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The 5th millennium BC saw the spread of agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe.

Urban cultures in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is the area of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, largely corresponding to modern Iraq, as well as some parts of northeastern Syria, some parts of southeastern Turkey, and some parts of the Khuzestan Province of southwestern Iran....
 and Anatolia
Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
 flourish, developing the wheel
Wheel

A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load , or performing labour in machines....
. Copper
Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
 ornaments become more common, marking the Chalcolithic. Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry

Animal husbandry, also called animal science, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agriculture practice of animal breeding and raising livestock....
 spreads throughout Eurasia, reaching China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. World population
World population

The world population is the total number of living humans on Earth at a given time. As of March 2009, the world's population is estimated to be about 6.76 1,000,000,000 ....
 grows slightly throughout the millennium, maybe from 5 to 7 million people.

class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m52133",this)' onMouseout='hide("m52133")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Predynastic_Egypt">Badari
Predynastic Egypt

The Predynastic Period of Egypt is traditionally the period between the Early Neolithic and the beginning of the Pharaonic monarchy beginning with King Narmer....
 culture on the Nile (c.






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The 5th millennium BC saw the spread of agriculture
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
 from the Near East throughout southern and central Europe.

Urban cultures in Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is the area of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, largely corresponding to modern Iraq, as well as some parts of northeastern Syria, some parts of southeastern Turkey, and some parts of the Khuzestan Province of southwestern Iran....
 and Anatolia
Anatolia

Anatolia or Asia Minor is a region of Western Asia, comprising most of the modern Republic of Turkey. It is a geographic region bounded by the Black Sea to the north, the Caucasus to the northeast, the Aegean Sea to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Iranian plateau to the east and southeast....
 flourish, developing the wheel
Wheel

A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load , or performing labour in machines....
. Copper
Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
 ornaments become more common, marking the Chalcolithic. Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry

Animal husbandry, also called animal science, stockbreeding or simple husbandry, is the agriculture practice of animal breeding and raising livestock....
 spreads throughout Eurasia, reaching China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
. World population
World population

The world population is the total number of living humans on Earth at a given time. As of March 2009, the world's population is estimated to be about 6.76 1,000,000,000 ....
 grows slightly throughout the millennium, maybe from 5 to 7 million people.

Cultures

Cucuteni Map
*Badari
Predynastic Egypt

The Predynastic Period of Egypt is traditionally the period between the Early Neolithic and the beginning of the Pharaonic monarchy beginning with King Narmer....
 culture on the Nile (c. 4400–4000 BC)
  • Comb Ceramic culture (also endured the 6th
    6th millennium BC

    During the 6th millennium BC, agriculture spreads from the Balkans to Italy and Eastern Europe and from Mesopotamia to Egypt. World population is essentially stable at ca....
    , 4th
    4th millennium BC

    The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. It marks the beginning of the Bronze Age and of writing.The city states of Sumer and the kingdom of Ancient Egypt are established and grow to prominence....
    , and 3rd
    3rd millennium BC

    The 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age.It represents a period of time in which imperialism, or the desire to conquer, grew to prominence, in the city states of the Middle East, but also throughout Eurasia, with Indo-European people expansion to Anatolia, Europe and Central Asia....
     millennia)
  • Cortaillod Culture
    Cortaillod culture

    The Cortaillod Culture is one of several archaeologically defined cultures belonging to the Neolithic period of Switzerland. The Cortaillod Culture in the west of the region is contemporary with the Pfyn_culture...
  • Cucuteni culture
    Cucuteni culture

    The Cucuteni-Trypillian culture, also known as Cucuteni culture , Trypillian culture or Tripolie culture , is a late Neolithic archaeological culture that flourished between ca....
     in Central Europe
    Central Europe

    Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern Europe and Western Europe Europe. In addition, Northern Europe, Southern Europe and Southeastern Europe may variously delimit or overlap into Central Europe....
    .
  • Ertebølle culture
    Ertebølle culture

    The Erteb?lle culture is the name of a hunter-gatherer and fisher archaeological culture dating to the end of the Mesolithic period. The culture was concentrated in Southern Scandinavia, but genetically linked to strongly related cultures in Northern Germany and the Northern Netherlands....
     (also endured the 4th
    4th millennium BC

