Timeline CA 300 B.C. - AD 500 Previous | Next Africa and the Middle East The Americas East Asia India and Southeast Asia Europe 300 B.C. Alexander the Great extends empire, 334-331 Death of Alexander (323): Ptolemy conquers Egypt, Seleucus rules Asia Preclassic Mayan civilization Lao-tzu and development of Taoism, 4th century Han Fei-tzu and Li Ssu and development of Legalism, ca 250-208 Alexander invades India, 327-326 Chandragupta founds Mauryan Dynasty, 322-ca 185 Ashoka, 273-232 King Arsaces of Parthia defeats Seleucid monarchy and begins conquest of Persia, ca 250-137 Peloponnesian War, 431-404 Gauls sack Rome, ca 390 Conquests of Alexander the Great, 334-323 Punic Wars, destruction of Carthage, 264-146 200 B.C. Scipio Africanus defeats Hannibal at Zama, 202   Qin Dynasty and unification of China; construction of the Great Wall, destruction of Confucian literature, 221-210 Han Dynasty, 202 B.C.-A.D. 220 Greeks invade India, ca 183-145 Mithridates creates Parthian Empire, ca 171-131 Late Roman Republic, 133-27 100 B.C. Dead Sea Scrolls Pompey conquers Syria and Palestine, 63 Axum Mayan center at Tres Zapotes Chinese expansion to South China Sea and Vietnam, ca 111 Silk Road opens to Parthian and Roman Empires; Buddhism enters China, ca 104 First Chinese ambassadors to India and Parthia, ca 140 Bhadavad Gita, ca 100 B.C.-A.D. 100 Julius Caesar killed, 44 AD 100 Jesus Christ, ca 4 B.C.-A.D. 30 Nok peoples Bantu migrations begin Jews revolt from Rome, Romans destroy Hebrew temple in Jerusalem: end of the ancient Hebrew state, 70 Moche civilization in Peru Classic Mayan civilization at Tikal Teotihuacabo First written reference (Chinese) to Japan, AD 45 Chinese invent paper, 105 Emperor Wu, 140-186 Shakas und Kushans invade eastern Parthia and India, 1st century AD Romans attacks on Parthian Empire, 115-211 Octavian rules imperial Rome as Augustus, 27 B.C-A.D. 14 Roman Empire at greatest extent, 117 AD 200 Camel first used for trans-Saharan transport, ca 200 Expansion of Bantu peoples, ca 200-900 Axum (Ethiopia) controls Red Sea trade, ca 250 Classic Age of the Maya, ca 300-900 Olmec civilization, ca 1500 B.C.-A.D. 300 Creation of Yamato state in Japan, ca 3d century Buddhism gains popularity in China and Japan, ca 220-590 Fall of Han Dynasty, 220 Three Kingdoms era in China, 221-280 Kushan rule in northwestern India, AD 2d-3d centuries Fall of the Parthian Empire, rise of the Sassanids, ca 225 Breakdown of the pax Romana, ca 180-284; civil wars, economic decline, invasions AD 300 Axum accepts Christianity, ca 4th century Maya civilization in Central America, ca 300-1500 Classic period of Teotihuacán civilization in Mexico, ca 300-900 Hopewell culture in North America Barbarian invasions, 4th-5th centuries Chandragupta I founds Gupta Dynasty in India, ca 320-500 Chandragupta II conquers western India, establishes trade with Middle East and China, ca 400 Huns invade India, ca 450 Founding of Constantinople, 324; Council of Nicaea, 325 Theodosius recognizes Christianity as offical state religion, 380 Germanic raids of western Europe, 5th century Clovis unites Franks and rules Gauls, 481-511 AD 500 Political and commercial ascendancy of Axum, ca 6th-7th centuries Muhammad, 570-632; the hijra, 622 Umayyad Dynasty, 661-750 Tiahuanaco civilization in South America, ca 600-1000 Peak of Maya civilization at Copan Sui Dynasty in China, 580-618; restoration of public order "Constitution" of Shotoku in Japan, 604 Tang Dynasty, 618-907; cultural flowering Sanskrit drama, ca 600-1000 Muslim invasions of India, ca 636-1206 Law Code of Justinian, 529 © 1998 Research Foundation of the State University of New York at Binghamton HOMEPAGE URL: http://history.binghamton.edu/hist130/hist130.htm This page last updated: 08/31/2000 Send Comments to: Prof. Donald Quataert