| 500,000BC |
Paleolithic Age.
Earliest human (homoerectus) presence in Yarimburgaz (Istanbul), Karain (Antalya), Beldibi
(Antalya) Caves, no settled life yet, primitive stone tools, hunting, fishing, collecting
edible plants from the nature |
| 7,250 BC-6,500 BC |
Neolithic Age. First
settlements at Cayonu, Hacilar, Catalhoyuk. Catalhoyuk the largest settlement in the near
east. Early agriculture (wheat, barley, lentils). Religious shrines and figurines,
pottery, mural paintings. Burials inside homes |
| 6,500 BC-5,500 BC |
Catalhoyuk becomes
cultural center and introduces religious shrines. The Mother goddess becomes the main
deity in Anatolia. First temples and sanctuaries |
| 5,500 BC-3,000 BC |
Chalcolithic Age. Use
of Copper. Dark ages. Burials in cemeteries |
| 5,000 BC |
Alacahoyuk, Alisar,
Canhasan and Beycesultan rise as main settlements |
| 3,000 BC |
Anatolia enters Bronze
Age and reaches a high level of civilization. First settlement at Troy. Fortresses and
Feudal Lords. Bronze extensively used to make weapons and ornamentation |
| 2,500 BC-2,000 BC |
Pre Hittite Hatti
people, and Assyrian trading colonies and posts (Kanesh) in Anatolia. Strong commercial
ties between Anatolia and Mesopotamia. First written tablets found |
| 1,900 BC |
Hittite kingdom founded
by Anitta. Hattussas built |
| 1,750 BC |
Old Hittite kingdom
rising political power |
| 1,450 BC |
Hittite Empire main
power in the Middle East |
| 1,286 BC |
War and earliest
international treaty in the world between Hittites and Egyptians |
| 1,200 BC-1,100 BC |
Anatolian civilizations
destroyed by sea peoples. Trojan war, fall and sack of Troy. Hattussas destroyed. Hittite
Empire collapses and organized as small city states at Carchemish, Karatepe, Zincirli,
Aslantepe. Vacuum of power in Anatolia |
| 1,100 BC-1,000 BC |
Beginning of Greek
migration to Aegean coast of Anatolia. Miletus the first Greek colony and city |
| 900 BC-800 BC |
Urartu civilization in
the eastern Anatolia. Phrygian becomes main power in central Anatolia. Lydian, Lycian and
Carian cultures along the Aegean and Mediterranean. Greek culture rises and founds
Pan-Ionic league |
| 750 BC |
Miletus active in
establishing colonies along the Aegean and Black Sea coasts |
| 717 BC |
Assyria captures
Carchemish and other Neo-Hittite states and gains control in Anatolia. Phrygia takes over
in W Anatolia. |
700 BC
650 BC |
Phrygians and cities
of West Anatolia destroyed by Cimmerians . Lydia main power. Homer born at Smyrna.
First coin in the World introduced by Lydians at Sardis. |
| 660 BC |
Byzantium founded by
Megarians. Miletus continues to establish more colonies. |
| 600 BC |
Ionian leading area in
Greek science and Philosophy. Tyrants rule Anatolia. |
| 560 BC |
Croesus becomes ruler
of Lydia. |
| 546 BC |
Croesus defeated by
Cyrus of Persia. Persian domination established all over Anatolia and Greece. |
522 BC
512 BC |
Darius ruler of Persia.
