The civilization of Elam rises in modern-day Iran
Elam was an ancient Pre-Iranian civilization centered in the far west and southwest of what is now modern-day Iran.
Civilization
Phoenician civilization flourishes in the eastern Mediterranean
Phoenicia was an ancient civilization composed of independent city-states located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea stretching through what is now Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel.
The first settlement at Baalbek is founded in modern-day Lebanon
Inhabited as early as 9000 B.C.E., Baalbek grew into an important pilgrimage site in the ancient world for the worship of the Phoenician sky-god Baal and his consort Astarte, the Queen of Heaven.
The Indus Valley Civilization, or Harrapan Civilization, emerges in South Asia
The Indus Valley Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in South Asia, lasting from 3300 B.C.E. to 1300 B.C.E. Along with ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia it was one of three early civilisations of West- and South Asia.
Damascus – perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world – is founded in modern-day Syria
Pottery from the 3rd millennium B.C.E. has been discovered in the Old City of Damascus.
Minoan culture begins in Crete
The Minoan civilization flourished in the middle Bronze Age on the Mediterranean island of Crete from ca. 2000 B.C.E. until ca. 1500 B.C.E. and, with their unique art and architecture, the Minoans made a significant contribution to the development of Western European civilization as it is known today.
The Varna Necropolis in modern-day Bulgaria becomes perhaps the world’s first major gold hoard
The so-called Varna Necropolis is a burial site from 4569-4340 B.C.E. and is internationally considered one of the key archaeological sites in world prehistory.
Eridu, perhaps the world’s first city, is founded in modern-day Iraq
Eridu was long considered the earliest city in southern Mesopotamia and is still today argued to be the oldest city in the world.
Çatalhöyük, a large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in modern-day Turkey, flourishes
The population of the eastern mound has been estimated to be, at maximum, 10,000 people.
Peiligang culture begins in ancient China
The Peiligang culture is the name given by archaeologists to a group of Neolithic communities in the Yi-Luo river basin in Henan Province, China.