    The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. It marks the beginning of the Bronze Age and of writing.The city states of Sumer and the kingdom of Ancient Egypt are established and grow to prominence....
     and 3rd
    3rd millennium BC

    The 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age.It represents a period of time in which imperialism, or the desire to conquer, grew to prominence, in the city states of the Middle East, but also throughout Eurasia, with Indo-European people expansion to Anatolia, Europe and Central Asia....
     millennia)
  • Hembury
    Hembury

    Hembury is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure near Honiton in Devon. It dates from the late fifth and early fourth millennia BC onwards to the Roman Invasion....
     culture
  • Linear Pottery culture
    Linear Pottery culture

    The Linear Pottery culture is a major archaeological horizon of the European Neolithic, flourishing ca. 5500?4500 BC. The heaviest concentrations are on the middle Danube, the upper and middle Elbe, and the upper and middle Rhine....
     (also endured the 6th millennium BC)
  • Maykop culture
  • Merimde
    Merimde

    Merimde Beni-Salame is a Neolithic settlement site in the West delta of the Nile in Egypt. The site was discovered by Hermann Junker during his West river delta Expedition in 1928....
     culture on the Nile
    Nile

    The Nile is a major north-flowing river in Africa, generally regarded as the List of rivers by length in the world.The Nile has two major tributary, the White Nile and Blue Nile, the latter being the source of most of the Nile's water and silt, but the former being the longer of the two....
     (c. 4570–4250 BC)
  • Predynastic Egypt
    Predynastic Egypt

    The Predynastic Period of Egypt is traditionally the period between the Early Neolithic and the beginning of the Pharaonic monarchy beginning with King Narmer....
  • Proto-Austronesian culture
    Proto-Austronesian language

    Vocabulary...
     is based on the south coast of China. They combine extensive maritime technology, fishing with hooks and nets and gardening. (c. 5000 BC)
  • Samara culture
    Samara culture

    The Samara culture was an eneolithic culture of the early 5th millennium BC at the Samara bend region of the middle Volga, discovered during archaeological excavations in 1973 near the village of Syezzheye in Russia....
  • Sredny Stog culture
    Sredny Stog culture

    The Sredny Stog culture dates from the 5th millennium BC-3500 BC. It was situated just north of the Sea of Azov between the Dnieper and the Don River, Russia....
  • Ubaid culture
  • Vinca culture
    Vinca culture

    The Vinca culture was an early culture of Europe , stretching around the course of Danube in what today is Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Republic of Macedonia, although traces of it can be found all around the Balkans, parts of Central Europe and Asia Minor....
     (also endured the 6th
    6th millennium BC

    During the 6th millennium BC, agriculture spreads from the Balkans to Italy and Eastern Europe and from Mesopotamia to Egypt. World population is essentially stable at ca....
    , 4th
    4th millennium BC

    The 4th millennium BC saw major changes in human culture. It marks the beginning of the Bronze Age and of writing.The city states of Sumer and the kingdom of Ancient Egypt are established and grow to prominence....
    , and 3rd
    3rd millennium BC

    The 3rd millennium BC spans the Early to Middle Bronze Age.It represents a period of time in which imperialism, or the desire to conquer, grew to prominence, in the city states of the Middle East, but also throughout Eurasia, with Indo-European people expansion to Anatolia, Europe and Central Asia....
     millennia)


Events

  • 5000–4500 BC: Ghar Dalam
    Ghar Dalam

    Ghar Dalam is an extraordinary prehistorical cul de sac containing the bone remains of animals that were stranded and subsequently became extinct on Malta at the end of the Ice age....
     phase of Neolithic farmers on Malta
    Malta

    Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
    , possibly immigrant farmers from the Agrigento
    Agrigento

    Agrigento , is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and capital of the province of Agrigento. It is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragras , one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden age of Ancient Greece....
     region of Sicily
    Sicily

    Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
    .
  • 4900–4600 BC: Arrangements of circular ditches
    Circular ditches

    About 150 arrangements of prehistoric circular ditches are known to archaeologists spread over Germany, Austria and Slovakia and the Czech Republic....
     are built in Central Europe
    Central Europe

    Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern Europe and Western Europe Europe. In addition, Northern Europe, Southern Europe and Southeastern Europe may variously delimit or overlap into Central Europe....
    .
  • 4800 BC: Dimini
    Dimini

