifiUb, wikEAP, wikEDPM, wikGlg, wikLMD, wikS, wikUk, wohiST
2850 LEWH 29     2800 ENBD 120, FLAP, ISBE 1-265, Sag1 30
c.2900 BRONZE AGE begins in Mesopotamia until 1200.
EARLY BRONZE begins until 1900.
3300 wikBA, wikTop 2900 wikBA
c.2900 South Mesopotamia has @ 50 towns. 2900 Sag2 27
c.2900 Λ ZIGGURAT V at Ur is begun until 2100. 2900 MCAW
c.2900 ESHNUNNA, in the Diyala Valley, is occupied.  Patron deity Tishpak. 3000 wikEsn 2900 hifiEs
c.2800 Stele Ushumgal Stele of Ushumgal .  carved in gypsum alabaster 22 cm high, partially deciphered, refers to an early transfer of land ownership.  A large man is inscribed with a label, which can be read "Usumgal, priest of (deity) Sara".  On the other side stands a female with an unclear name, probably dau of Ushumgal.    Probably from Umma. front: pub dom
back: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

29-2700 wikEDPM, wikSU,
c.2800 PROTO-LITERATE period ends.   In Mesopotamia from 3200, ends with end of Jemdet Nasr.  OLD SUMERIAN LITERARY Period begins until 2350.
Akkadian language is first attested, and survives with Sumerian until c.1800.
Writing becomes intelligible.  Archaic texts of Ur are earliest tablets that can be fully interpreted  The temple establishment headed by council of elders led by a priestly "En" shifts to a more secular Lugal (Lu = man, Gal = great).
2900 RAI3 22, wikS, wikSL, wikUk 2850 LEWH 29
2800 ENBD 120, FLAP, RAI2 35, 74, Sag1 30, SOTS 72, hifiAk, wikS
c.2800 KISH becomes dominant in Sumeria after flood.  Sumerian ETANA is 1st king until ????.   Kings have Sumerian & Semite names.  North Semites gain power. 2800 MCAW 2750 hifiKs
c.2800 ASSHUR occupied by nomads under Ushpia. 2800 ISBE 1-333
c.2800 ADAB, south of Nippur, comes under Mari until 2550. 2800 rcM
c.2800 ETANA, king of Kish, dies, and is said to have risen to heaven on the back of an eagle.  Son BALIH succeeds until ???. 2800 MCAW
c.2800 GORDYENE, independent from ?, comes under Akkad until 2191. 2800 rcM
c.2750 MASHDA, king of 1st dynasty of Kish from ??, ends.  ARPU-RIM succeeds and ends.  ETANA succeeds until ??. 2750 rcM
c.2750 EARLY DYNASTIC-I Period ends.  Began 2900.
EARLY DYNASTIC-II Period begins until 2600
2800 hifiM, hifiUb, wikUk
2750 RAI3 122, wikEDPM, wikLMD     2750-2700 wikEAP 2700 Sag2 28, WPOT
c.2700 LUGALBANDA, 3rd en (priest or lord) of 1st dynasty of Uruk from 29xx, ends.  DUMUZI succeeds until 2680.  2700 RAI2
c.2700 IL-TASADUM, en (priest or lord) of 1st dynasty of Kish from ??, ends.  ENMEBARAGESI succeeds until 2670. 2700 B76 11-971, RAI3 123
2615 rcM
c.2700 ENMEBARAGESI, king of Etanna dyn of Kish, attacks and defeats Elamites.  KISH again surpasses Uruk as dominant city in Sumer. 2700 MCAW, bk 2615 hifiKs
c.2700 KISURRA founded on west bank of the Euphrates.  City god is Ninurta. 2700 hifiKsr, wikKsr, '  
c.2700 ARAMEANS mentioned as Sutu or Sutiu in Akkadian records. 2700 IDB 1-190
c.2700 Following Lugalbanda's reign, domination of Sumer passes from Uruk back to Kish, but the king list still has Uruk as possessor of kingship. 2700 hifiUk
c.2700 Asmar HoardTELL ASMAR Hoard (Tell Asmar = Eshnunna) 12 statues (This is one of them.) neatly stacked in an oblong cavity beside an altar beneath the floor of a temple dedicated to the god Abu. photo: Fletcher Fund

