Geoffrey Parker - The Persians: Lost Civilizations

LOST CIVILIZATIONS

587 BC

Jerusalem falls to the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II
The Babylonian Captivity of the Jews begins

550 BC

Death of Cambyses I of Anshan and succession of Cyrus II

528 BC

Buddhism founded by Siddhartha Gautama

521 BC

Darius I succeeds Cyrus

457429 BC

Golden Age of Athens under Pericles

431 BC

Beginning of the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta

332 BC

Alexander the Great founds Alexandria

331 BC

Alexander the Great defeats Darius III and conquers Persian Empire

270 BC

Conquest of Italy by Rome

221 BC

Chin Shih Huang-ti establishes the Chinese Empire

146 BC

Rome defeats and destroys Carthage

AD 27

Founding of the Roman Empire

c. AD 29

Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth

The Roman Emperor Trajan conquers Mesopotamia

Sasanid dynasty in Persia

The Roman emperor Constantine accepts Christianity

The Gupta dynasty unifies northern India

Constantinople, built on the site of Byzantium, becomes the capital of the Roman Empire

Hun invasion of Europe

Division of the Roman Empire between East and West

Barbarian conquest of the western Roman Empire

Beginning of the religion of Islam

The Arabs defeat the Persian army at the battle of Nehawand

Charlemagne (Charles the Great) becomes king of the Franks and establishes the state which will become known as the Holy Roman Empire

The Norseman Rurik becomes the ruler of Kiev

1096

The First Crusade and the establishment of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem

1206

Establishment of the sultanate of Delhi. Mongol chieftain Temujin is proclaimed Genghis Khan and begins his conquests. Establishment of the Mongol Yuan dynasty in China.
The Mongols rule the country until 1368

1290

Founding of the Ottoman Empire

1368

Defeat of the Mongols in China and establishment of the Ming dynasty

1380

Tamerlane conquers Persia

1421

Beginning of the Portuguese explorations under Henry the Navigator

1453

Constantinople falls to the Ottomans and becomes their capital

1526

Founding of the Mughal dynasty in India

1707

Death of the emperor Aurangzeb and beginning of the disintegration of the Mughal Empire

1739

The Persian Nadir Shah invades India, sacks Delhi and takes the Peacock Throne back to Persia where it becomes the new symbol of the shahs

1757

Victory in the Battle of Plassey results in Britain becoming the major power in north India

1858

Indias First War of Independence (the Indian Mutiny) results in the British Crown taking over the responsibilities of the East India Company

1869

Opening of the Suez Canal produces renewed British interest in the Middle East

1876

Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India. Britain is now the dominant power in southern Asia

1900

Boxer Rebellion in China and almost complete take over of the country by the great powers Britain, Russia and Germany

1908

Founding of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company

191418

The First World War results in the fall of the German, Austrian, Russian and Ottoman empires which have dominated Europe and the Middle East during the nineteenth century. Britain and France become the dominant powers in the Middle East

1922

Establishment of the Soviet Union

1925

Reza Shah founds the Pahlavi dynasty in Persia

1931

Japanese invasion of Manchuria, which eventually leads to the Japanese conquest of much of China

193945

Second World War produces the two superpowers the United States and the Soviet Union. They dominate the world scene throughout most of the rest of the twentieth century

1943

Tehran is the first meeting place of the Big Three Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union

1950s60s

Those Middle Eastern states that had been reduced to quasi-colonial status by Britain and France gain their independence

1972

Great ceremonies in Iran in an attempt to resurrect the ancient empire

1980

Establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran followed by war with Iraq