Timeline | Bible | Middle East |
5004 – 3952 BCE | World created, according to interpretations of selected genealogies in the Bible, as per Ussher (4004 BCE), Newton, Kepler, Bede and others | |
3500 -2500 BCE | “Cradles of Civilization”: Sumerian, Akkadian, and Egyptian Empires. Sargon. Mules and oxen draw solid wheeled carts, literature, records, trade, surgery. | |
2100 – 1700 BCE Egypt Bronze Age | Date range for Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph | Egypt: Osiris: god of the underworld; Horus (hawk): sky god. Book of the Dead. Value for the body as “holding” three lives/souls. One version of creation starts with an ocean in darkness. Hittites are renowned charioteers (with horses). Hammurabi’s Code |
1750 – 1580 BCE Hyksos in Egypt | Hyksos leadership of Egypt. Invaders? Skilled horsemen. Limited records for 200 years. “Asiatic” or “Semitic” names (most Semitic languages dead now) | |
1650 – 1500 BCE | Volcanic eruption of Thera (Santorini) Early Canaanite writing | |
1700- 1400 BCE | Minoan frescoes on island of Crete. Religious images include the bull, serpent, sun disk, tree. | |
1450 BCE | Megiddo (n Israel) an Egyptian garrison. Egypt and Mitanni (NE) partnership against the Hittites (N) | |
1500 – 1200 BCE | Date range for Moses, 40 years in the desert, Joshua’s invasion and settlement of Canaan | Jericho fort guards place to ford River Jordan. Ancient settlements, Rebuilt 17 times. Abandoned 1400 – 1500 and 850 – 1325 BCE. Ai abandoned around 2700 BCE. |
1350 - 1330 BCE | Pharoah Akhenaten, monotheist, sun god (movement shifted back to polytheistic practices afterward) Pharoah Tutankhamen | |
1280 BCE Transition of powers | Egyptian (S) and Hittite (N) powers wane. Peace pact between them because of growing Mittani (NW) power | |
1200 – 1000 BCE Iron Age | Iron Age begins and spreads technological advantages (unevenly) in chariots, ships, and weapons. Egyptians still rely on bronze, lose N garrisons to Mesopotamians with iron | |
1209 BCE | Earliest mention of Israel (as a people, not a nation) on Egyptian victory stele, with Canaan | |
1200 – 1150 BCE Sea Peoples invasions Eastern Mediterranean | Bible is silent on the Sea Peoples invasions. Book of Judges is presumed to reflect this period, though written later. | Whole cities and regions are destroyed, depopulated, and abandoned (Greece – Mid East), for a century or more. Subsequent settlements poorer and smaller. Like Vikings – no evidence of empire building, just pillaging. Did they carry plague(s) that depopulated the region? |
1000 -900 BCE | First kings: Saul, David, Solomon Israel and Judah united kingdom under D/S only. Jerusalem made capital. Solomon described with great wealth, hundreds of wives, Solomon’s Temple, worship of other gods | Camels may have been previously domesticated in Arabia and Central Asia, but were uncommon in Mid East until 1000 BCE. No external references to King Solomon. Possible later reference to “House of David” on small Tel Dan ( N. Israel/Syria border) stele fragment. |
925 BCE | Pharoah Shishak invades Israel. | Pharoah Sheshonq conquers many Northern Israelite cities. Mentions N. Israel cities (Megiddo) etc but not Jerusalem or southern cities. |
900 – 722 BCE | Kingdom divided into Judah (S)and Israel (N). Battles with the Syrians, Egyptians, Assyrians. Criticism of widespread polytheism. | Archeology reveals larger, sophisticated, walled cities in N (like Samaria and Megiddo) than in the S (like Jerusalem and Hebron). N on trade routes and center of extensive wine and olive oil production. Evidence in N. of remote trade for high quality goods, such as ivory, and by artisans, such as architectural refinements and engineering, invoices, receipts in N. S more remote and rural until after 722. |
853 BCE Assyrians | King Ahab (N) dies in battle (according to both Bible and Assyrian stele | Egypt, Canaan, Israel and Syria band together against Assyrians and lose, pay tribute as vassal states |
722 BCE | Assyrians crush Israelite rebellion (N) Residents are exiled, others flee south (to Judah). Possibly earliest collections of Bible stories postdate this refugee movement which brings remote Jews together. J documents: (south) describe approachable, physical God, Yahweh. E documents: (north) describe remote God, Elohim. Leviticus and other Priestly documents possibly written at this time or after Jews return from Babylonian exile (500s). | Massive Israelite refugee movement flees south from Assyrians to Jerusalem, bringing sophisticated technology with them. Cities balloon in size, increase in number, defensive walls built with better skills than just previously. |