Byzantium captured by Darius. |
| 499 BC |
Ionian cities began to
revolt against Persian rule. |
| 498 BC |
Sardis captured and
burned by Ionian cities. |
| 494 BC |
Persians crush Ionian
revolt at Battle of Lade, and burns down Miletus. |
| 490 BC |
Persians defeated at
battle of Marathon. |
| 486 BC-480 BC |
Darius dies, Xerxes
invades Greece. Persians defeated by Greeks at Termoplyae and Salamis |
| 479 BC |
Persians defeated again
at battles, Platea and Mycale. Ionian cities regain freedom temporarily. |
| 478 BC |
Delian League welcomes
Ionian cities. |
| 467 BC |
Persians defeated once
more by Athenians at Termydon. |
| 431 BC-404 BC |
Peloponessian war
begins between Athens and Sparta. Rhodes founded. End of Peloponessian war, Sparta
victorious against Athens. |
| 401 BC |
The ten thousand under
Xenophon begins expedition into Persia. |
| 399 BC |
Socrates killed at
Athens. |
| 395 BC |
Sardis besieged by
Agesilaus. |
| 394 BC |
Battle of Cnidus |
| 386 BC |
Anatolia under Persian
rule again by King's peace. |
| 356 BC-336 BC |
Alexander the great
born. His father Philip of Macedon assassinated and son Alexander becomes ruler. |
| 334 BC |
Alexander crosses
Dardanelles into Asia Minor. Persians defeated at Granicus battle. Ionian
cities liberated. Miletus and Halicarnassus besieged by Alexander. |
| 334 BC |
Alexander conquers
Lycia, Pamphylia and Pisidia. Cities of Sillyum and Termessus gives Alexander hard times. |
| 333 BC |
Alexander's conquests
in Cilicia, decisive defeat of Persians at Issus battle. |
| 323 BC |
Alexander dies at
Babylon at the age 32. Diadochi, Alexander's successors begin war. |
| 318 BC |
Antigonus takes over
Asia Minor. |
| 301 BC |
Antigonus defeated and
killed at the battle of Ipsus. Lysimachus rules Anatolia. |
| 300 BC |
Seleucid dynasty gains
control in Syria. Antioch on the Orontes founded. |
| 295 BC |
Seleucid occupies
Cilicia. Lysimachus conquers Ionia. |
| 281 BC |
Seleucid defeated
Lysimachus at the battle of Corupedium and becomes main power in Anatolia, Lysimachus dies
at the battlefield. |
| 278 BC |
Gauls at Anatolian
stage. |
| 263 BC-241 BC |
Rise of Pergamum
kingdom under Attalid dynasty. |
| 230 BC |
Rome and Pergamum
strong allies. Gauls crushed by Pergamum. |
| 188 BC |
Treaty of Apamea puts a
end to Seleucid rule in Anatolia. |
| 133 BC |
Attalus III the last
king of Pergamum dies and leaves his kingdom to Rome. |
| 130 BC |
Roman province of Asia
Minor established. Pergamum becomes capital. Aristonicus defeated. |
| 88 BC |
Mithridates the king of
Pontus destroys cities and massacres number of Roman citizens. |
| 83 BC |
End of Seleucid
kingdom. Mediterranean coast center of Piracy. |
| 80 BC |
Commagene kingdom in
the remote east Anatolia founded, after the death of Antiochus, monumental tomb built on
the top of Mt. Nemrut. |
| 78 BC |
Pompeii the general
campaigns against Pirates in Pamphlyia, Cilicia and Isauria. |
| 74 BC |
Nicomedes IV the king
of Bithynia dies and leaves his kingdom to Rome. |
| 66 BC |
After defeated by
Romans, Mithridates kills himself. Rome controls much of Anatolia |
| 41 BC |
Anthony and Cleopatra
come together at Tarsus. |
| 40 BC |
Anthony and Cleopatra
marry at Antioch |
| 31 BC |
Defeat of Anthony by
Octavius at the battle of Actium. |
| 30 BC |
Anthony and Cleopatra
commit suicide. Octavius (Augustus) visits Antioch. End of Hellenistic period and
beginning of Roman Imperial Period. |
| 29 BC |
Ephesus replaces
Pergamum as capital of the Roman Province of Asia. |
| 14 AD |
Augustus dies and
Tiberius takes over. |
40 AD
56 AD |
St. Paul's missionary
journeys. First Christian community at Antioch. Lycia becomes province of Roman Empire. |
| 117 AD |
Trajan dies at Selinus,
Cilicia, Hadrian becomes Imperator |
| 124 AD |
Hadrian's visits in
Asia Minor. |
| 129 AD |
Galen the famous
physician at Pergamum |
| 165 AD |
Plaque dangers Asia
Minor cities. |
| 215 AD |
Caracalla at Antioch |
| 303 AD-313 |
Christians severely
persecuted at Nicomedia. Constantine the great emperor. Christianity tolerated religion in
Byzantine Empire. Byzantium renamed Constantinople. |
| 325 AD |
First of Ecumenical
council meetings at Nicea under Constantine the great. |
| 381 AD |
Second council meeting
at Constantinople. |
| 392 AD |
Christianity state
religion by Theodisius. |
| 395 AD |
Roman Empire divided as
Eastern and Western roman empire. |
| 431 AD |
Third of council
meetings at Ephesus |
| 527 AD-565 AD |
Justinian the Great
at throne and Byzantine Empire at Zenith. Church of St. Sophia built. |
| 626 AD |
Avars and Slavic People
besiege Constantinople. |
| 636 AD-677 AD |
Arabs defeat
Byzantines. Arab fleet attack Constantinople. |
| 717 AD |
Arab siege of
Constantinople |
| 726 AD |
Iconoclastic Period,
representation of human figures banned in churches |
| 813 AD |
Bulgars besiege
Constantinople |
| 842 AD |
End of Iconoclastic
period, churches began to be adorned with mosaics and frescoes |
| 923 AD |
Bulgars capture
Hadrianople and besiege Constantinople |
| 963 AD-969 AD |
Nicephorus Phocas
defeats Arabs and regains Cilicia. |
| 1054 AD |
Split of Greek Orthodox
and Roman Catholic churches |
| 1071 AD |
Turks on Anatolian
stage first time. Defeat of Byzantine Army by Selcuks at Manzikert |
| 1071 AD-1283 AD |
The Selcuk Sultanate
main power in Anatolia. |
| 1096 AD |
First Crusade.
