CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW
OF ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN PREHISTORY (3600-2800 BC)
outlined by Daniel C. Browning, Jr.
3600 BC
Mesopotamia
3500 BC
3400 BC
3300 BC
Uruk Period (ca. 4000-3200 BC)
3200 BC
3100 BC
3000 BC
Jemdat Nasr Period (ca. 3200-3000 BC)
2900 BC
2800 BC
Early Dynastic Period
(ca. 3000-2350 BC) →
Sumerian City States
Ancient
Near East
(Eridu, Shurrupak, Uruk, Kish,
Nippur, Ur)of Ur Nammu)
Palestine
Chalcolithic Age (ca. 4500-3150 BC)
Early Bronze Age
(ca. 3150-2200 BC) →
(highly urbanized culture)
Egypt
The Biblical
Story
←
Archaic Period
(3100-2700 BC) →
Predynastic Period
(Dynasties 1-2)
NO HISTORICAL BIBLICAL EVENTS CAN BE IDENTIFIED WITH ANY CERTAINTY
35th century BC
33rd century BC
31st century BC
29st century BC
CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW
OF EARLY ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN HISTORY (2800-2000 BC)
outlined by Daniel C. Browning, Jr.
2800 BC
2700 BC
←
Mesopotamia
2600 BC
2500 BC
2400 BC
2300 BC
Early Dynastic Period (ca. 3000-2350 BC)
Sumerian City States
Ancient
Near East
(Eridu, Shurrupak, Uruk, Kish, Nippur, Ur)
←
Palestine
Archaic
Period
(3100-2700 BC)
(Dynasties 1-2)
Major
Historical
Figures
The Biblical
Story
Ur III Period
Semitic domination
st
1 empire in Mesopotamia
Sumerian revival
Early Bronze Age (ca. 3150-2200 BC)
2000 BC
(Laws of Ur Nammu)
Middle Bronze I
1
also called Early Bronze Age IV
(nomadic life; no major cities)
Old Kingdom (Dynasties 3-6)
First Intermediate Period
= “the Pyramid Age”
(disunity; Asiatics in the Delta region)
(the “Great Pyramid;” other major pyramids)
Sargon
Naram-Sin
Ur-Nammu
Djoser, Khufu, Khafre
NO HISTORICAL BIBLICAL EVENTS CAN BE IDENTIFIED WITH CERTAINTY
28th century BC
1
2100 BC
Akkadian Dynasty
(highly urbanized culture)
←
Egypt
2200 BC
25th century BC
23rd century BC
Two systems of nomenclature are used for the Bronze Ages in Palestine; the older system of Albright is used here with the newer system of Dever in italics
21st century BC
CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW
OF BIBLICAL HISTORY (2000-1200 BC)
outlined by Daniel C. Browning, Jr.
Ancient
Near East
2000 BC
Mesopotamia
Palestine
Egypt
1900 BC
1800 BC
Isin and Larsa Period
Biblical Books
in Face Value
Story Order
1600 BC
1500 BC
Old Babylonian Period
(Amorites in S; Laws of Eshnunna1)
3
1400 BC
1300 BC
Middle Bronze IIb-c (MB II)
3
Late Bronze Age
(reurbanization)
(classic Canaanite culture)
Middle Kingdom (ca. 2000-1750 BC)
2 Intermediate Period
New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1000 BC)
(prosperous, peaceful period)
(= Hyksos Period; Asiatics rule Delta)
(Hyksos expelled; Empire established)
nd
Hammurabi
1200 BC
Kassite Period
(Amorites; Law Code of Hammurabi2)
Middle Bronze IIa (Middle Bronze I)
Major
Historical
Figures
The Biblical
Story
1700 BC
(smaller cities; Egyptian domination)
Thutmose III
Tutankhamen
Merneptah
Ahmose I Hatshepsut
Amenhotep III
Seti I
Akhenaten
Rameses II
THE PATRIARCHS
SOJOURN IN EGYPT
Genesis 12-50
EXODUS
WILDERNESS
CONQUEST
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Biblical
Characters
Major
Theological
Events
Critical View of
Composition
Biblical Writings
ABRAHAM, Isaac, Jacob (exact dates uncertain) Joseph
EXODUS
Decalogue5
Sinai Covenant6
Abrahamic Covenant4
no major biblical compositions this early according to majority critical view
th
19 century BC
1
MOSES Joshua
17th century BC
15th century BC
Third oldest known ancient law code; similar to later biblical law.
