Timeline Semitic Culture
| After -3200 |
Use of Semitic language in Mesopotamia |
| After -2000 |
The easy life in Ur (South Mesopotamia) is over for Semites: influence of Hammurabi of Babylon. First ever written legislation with severe punishment (mutilation, impaling, burning, drowning). Abraham leaves Ur (the historical substance or echo of the expulsion from paradise). |
| After -2000 |
Islamic claim: Abraham builds the original Ka'bah in Mecca, and brings in the "black stone", given by God in the act of the expulsion from paradise to absorb man's sins. Hence it -such is claimed by Muslems- turned black through the ages. |
| After -1500 |
Mass influx of Semite peoples in Palestine, Bible claim: Jews sent off from Egyptian exile, Moses. |
| Around -1000 |
Kings David and Salomo |
| -586 | Jews conquered by Assyrians (Nebukadnessar II), sent -for 48 years- in exile in Babylon (still a paradise, yes, but not for the Jews) |
| -539 | Persians (Cyrus) defeat Assyrians, conquer both Babylon and Palestine. Jews sent back to Palestine. Expansion of Persia to an unprecendented empire |
| -336 | Alexander the Great, Semites part of Greek (Hellenistic) administrations |
| -100 | Expansion of Roman empire. Mediterranian Semites under Roman influence |
| AD 391 | Semites (Christians) destroy until then surviving daughter-library of Alexandria (main destruction 48BC by perpetrators not unambiguously identified, when Caesar and Cleopatra took power) |
| 570 | Mohammed born in Mecca. Start two centuries of Arab conquests, ending East to Pakistan, West to Portugal and Spain.. |
| 640 | Semites (Muslems this time), set fire on the last remains of the library of Alexandria |
| 800 | Arabs establish themselves everywhere as local elites, united in a
pan-Arab trade federation. Security of trade by using the sakk (check) for
payment and Koran ruling trade affairs: no
interest on loans. An extremely wealthy, technologically unprecedented zero interest
rate commercial society. Arab scholars start translating the remains of Greek and Roman scientific literature in Arabic, rise of Arab led multi-ethnic and multireligious centres of culture and science (Bagdad, Cairo, Cordoba). |
| 1100 | Start of 150 years of Crusades (West European non-Semitic christian converts attacking Muslems in Palestine). Crusaders bring scientific and culture fruits of Arab civilisation to Western Europe. Rise of European interest in Arab philosophy and science in booming European towns (rise of town culture in Europe: craftmanship, markets, mass trade). |
| 1258 | Bagdad, centre if Arabic Islamic world, destroyed and killed to extinction by pagan Turko-Mongols (who subsequently became Muslem converts). |
| 1458 | Christian Byzantium (now Istanbul) taken by Muslem Turks (superiority of use of science in military technique, most notably naval, such as use of canons). Turkish influence on Mediterranian Sea, European traders forced to explore Atlantic coasts. |
| After 1700 |
Europeans start serious efforts to convert overseas populations to christianity |