Crusaders in Anatolia first time. |
| 1176 AD |
Selcuks defeat Greeks
at Myriocephalon. Byzantines lose last chance to drive Turks out of Anatolia. |
| 1203 AD |
Fourth Crusade. |
| 1204 AD |
Latin army attacks
Constantinople and burns it down. Latin Empire at Constantinople. Byzantine Emperors(
Lascarid dynasty) took refuge at Nicea. Comneni dynasty found empire of Trebizond on
the Black Sea Coast. |
| 1240 AD |
Turks in W Anatolia.
Mongolian invasion of Anatolia. |
| 1243 AD |
Mongols defeat Selcuks
at Kosedag. End of Selcuk power. |
| 1261 AD |
Paleologus dynasty
takes back Constantinople and restores Byzantine Empire. |
| 1299 AD |
Ottoman state by Osman
at the Town Sogut W Anatolia. |
| 1326 AD |
Bursa first capital of
Ottomans |
| 1351 AD |
Turks cross Dardanelles
to Europe first time. |
| 1389 AD |
War between Serbians
and Turks. Serbs defeated |
| 1396 AD |
Beyazit the thunderbolt
defeats Crusader army at Nicopolis |
| 1397 AD |
Constantinople besieged
by Turks first time |
| 1402 AD |
Tamerlane defeats Turks
at Ankara and captures Beyazit. Interregnum in Anatolia. |
| 1422 AD |
Constantinople besieged
second time. |
| 1439 AD |
Council meeting at
Florence. Last attempt to unite Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches
failed. |
| 1444 AD |
Crusaders defeated by
Turks at Varna |
| 1448 AD |
Hungarians defeated by
Turks at Kosova |
| 1453 AD |
A turning point with
the conquest of Constantinople by Turks under Mehmet II the Conqueror. Constantinople
renamed Istanbul and became capital of Ottoman Empire. Last emperor Constantine XI dies in
battle. Church of St. Sophia converted to Mosque to be the first in the city. |
| 1517 AD |
Selim I captures Cairo
and took the title of Caliph from Mameluk dynasty. |
| 1520 AD-1566 AD |
Suleiman the
magnificent's long reign. Ottoman empire at its peak. Now, the empire covers Greece, North
Africa, Syria, Palestine, Balkans and Anatolia. |
| 1571 AD |
Capture of Cyprus by
Turks. Ottoman fleet defeated at Lepanto by Christian forces. |
| 1578 AD-1666 AD |
Ineffective Sultans
leave control to their Women and Grand Viziers. |
| 1666 AD-1812 AD |
War between Ottoman
Empire and European powers. Ottoman empire loses territories in S Europe. |
| 1821 AD |
Greek War of
Independence |
| 1826 AD |
Janisssary corps
abolished by Mahmut II |
| 1830 AD |
Greece becomes
independent state. Anatolia invaded by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt. |
| 1839 AD |
The Tanzimat Period.
Reforms and reorganization in Ottoman Empire |
| 1877 AD |
First Turkish
Parliament, later dissolved by Sultan Abdul Hamit II. |
