4th millennium BCE - Definition and Overview

(5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC - other millennia)

Events

• City of Ur in Mesopotamia (40th century BC).
• Naqada culture on the Nile, 4000–3000 BC.
• Civilization of Crete (38th century BC).
• Epoch (origin) of the modern Hebrew Calendar occurred on 7 October 3761 BC.
• Jewish Creation occurred on 25 September or March 29 3760 BC.
• Civilization of Sumeria, cities-state (36th century BC).
• First to Fourth dynasty of Kish in Mesopotamia.
• Beginning of desertification of Sahara (35th century BC).
• The Maya calendar dates the creation of the Earth to August 11 or August 13, 3114 BC (establishing that date as day zero of the Long Count 13.0.0.0.0).
• Epoch of the Kali Yuga occurred at the midnight beginning of 18 February 3102 BC, the traditional death of Krishna (Hindu mythology).

3200 BC climate change

Based on studies by glaciologist Lonnie Thompson (professor at Ohio State University and researcher with the Byrd Polar Research Center) [1] (http://www.news-about-space.org/story/2409.html) a number of indicators shows there were a global change in climate 5,200 years ago:

• The climate was altered suddenly with severe impacts.
• Plants buried in the Quelccaya ice cap in the Peruvian Andes demonstrate the climate had shifted suddenly and severely to capture the plants and preserve them until now.
• A man trapped in an Alpine glacier ("Oetzi") is frozen until his discovery in 1991..
• Tree rings from Ireland and England show this was their driest period.
• Ice core records showing the ratio of two oxygen isotopes retrieved from the ice fields atop Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro, a proxy for atmospheric temperature at the time snow fell.
• The shift by the Sahara Desert from a habitable region to a barren desert.
• Major changes in plant pollen uncovered from lakebed cores in South America.
• Record lowest levels of methane retrieved from ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica.

Significant persons

• Ur-Nina first king of Lagash in Mesopotamia (c.3375 BC).
• Ötzi the Iceman lived c.3300 BC.

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

• The belief that heads of state represented God on Earth began.
• Beginnings of urbanisation in Mesopotamia with the Sumerians.
• First cities in Egypt (35th century BC).
• First writings in the cities of Uruk and Susa (cuneiform writings). Hieroglyphs in Egypt.
• Potter's wheel used in Middle East.
• Sails used in the Nile.

Cultural landmarks

Centuries

• 40th century BC
• 39th century BC
• 38th century BC
• 37th century BC
• 36th century BC
• 35th century BC
• 34th century BC
• 33rd century BC
• 32nd century BC
• 31st century BC

External references

• 3200 BC Climate Change (http://www.news-about-space.org/story/2409.html)