2900-2550 wikTAH
c.2680 DUMUZI, 4th en (priest or lord) of 1st dynasty of Uruk from 2700, ends.  GILGAMESH succeeds until 2660. 2800 stnr     2700 rcM     2680 RAI2 2600 bk
c.2679 WALL built by Gilgamesh around Uruk, which is the 1st walled city in Mesopotamia. 2700-2650 B76 11-970
c.2675 GILGAMESH, king of Uruk, rebels against Kish. 2675 MCAW, bk
c. 2675  Gilgamesh Epic , begun in Sumerian Λ CUNEIFORM V in Uruk.   Sumerian version 2150. 3000 TTPC 2675 MCAW
c. 2675 FOODS mentioned in Gilgamesh Epic:  caper buds, wild cucumbers, figs, grapes, several edible leaves and stems, honey, meat seasoned with herbs, pancakes made of barley flour mixed with sesame seed flour and onions.  3000 TTPC
c.2670 ENMEBARAGESI, king of 1st (Etanna) dyn of Kish from 2700, ends.  Son AGGA succeeds until 2650. 2881 SKL   2670 RAI2 2585 hifiKs, rcM
c.2670 AGGA, king of 1st (Etanna) dyn of Kish 2700-2650, tries to suppress GILGAMESH, en of Uruk, fails. no date: RAI3 115, hifiKs, wikAgK '  
c.2660 GILGAMESH V, 5th en (priest or lord) of 1st dynasty of Uruk from 2680, ends.  URLUGAL-I succeeds until 26??.  His descendants rule Uruk and Kish until 2560. 2660 RAI3 140
c.2650 AGGA, last king of 1st (Etanna) dyn of Kish from 2700, overthrown by Meskiag-nunna, son of Massanepada, king of Ur.  No king until 2605. Tummal inscription RAI3 115     2650 hifiKs, wikAgK,
c.2650 1st dynasty of Kish from 2900 ends.  No king until 2605. 2600 hifiKs, wikEDPM
c.2650 Sumer, dominated by Kish from 2900, dominated by Uruk until 2560 2650 hifiKs
c.2650 Λ MEASUREMENT:  Cubit of Nippur becomes part of the archaic measurement system. 2650 wikAM
c.2650 MUSIC:  2 silver pipes, one with 4 finger holes, the other with 1, are deposited in a royal grave at Ur.  2650 ISBE 3-443
c.2605 KISH, kingless from 2650, 2nd dynasty of Kish begins until 2430.  MESILIM (not on king lists) is king until ???. 2605 2550 hifiKs, rcM, no date:
c.2600 EARLY ASSYRIAN Period begins until 2025. 2600 wikA, wikEAP
c.2600 TELL BRAK in Syria, occupied by Ninevite 5 culture 29-2400, renamed Nagar. 2600 wikTBr
c.2600 MESILIM, 1st king of 2nd dynasty of Kish, draws border between Umma and Lagash, a contentious point between these 2 cities.  His decision, accepted by both parties, favors Lagash. 2600 2550 hifiLg, hifiUm
2510 bk no date hifiKs
by 2600 Sumerian LANGUAGE: Archaic Sumerian, the earliest stage of inscriptions with linguistic content, from 2900 ends.  Old or Classical Sumerian begins until 2100. by 2600 wikSL 2500 B76 17-797
c.2600 EARLY DYNASTIC-II Period ends. Began 2750.
EARLY DYNASTIC-III Period begins until 2334
2600 RAI3 122, Sag2 28, WPOT, hifiM, hifiUb, hifiUr, wikEAP, wikEDPM, wikLMD, wikS, wikUk
c.2600 ASSUR founded as capital of Assyria, but there is no evidence that it is independent until 2025.  2600 wikA, wikEAP
c.2600 Puabi sealTomb of queen Puabi (Shubad), contains many high-quality and well-preserved grave goods, untouched by looters, and skeletons of 6 men, and 68 women servants, who took poison.  Her cyllinder seal and its impression are shown here. photo: Nic McPhee

2600 wikCS, wikPb
c.2600  Fara Texts  shows Amorite pressure already in Mesopotamia.  (Fara = Shuruppak.)  The Fara god list shows that sometimes Enlil, Inanna and Enki were the most significant deities. 2600 WPOT 108 no date: wikLMD
War panel of the Standard of UrWar panel photo:
{{PD-US}}
c.2600 Standard of Ur created for tomb of Ur-Pabilsag, a king who died c.2550.  Found in a tomb at Ur next to the skeleton of a ritually sacrificed man who may have been its bearer.  A hollow wooden box 21.59cm wide by 49.53cm long.  Scenes of war and peace portrayed on each side by inlaid mosaics of shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli.  The peace side shows comfort, music, and prosperity. The war side shows the king, his armies, and chariots trampling enemies.  Purpose unknown. 2600 wikEDPM, wikStUr wikUb
Peace panel of the Standard of UrWar panel photo:
{{PD-US}}
c.2600 4 wheelFour Λ WHEELED V CHARIOT V pulled by 4 onagers portrayed 5 times on the war panel of the Standard of Ur, first walking without rider in the top row, then in the 3rd row, walking with 2 riders (shown here), then trampling enemies, then running and trampling enemies, then galloping and trampling enemies. photo: {{PD-US}}

