What are the different historical periods?

Question

I mean, for example the Dark Age, Middle Ages, Bronze Age etc. Could some kind soul please list them all, and the approximate relevant dates.

I was just wondering, because I hear these terms all the time, but don't know exactly what they mean.

Thanks

Answer 1

There are too many to name on here to list them but go to this website:  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tim...

They give a very detailed list.

Answer 2

As mentioned above, there are a lot of different time periods, and different people and cultures use different ones. But I'll list some basic ones and when they apply. Note that all the dates I give are approximate, and there is no clear time when one age ends and another begin, they more or less transition slowly. And also, these ages correspond mostly to Western Europe, as they were created mostly by Western European historians.

First you have the prehistoric world, which is traditionally divided into 3 ages: Stone, Bronze, and Iron:

-Stone Age: Obviously, when technology was stone based. Essentially no use of metals yet, only stone axes, arrow heads, ect. It is further divided into three periods:

             -Paleolithic: Early Stone Age, people were nomadic                         hunter gatherers, 2.5 million-10,000 BC

             -Mesolithic: The transitional period between early and late stone age

             -Neolithic: Late Stone Age, agriculture develops, small communities are found, 10,000-3000 BC

-Bronze Age (some people put copper age before bronze, but depending on the region in question): Bronze metal tools develop, leading to swords and armor, there is a widespread use of chariots, large cities; best known as the era of the Illiad and the fall of Troy. 3000-1200 BC.

-Iron Age: Iron tools develop, starts early in places like Greece and Mesopotamia, but takes a long time to develop in areas like Germany. From 1200 BC in the Mediterranean, from 500 BC in the North.

Then you have the historic ages:

-Classical Age (or Antiquity): Ancient Greece and Rome. Widespread cities and advanced culture in the Mediterranean and the East. 800BC-476AD (in the West). Recently, historians have used the classification of Late Antiquity following this, which is the from the adoption of Christianity in the Mediterranean to the Arab conquests, about 300AD-700AD

Dark Ages: From the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (in Eastern Europe it starts with the Arab invasion) to the restructuring of society under feudalism. 476 AD-800AD.

Middle (or Medieval) Ages: The adopted of feudalism in Europe, with the primacy of the mounted knight in warfare. The Black Death tends to mark the transition out of feudalism and the Middle Ages. Middle ages last about 800AD-1350.

Renaissance: The rediscovery of Greek and Roman literature, art, and values. Starts early in Italy, around the 1300, but takes a while to reach northern Europe. Feudalism breaks down in Western Europe. 1350-1600

Reformation: Started by Martin Luther, widespread dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church which leads to the splintering of Western Christendom and bloody religious warfare. 1517-1648.

Scientific Revolution: Wide ranging new discovers in science and technology. Breakthroughs in chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, ect.1500-1700

Enlightenment: More scientific breakthroughs, a deterioration of monarchy and religious authority. New ideas about government, democracy and republics, which lead to the American and French Revolutions, 1700-1800.

Industrial Age: The widespread use of steam power, machinery, ect., leads to an end of agricultural based society and the development of factories and industrialism. Nationalism leads to development of nation states. Socialism becomes a popular movement. 1800-1900.

Modern Age: Greater industrialization, two World Wars, chaos in Europe, the Cold War, 1900-1960s

Post-Modern: Now.