IMPORTANT DATES
These are the dates you must master for Western Civilization 1 & 2
3100 B.C. Menes Unites Egypt
2166 Abram born
1790 Century Hammurabi
1526 Moses born
1446 Exodus
930 Israelite Kingdom splits
776 First Olympic Games
753 Traditional date for founding of Rome
750-700 Homer composes Iliad & Odyssey
750-500 Greek Archaic Age (creation of poleis/democracy)
721 Northern Kingdom of Israel destroyed by Assyrians
586 Fall of Jerusalem – Babylonian Captivity
539 Israelite Return from captivity
509 Roman Republic
500-323 Greek Classical Age
490 Darius defeated at Marathon
480 Xerxes defeated at Salamis
469–399 Socrates
431-404 Peloponnesian War
431 Pericles funeral oration
428-348 Plato
384-322 Aristotle
323 Death of Alexander the Great
264-241 First Punic War
218-201 Second Punic War
168 Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrates Temple in Jerusalem
149-146 Third Punic War
63 Pompeii Conquers Jerusalem
55 Julius Caesar invades Britain
44 Julius Caesar is assassinated
27 Octavian named Augustus; Roman Empire begins (Pax Romana 27 B.C. – 180 A.D.
1 B.C.
1 A.C.
14 Death of Caesar Augustus
30 Jesus’ Crucifixion/Resurrection, Pentecost
40-65 Ministry of the Apostle Paul
48 Council of Jerusalem: Gentiles accepted into faith along with Jews
65 Peter and Paul executed
70 Destruction of Jerusalem by Romans
90 Gospel of John and Revelation written: last books of NT canon
140 Justin Martyr founds his school of Christian Philosophy in Rome
150 The heretic Marcion rejects the Old Testament
197 Tertullian begins apologetic writings in Carthage Africa
230 Earliest known public churches built
235-284 Barbarian Invasions
270 Saint Anthony “founds” monasticism
303 Diocletian’s “Great” Persecution
312 Conversion of Constantine
313 Edict of Milan
325 Council of Nicea
330 Capitol of Rome moved to Constantinople by Constantine
410 Rome Abandons Britain
413 Saint Augustine publishes
476 Barbarian Odoacer crowned “king” of Rome; Empire’s End
481-511 Clovis king of the Franks
540 Rule of Saint Benedict
540-604 Saint Gregory the Great
622 Muhammad’s Hegira
652 Official version of the Qu’ran
7th Century Beowulf composed
711-715 Muslim conquest of Spain
732 Charles Martel (the Hammer) checks the advance of Muslims into Europe
800 Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor
871-899 Alfred the Great King of Anglo-Saxons
1054 East-West Church split
1066 Battle of Hastings/Norman Invasion
1077 Emperor submits to Pope over Investiture
1095-1291 Crusades
1215 Magna Carta limits Monarchical power in England
1225-1274 Saint Thomas Aquinas
1309-1377 “Babylonian Captivity” of the Papacy in Avignon
1321 Dante completes Divine Comedy
1337-1453 Hundred Years War
1343-1400 Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales
1347-1351 Black Death
1378-1417 Papal Schism begins
1380 Wyclif supervises first English Bible translation
1429 Cosimo de Medici inherits the family bank and rises to great power in Florence.
1436 Brunelleschi completes dome in Florence
1453 Constantinople falls to the Ottoman Turks, end of Byzantine Empire
1456 Gutenberg produces first Bible
1482 Botticelli completes Primavera
1492 Spain drives Moors from Spain; Columbus discovers New World
1497 Bonfire of the Vanities in Florence
1512 Michelangelo completes Sistine chapel frescoes
1517 Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenburg
1532 Niccolo Machiavelli finishes The Prince
1534 English Act of Supremacy declares Henry VIII head of the Church of England
1536 Calvin publishes Institutes
1540 Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus
1559 Coronation of Elizabeth I in England, beginning of English Golden Age
1563 Council of Trent
1605 King Lear finished