700 BCE | Jerusalem palace 150 x 250 sq ft, Casemated wall like Samaria (n) had King Hezekiah mentioned by Assyrians | Southwest Palace in Ninevah is 1650 x 794 sq ft: 80 rooms, 2 miles of carved reliefs decorating walls Assyria captures fort of Lachich in 703 BCE |
663 BCE | Assyrians (Ashurbanipal) conquer Egypt). Biggest library in the ancient world in Ninevah: 24,000 | |
600s BCE | First version of Deuteronomy written during King Josiah’s reign, followed by revisions and Joshua, I/II Samuel, I/II Kings, and Jeremiah presumed written, perhaps by same author/group . King Josiah dies in battle with Egypt. | Temple in Sheba (Yemen) built |
626 BCE | Ashurbanipal dies, others conquer Assyrians: Babylonians, Chaldeans, Medes, Caucasians | |
600 – 800 BCE | Presumed assembly of disparate oral and written tales, laws, songs etc. into written Bible scrolls (not found). Subsequently edited many times. | Neo-Babylonians poor record keepers |
597 BCE Babylonian | Alliance of Judah, Egypt, Edom, Moab, Amon, Tyre and Sidon against Babylonians. Crushed. Samaria holds out longest. | King Johoichan deported to sophisticated Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. N: a big builder. One temple: 1500 x 1800 ft. 900 chapels and temples in empire. Banks, insurance, loans, jewelers’ guarantees, lawyers, contracts, debt prisons. Consistent astronomical records maintained for 350 years. |
587 – 538 BCE | King Zedekiah refuses to pay tribute. Crushed. Blinded. “Babylonian exile” of Jews. Not enslaved. 50 years. Parts of Ezra, Chronicles, Jeremiah, and early part of Daniel written, plus all of Tobit, Ezekiel, Lamentations, possibly Judith. | Coins become common for trade |
538 BCE Persians | Leviticus and other P documents possibly written when Jews returned to Jerusalem and discovered differences in practices, or possibly written after 722 when Israelites migrate south and introduce new ideas | Nebuchadnezzar dies, Persians conquer Babylon, under Cyrus, messianic stories about him, Tolerant ruler, didn’t destroy Babylon. Released Jews from exile, with Temple valuables. |
444 BCE | Artaxeres installs Nehemiah as governor of Jerusalem, vassal state to Persia. No evidence of war in Israel under Persian rule. Book of Nehemiah written. Content of Pentateuch (first five books) probably set by this time. | Judah is poor, deforested, poor construction techniques Greek Parthenon built, burned by Persians |
419 BCE | Darius protects and preserves religious rights of Jews as far south as Aswan, Egypt | |
333 BCE Greeks | Bible silent on Greek period until Maccabean wars. Samaria only independent town that could withstand Greeks (a while). Book of Esther probably written 300 – 400 BCE. | Alexander the Great. Tolerant toward regional religions and practices but Greeks regarded circumcision as barbaric mutilation. No Greek interest in Judah. Greeks gave Jews in Alexandria, Egypt same rights as other citizens. City became center of intellectual Judaism. |
250 – 100 BCE | Hebrew no longer widely spoken. Hebrew Bible translated into Greek (version called the Septuagint) at order of King Ptolemy. New books added, like late part of Daniel, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Macabees. |
168 – 164 BCE Seleucids | Seleucids despoil Temple in Jerusalem, put up other gods, ban circumcision. Maccabeean revolt. Seleucids win but allow Judaism to be practiced again. Hannukah story. Maccabees fight for political independence. Crushed. | |||
142 – 129 BCE Syrians | Syrians grant them political autonomy under Jewish leader, John Hyrcanus. | |||
129 – 63 BCE Hasmoneans | Jewish independent state, under Hasmonean dynasty | |||
Romans 63 BCE + | Jesus’s dates not stated, but presumed between 7 BCE and 36 CE. | Julius Caesar dies 44 BCE. Augustus d. 14 CE Pontius Pilate resigned 36 CE. Nero d. 66 CE | ||
30 – 70 CE | Presumed date range when Hebrew scrolls were hidden in Dead Sea caves ( 100 copies of OT books, 300 other documents ) These are the earliest Bible documents found. | |||
50 – 65 CE | Presumed dates of Paul’s letters in New Testament(about half scholars believe are written by him, others by other authors) | |||
66 – 70 CE | Jewish Rebellion, Jerusalem destroyed by Romans, Jews and Christians scattered. | |||
70 – 100 CE | Presumed writing of the Gospels, (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), Acts, and Revelation | |||
135 CE | Another Jewish Rebellion, Jerusalem destroyed, Jews no longer allowed there. | |||
200 – 400 CE | Presumed dates of previously unseen 50 + Coptic Christian gospels found in caves near Nag Hammadi, Egypt (13 volumes, 1000 sheets). Christianity becomes official religion of Roman Empire, Several Ecumenical Councils determine articles of faith (not explicit in Bible). | |||
800 – 900 CE | Masoretic Translation of OT used for Protestant and Jewish Bibles. | |||