c. 5000 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Ubaidian culture dominant
throughout the territory
c. 3500 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Sumerians enter southern
Mesopotamia
c. 3300 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Development of cuneiform writing
in Sumeria
c. 3000–2686 B.C.E. Egypt: Archaic era—Dynasty 1 and 2
c. 2900 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Amorites settle to the north of
Sumer
2686–2125 B.C.E. Egypt: Old Kingdom—Dynasty 3–8
2667–2648 B.C.E. Egypt: Djoser; career of Imhotep, later deified as
the god of medicine
2589–2566 B.C.E. Egypt: Khufu (Cheops)
2334–2279 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Sargon the Great of Akkad

c. 2200–1200 B.C.E. Middle and Late Bronze Ages
2160–2055 B.C.E. Egypt: First Intermediate Period—Dynasty 9–11
c. 2111 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Ur–Nammu establishes Third
Dynasty of Ur
2055–1650 B.C.E. Egypt: Middle Kingdom—Dynasty 11–14
1985–1956 B.C.E. Egypt: Amenemhat I
1956–1911 B.C.E. Egypt: Senusret I
1792–1750 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Hammurabi, first great king of
Babylon
1650–1550 B.C.E. Egypt: Second Intermediate Period—Dynasty
15–17
1650–1550 B.C.E. Egypt: Hyksos—Dynasty 15
1595–1157 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Kassites rule Mesopotamia
1550–1069 B.C.E. Egypt: New Kingdom—Dynasty 18–20
c. 1365 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Assur–uballit I (1365–1330 BCE)
frees Assyria from Hurrian domination and
reestablishes it as an independent kingdom
1352–1336 B.C.E. Egypt: Amenhotep IV / Ankhenaten
1279–1213 B.C.E. Egypt: Ramesses II
1235 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Tukulti–Ninurta (1244–1208
B.C.E.) of Assyria conquers Babylon
c. 1200–800 B.C.E. Dark Age in the eastern Mediterranean;
incursions of the Sea Peoples into the Near East
1115–1077 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Tiglath–Pilester I, king of Assyria

1069–64 B.C.E. Egypt: Third Intermediate Period—Dynasty 21–25
c. 1020–1000 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Saul, king of Israel
c. 1000–961 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: David, king of Judah and Israel
c. 961–922 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Solomon, king of Judah and
Israel
922–587 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Separate kingdoms of Israel and
Judah
883–859 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Assurnasirpal II, king of Assyria
882–871 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Omri, king of Israel
c. 871–851 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Ahab, king of Israel
858–823 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Shalmaneser III, king of Assyria
c. 851–850 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Ahaziah, king of Israel
842–814 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Jehu, king of Israel
786–758 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Uzziah, king of Judah
785–749 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Jeroboam II, king of Israel
758–742 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Jotham, king of Judah
744–727 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria
742–726 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Ahaz, king of Judah
740–732 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Rezin, king of Aram–Damascus
735–731 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Pekah, king of Israel
726–697 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Hezekiah, king of Judah

721–705 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Sargon II, king of Assyria
697–642 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Manasseh, king of Judah
669–627 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Assurbanipal, king of Assyria
664–332 B.C.E. Egypt: Late Period—Dynasty 26–30, Persian rule
604–562 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Nebuchadnezzar II, king of
Babylon
556–539 B.C.E. Mesopotamia: Nabonidus (Nabu–na’id), king of
Babylon
559–530 B.C.E. Persia: Cyrus II (“the Great”), king of Persia
486–465 B.C.E. Persia: Xerxes, king of Persia
336–323 B.C.E . Greece: Alexander III (“the Great”), king of
Macedon
333–63 B.C.E. Hellenistic Era
332 B.C.E. Persia: Alexander conquers Persian possessions
in the Near East
305–285 B.C.E. Egypt: Ptolemy I Soter, first Hellenistic king of
Egypt
175–163 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Antiochus IV Epiphanes, king
of Syria, 175–163 B.C.E.
167–142 B.C.E. Syria–Palestine: Maccabean revolt in Judah
165 B.C.E . Syria–Palestine: Restoration of Temple  Jerusalem
142–63 B.C.E . Syria–Palestine: Jewish autonomy under
Hasmonean rule

​

Gods in the Desert: Religions of the Ancient Near East by Glenn S. Holland, 2009