2500 wikWl
c.2600 seal Mesan.Seal impression of "Mesannepada, king of Kish", from the Royal Cemetery at Ur.  It shows Gilgamesh and the bull of heaven between 2 lions, one of the lions biting him in the shoulder.  On each side of this group appears Enkidu and a hunter-hero, with a long beard and a Kish-style headdress, armed with a dagger.  Under the text, 4 runners with beards and long hair form a human Swastika.  They are armed with daggers and catch each other's foot. picture: L. Legrain

2600 wikGlg
c.2600 AKKADIAN nomads from ?? migrate into Sumer, begin to adopt Sumerian culture, word signs, syllable signs. 2600 Akkadian Grammar V
c.2600  Instructions of Shuruppak   Shuruppak gives instructions to his son:  "Do not buy an ass which brays too much.  Do not commit rape upon a man's daughter, do not announce it to the courtyard.  Do not answer back against your father, do not raise a 'heavy eye'."  Story refers in a later version to Ziusudra, who had become a venerable figure in literary tradition. 2600 wikZsd 26-2500 wikISh,
c.2600 Oxen used with plows in Sumer. 2600 TTPC 5, bk
c.2560 KISH under Uruk from 2660, no longer so. 2560 RAI3 140
c.2560 UR, small farming villages from ?, consolidates to a center of industry, sacred to god Nanna, and possibly under Kish.  MESKALAMDUG is ruler with queen Puabi (Shubad) until 2550?.  1st DYNASTY of UR begins until 2445. 2700 MCAW    2660 RAI3 136 2650 RAI2? 116     2600 hifiUr 2560 RAI3 140
2520 MCAW     2500 hifiUr, wikEDPM
According to the  Sumerian King List , there were 4 kings in the 1st Dynasty of Ur:  Mesannepada, Meskiagnuna, Elulu, and Balulu.  2 other kings earlier than Mesannepada are known from other sources.   wik1DU,
c.2550 Λ CUNEIFORM V texts from Shuruppak and Abu Salabikh are written in Sumerian. 2550 wikPAs
c.2550 MARI, a Semitic independent city state from 2900 in the middle of the Euphrates trade routes between Sumer and the 1st Eblaite kingdom and Levant in the west, abandoned until 2510. 2550 wikMri
c.2550 ADAB, south of Nippur, under Mari from 2800, comes under Kish until 2100. 2550 rcM
c.2550 AFTERLIFE hypothesized: 74 attendants, drivers, musicians, servants, all take poison to be buried with king and queen at Ur.  Royal grave goods include a gold helmet, a harp, art showing "master of beasts" theme, scenes of prosperity, and a donkey mascott. 2600 MCAW 2550 bk
2550? MESKALAMDUG, ruler of 1st dynasty of Ur from 2560?, ends.  His tomb (PG 755) at the Royal Cemetery of Ur has great artifacts including a gold helmet, but omits the title King.  AKALAMDUG succeeds until ??.  . photo: Gary Todd

no date: wik1DU,
c.2550 LAGASH 1st dynasty (but not kings until 2520) begins until 2380.
Border conflict with Umma begins for same period.  EN-HEGAL becomes ensi until ?.
2570 wikLg
2550 hifiS, hifiUb
2500 wikS, wikLg
c.2550 UR NINA, ensi of Lagash dies, leaving inscriptions on buildings and a bas relief of himself and his family.  Son AKURGAL succeeds until 2450. 2550 MCAW, 2460 wikLg
c.2530 beads
Carnelian beads excavated from the Royal Cemetery of Ur are imports from the Indus Valley.  Many of them have etched designs in white made by a technique of acid-etching developed by the Harappans.
photo: Hall, H. R.

2600-2500 wikIMR 2600-2450 wikIMR,
c.2525 MESANNEPADDA, king of 1st dynasty of Ur from 25??, ends.  ANNEPADA succeeds until 2485. 2525 RAI3
no date: wik1DU,
c.2510 MARI, abandoned from 2550, rebuilt as the capital of a hegemonic East Semitic state until 2290. pre-2500 wikMri

Mesopotamia 2500-2001
V