Fourth oldest known ancient law code; many similarities to biblical law.
3
Two systems of nomenclature are used for the Bronze Ages in Palestine; the older system of Albright is used here with the newer system of Dever in italics
4
Abrahamic Covenant = God promises Abraham: 1) descendants will be a great nation; 2) the Land will be inheritance forever.
5
Decalogue = The Ten Commandments
6
Sinai Covenant = God promises to fight Israel’s enemies, if Israel will keep God’s commandments.
2
13th century BC
CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW
OF BIBLICAL HISTORY (1200-400 BC)
outlined by Daniel C. Browning, Jr.
1200 BC
1100 BC
1000 BC
900 BC
Ancient
Near East
Mesopotamia (Arameans appear)
Iron Age II (1000-586 BC)
poor isolated settlements
development of centralized government, cities; ended by major destructions
Shoshenq =
Late Period Nubian Kings;
Assyrian conquest
Shishak (925 BC)
THE JUDGES
UNITED
DIVIDED MONARCHY
MONARCHY
ISRAEL AND JUDAH
500 BC
Persian Period
JUDAH
ASSYRIAN/BABYLONIAN
INVASIONS
poor, sparsely populated
Persian
dominance
EXILE POST-EXILIC
IN BABYLON
Zephaniah Obadiah
1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings
2 Kings→ Amos
Hosea
Jeremiah→
Ezekiel
Ruth 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles→
Judges
Isaiah Habakkuk
Micah Nahum Lamentations
Deborah
Samson
Samuel DAVID
Saul
Solomon
Ahab, Elijah
Elisha
TEMPLE REBUILT
Monarchy
Established
Hezekiah
Josiah
Daniel?
Sennacherib
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Cyrus
Split of the Kingdom
Composition of
“J” source of
Pentateuch
Critical View of
Composition
Biblical Writings
th
12 century BC
1
Davidic
Covenant2
th
11 century BC
th
10 century BC
th
9 century BC
Ezra
Nehemiah
Haggai Joel?
Zechariah
Esther Malachi
Nebuchadnezzar
Major
Theological
Events
Deuteronomic Reform3
Comp. of “D”
Comp. of “E”
source of
source of
Pentateuch
Pentateuch
Isaiah and Deut. Hist.4
th
8 century BC
400 BC
Neo-Babylonian/ Persian Emp.
Chaldean Emp.
(Nebuchadnezzar
(Cyrus takes
expands Babylon)
Babylon, 539 BC)
Iron Age I (1200-1000 BC)
The Biblical
Story
Biblical
Characters
600 BC
(Shalmaneser III; Tiglath-pileser III; Sargon; Sennacherib
make major campaigns and conquests in Levant)
Egypt
Biblical Books
in Face Value
1
Story Order
700 BC
Neo-Assyrian Empire (911-612 BC)
Middle Assyrian Period
Palestine
800 BC
th
7 century BC
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther?
Partial
Destruction of
Restoration
Temple
EXILE
Comp. of “P”
Chronicles,
material in
Ezra-Nehemiah
Pentateuch
2nd Isaiah Ruth, Job, Jonah
th
6 century BC
th
5 century BC
Chronological positions approximate; books which cannot be “placed,” in terms of events contained therein are not listed. For example, Psalms contains material from many periods
and cannot be assigned a place on a event-based time line.
2
Davidic Covenant = God would “establish” David’s throne forever; i.e., his descendants would continue to rule God’s people
3
Primarily as recorded of Josiah, guided by the discovery of “a book of the Law” (Deuteronomy?) in the Temple.
4
Deut. Hist. = Deuteronomic History, primarily Deuteronomy plus the Former Prophets (Josh, Judg, 1-2 Sam, 1-2 Kings).