Mythology

Estimated origin of the universe

Estimated time period of the first living organisms on earth.

Estimated time period when chimps and sapiens diverged.

Sapiens diverge from Astrolopthesus. This is also the estimated time period that sapiens began creating very basic tools. More advanced tools did not appear until the cognitive revolution.

Sapiens rise to the top of the food chain

Sapiens begin to show their dominance over nature.

We lost this battle. We start to see that it is in our nature to spread out.

The cognitive revolution is generally marked to be the time period from 70,000 BC to 30,000 BC.

Sapiens begin to use tools such as bows, arrows, needles and lamps.

Rise of religions, art, cultural artifacts, and migration.

Sapiens use of sea travel becomes widespread. sapiens conquer Australia.

One of the earliest works of artistic fiction, the 'lion-man' figure, is dated around this time.

Scientists are unsure of what happened to the Neanderthals. Some believe that sapiens mixed with them while others believe sapiens killed them off.

Dogs are generally regarded as the first animals sapiens domesticated.

Sapiens enter the Americas for the first time via the land bridge.

Sapiens domesticate a large number of plants and animals. Permanent settlements begin to form. Sapiens begin to permanently settle in Asia.

Homo sapiens kill off the last remaining Homo floreinsis. Only sapiens remain.

First use of script and money. Polytheistic religions are generally the most popular.

Ancient Sumerians flourished between 3000 and 1750 BC. The Sumerians are the authors of the creation myth "The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi".

The invention of coinage changed the way trading worked dramatically. It allowed coins to be backed by the empire that created them. The coins were worth more than a chunk of metal of the same size.

The myth "The Creation of Ulligara and Zalgarra" is etched into stone tablets by the Sumerians.

Hesiod's Theogony is one of the most influential texts of ancient Greece. A small portion of this text, "From Chaos to King Zeus" is studied in our text.

The monotheistic religion Islam was established and began to rise.

The Mayans are the authors of the myth "The Popul Vu."

Pacific Islanders arrive in Hawaii. They establish many polytheistic religions. They write the myth "The Fire Goddess." They will later be discovered by Captain Cook in the late 1700s.

Vikings (bands of Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes) control much of Scotland, Ireland, England, Iceland and many other parts of Europe. They view life as very brutal and often unforgiving. This can be seen in their myth "The Creation" from The Eddas

Columbus' discovery began a chain of events that led to the eventual syncretism of many cultures. Europeans also discover the natives and eventually conquering a large portion. Some of the myths written by the natives include "Out of the Blue" and "White Buffalo Calf Woman."

Humans begin to realize that science and research is the true key to power. European cultures spread into the Americas.

Cortés begins his conquest into the Americas. He would later be the cause of the fall of the Aztec Empire, the authors of the myth "Quetzalcoatl Rescues the Precious Bones and Discovers Corn"

Isaac Newton publishes The Mathematical Principals of Natural Philosophy, one of the most important books in modern history. The book presents a mathematical explanation for natural phenomenon such as gravity and movement.

Alexander Webster and Robert Wallace use statistical methods to predict human behavior with great accuracy. They were able to set up an insurance agency that, because of their predictions regarding the rate of death (ad a few other characteristics), was very successful.

New manufacturing processes are developed. The global markets soar. Massive extinction of plants and animals.