5th millennium BC

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The 5th millennium BC sees the spread of agriculture from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe.

Urban cultures in Mesopotamia and Anatolia flourish, developing the wheel. Copper ornaments become more common, marking the Chalcolithic. Animal husbandry spreads throughout Eurasia, reaching China. World population grows slightly throughout the millennium, maybe from 5 to 7 million people.

Events

c. 5000 BC — Rice is cultivated in Southeast Asia. Later it is introduced in Ganges Valley.
c. 5000 BC — Farming reaches Atlantic coast of Europe from Ancient Near East.
c. 5000 BC — Around this time Maize began to be cultivated in Mexico.
5000 BC–4500 BC — Għar Dalam phase of Neolithic farmers on Malta, possibly immigrant farmers from the Agrigento region of Sicily.
5000-4900 BC — The Older Peron transgression, a warm period that would dominate the 5th millennium, begins in this period.
4900 BC–4600 BC — arrangements of circular ditches are built in Central Europe.
4800 BC–4000 BC — People of the Dimini culture populate the Western, Central Macedonia and Thessaly regions in Greece gradually ending the Sesklo culture in Thessaly.
4860 BC — Mount Mazama in Oregon collapses, forming a caldera that later fills with water and becomes Crater Lake, the deepest lake in what is now the United States. With a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 7, it remains the largest single Holocene eruption in history of the Cascade Range.
4713 BC — The epoch (origin) of the Julian Period described by Joseph Justus Scaliger occurred on January 1, the astronomical Julian day number zero.
4700 BC–2000 BC — Stonehenge people arise. Their culture includes territories of Great Britain, Ireland, Brittany.
c. 4570–4250 BC — Merimde culture on the Nile.
c. 4500 BC — Civilization of Susa and Kish in Mesopotamia and Khuzestan (see Sialk).
4500 BC–4100 BC — Grey & Red Skorba phases of Neolithic culture on Malta; earliest examples of female deity figurines, crafted out of baked clay.
c. 4500 BC — the ending of Neolithic IA (the Aceramic) in Cyprus
c. 4500 BC — Settlement of Chirokitia begins to date from this period.
c. 4400–4000 BC — Badari culture on the Nile.
4350 BC — Predynastic period started in Ancient Egypt.
4300 BC — Theta Boötis became the nearest visible star to the celestial north pole. It remained the closest until 3942 BC when it was replaced by Thuban.
c. 4250 BC–3750 BC — Menhir alignments at Menec, Carnac, France, are made.
4200 BC — Date of Mesolithic examples of Naalebinding found in Denmark, marking spread of technology to Northern Europe. (Bender 1990)
4121 BC — Eduard Meyer's date for the creation of the Egyptian calendar, based on his calculations of the Sothic cycle.
4100 BC–3500 BC — New wave of immigration to Malta from Sicily leads to the Żebbuġ and Mġarr phases, and to the Ġgantija phase of temple builders.
4004 BC — According to the chronology of Archbishop James Ussher of Armagh, this is when the universe is created at nightfall preceding October 23.
c. 4000 BC — Complex societies with hierarchies of priests and kings began to appear in Mesopotamia.
c. 4000 BC — By this time Indo-European people had spread from southern Russia into Europe and Iran.

Cultures

Vinča culture (6th to 3rd millennia)
Linear Ceramic culture (6th to 5th millennia)
Comb Ceramic culture (6th to 3rd millennia)
Cucuteni culture in Central Europe.
Ertebølle culture (5th to 3rd milllennia)
Cortaillod Culture
Hembury culture
The chalcolithic Sredny Stog, Samara and early Maykop cultures, candidates for the early Proto-Indo-Europeans

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

from ca. 5000 BC — development of proto-writing systems, possibly ideographic: Vinca script, Tartaria tablets.
ca. 4500 BC — Introduction of the plough in Europe
ca. 4000 BC — The earliest known metal artifacts are beaten copper pins found in Egypt that date from this time.
Domestication of the Water Buffalo in China
Development of beer brewing
Development of the wheel in Mesopotamia and India

References

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Last updated on Monday March 10, 2008 at 23:59:58 PDT (GMT -0700)
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