    Dimini was a village nearby the city of Volos, in Thessaly , in the prefecture of Magnesia. It is also the seat of the municipality of Aisonia....
     culture replaces the Sesklo
    Sesklo

    Sesklo is an Aromanian village nearby the city of Volos, in Thessaly , in the prefecture of Magnesia. The Neolithic settlement was discovered at the end of the 19th century and the first excavations were made by Greek archaeologist, Christos Tsountas....
     culture in Thessaly (4800–4000 BC)
  • c. 4500 BC: Settlement of Chirokitia dates from this period.
  • c. 4500 BC: Ending of Neolithic IA (the Aceramic) in Cyprus
  • 4300 BC: Theta Boötis
    Theta Boötis

    Theta Bo?tis is a star in the constellation Bo?tes. It also has the traditional name Asellus Primus and the Flamsteed designation 23 Bo?tis....
     became the nearest visible star to the celestial north pole
    North Pole

    The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets the Earth's surface....
    . It remained the closest until 3942 BC when it was replaced by Thuban
    Thuban

    Thuban is a star in the constellation of Draco . A relatively inconspicuous star in the night sky of the Northern Hemisphere, it is historically significant as having been the north pole star in ancient times....
    .
  • c. 4250–3750 BC: Menhir
    Menhir

    A menhir is a large upright standing stone. Menhirs may be found singly as monoliths, or as part of a group of similar stones. Their size can vary considerably; but their shape is generally uneven and squared, often tapering towards the top....
     alignments at Menec, Carnac
    Carnac

    Carnac is a Communes of France beside the Gulf of Morbihan on the south coast of Brittany in the Morbihan Departments of France in northwestern France....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     are made.
  • 4200 BC: Date of Mesolithic
    Mesolithic

    The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age....
     examples of Naalebinding
    Naalebinding

    N?lebinding is a fabric creation technique predating both knitting and crochet. Also known in English as "knotless netting," "knotless knitting," or "single needle knitting," the technique is distinct from crochet in that it involves passing the full length of the working thread through each loop, unlike crochet where the work is formed...
     found in Denmark
    Denmark

    Denmark is a Scandinavian country in northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries....
    , marking spread of technology to Northern Europe
    Northern Europe

    Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:...
    . (Bender 1990)
  • 4100–3500 BC: New wave of immigration to Malta
    Malta

    Malta , officially the Republic of Malta , is a densely populated developed country European microstates microstate in the European Union....
     from Sicily
    Sicily

    Sicily is an Autonomous regions with special statute of Italy. Of all the regions of Italy, Sicily covers the largest land area at 25,708 km? and currently has just over five million inhabitants....
     leads to the Zebbug and Mgarr phases, and to the Ggantija
    Ggantija

    Ggantija is a Neolithic, megalithic temple complex on the Mediterranean island of Gozo Island. The Ggantija temples are the earliest of a series of Megalithic Temples of Malta in Malta....
     phase of temple builders.
  • 4004 BC: According to the chronology of Archbishop
    Archbishop

    In Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion and others, this means that they lead a diocese of particular importance called an archdiocese, or in the Anglican Communion an Ecclesiastical Province, but this is not always the case....
     James Ussher
    James Ussher

    James Ussher was Anglican Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland between 1625?1656. He was a prolific scholar, who most famously published a Ussher chronology that purported to time and date Creation according to Genesis to the night preceding 27 October 4004 BC, according to the proleptic Julian calendar....
     of Armagh
    Armagh

    The city of Armagh is an ancient religious site of worship of both Celtic paganism and Christianity, the oldest of the five City status in the United Kingdom in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh....
    , this is when the universe
    Universe

    The universe is defined as everything that physically exists: the entirety of space and time, all forms of matter, energy and momentum, and the physical laws and physical constants that govern them....
     is created at nightfall preceding October 23.


Inventions, discoveries, introductions

  • Rice
    Rice

    Rice is a staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in tropical Latin America, and East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, making it the second-most consumed cereal grain, after maize....
     is cultivated in Southeast Asia
    Southeast Asia

    Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India and north of Australia....
    . Later it is introduced in Ganges Valley (c. 5000 BC).
  • Farming reaches Atlantic coast of Europe
    Europe

    Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
     from Ancient Near East
    Ancient Near East

    The Ancient Near East refers to early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia , Fars Province, Elam and Medes , Anatolia , the Levant , and Ancient Egypt, from the rise of Sumer in the 4th millennium BCE until the region's conquest by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BCE, or covering both th...
     (c. 5000 BC).
  • Maize
    Maize

    Maize , known as corn in some countries, is a cereal domesticated in Mesoamerica and subsequently spread throughout the American continents....
     is cultivated in Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
     (c. 5000 BC).
  • Writing system
    Writing system

    A writing system is a type of symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language....
    s, such as ideographic
    Ideogram

    An ideogram or ideograph is a graphic symbol that represents an idea or concept. They can be a straighforward pictogram, or a more abstract symbol that is comprehensible only on the basis of prior convention....
     Vinca script, Tartaria tablets
    Tartaria tablets

    The Tartaria tablets are three Clay tablet, discovered in Salistea, Alba, Romania. They bear incised symbols that have been the subject of considerable controversy among archaeologists, some of whom claim that the symbols represent the earliest known form of writing in the world....
     (c. 5000 BC)
  • c. 5000 BC - Metallurgy
    Metallurgy

    Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic Chemical element, their intermetallics, and their mixtures, which are called alloys....
     appears.
  • Plough
    Plough

    The plough is a tool used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, and represents one of the major advances in agriculture....
     is introduced in Europe
    Europe

    Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
     (c. 4500 BC)
  • Copper
    Copper

    Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
     pins dating to 4000 BC found in Egypt.
  • Water Buffalo is domesticated in China
    China

    China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  • Beer
    Beer

    Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
     brewing
    Brewing

    Brewing is the production of alcoholic beverages and alcohol fuel through fermentation . The term is used for the production of beer, although the word "brewing" is also used to describe the fermentation process used to create wine and mead....
     is developed.
  • Wheel
    Wheel

    A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load , or performing labour in machines....
     is developed in Mesopotamia
    Mesopotamia

    Mesopotamia is the area of the Tigris-Euphrates river system, along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, largely corresponding to modern Iraq, as well as some parts of northeastern Syria, some parts of southeastern Turkey, and some parts of the Khuzestan Province of southwestern Iran....
     and India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....


Environmental changes

  • 5000-4900 BC: The Older Peron transgression
    Older Peron

    The Older Peron transgression was a period of unusually warm climate during the Holocene Epoch. It began in the 5000 BCE to 4900 BCE era, and lasted to about 4100 BCE ....
    , a warm period that would dominate the 5th millennium, begins in this period.


Calendars and chronology

  • 4713 BC: The epoch
    Epoch (astronomy)

    In astronomy, an epoch is a moment in time used as a reference for the orbital elements of a celestial body. Typically, the epoch is either the moment an observation was made or the moment for which a prediction was calculated....
     (origin) of the Julian Period described by Joseph Justus Scaliger
    Joseph Justus Scaliger

    Joseph Justus Scaliger was a France religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome history to include Persian Empire, Babylonia , Jewish history and History of ancient Egypt....
     occurred on January 1, the astronomical Julian day number
    Julian day

    The Julian date is the interval of time in days and fractions of a day, since January 1, 4713 BC Greenwich noon, Julian proleptic calendar. In precise work, the timescale, e.g., Terrestrial Time or Universal Time , should be specified....
     zero.
  • 4121 BC: Eduard Meyer
    Eduard Meyer

    Eduard Meyer was an eminent Germans historian, born at Hamburg and educated at the universities of University of Bonn and University of Leipzig....
    's date for the creation of the Egyptian calendar
    Egyptian calendar

    The ancient civil Egyptian calendar had a year that was 365 days long and was divided into 12 months of 30 days each, plus 5 extra days at the end of the year....
    , based on his calculations of the Sothic cycle
    Sothic cycle

    The Sothic cycle or Canicular period is a period of 1461 ancient Egyptian years or 1460 Julian calendar years . During a Sothic cycle, the 365-day year loses enough time that the start of the year once again coincides with the heliacal rising of the star Sirius ....
    .


Fiction

  • 4372 BC: Setting for the Year the Horses Came by Mary Mackey (Earthsong trilogy book 1).
  • 4368 BC: Setting for the Horses at the Gate by Mary Mackey (Earthsong trilogy book 2)