Ancient World
Teotihuacan Entrada of AD 378: Siyaj K'ak' Arrives at Tikal
Tikal's ruling king died on the day of Siyaj K'ak's arrival, and a new royal line with strong ties to Teotihuacan came to power in AD 379.
Era · c. 3000 BC – AD 500
Ancient World
The first cities, empires and written records, from the pyramids of Egypt to Greece and the Roman Empire.
Ancient World
Taq-e Bostan: Sasanian Rock Reliefs and Grottoes at Kermanshah
The site preserves the last great group of Sasanian royal rock reliefs, including the largest carved grotto of the dynasty.
Ancient World
Edict of Thessalonica (380): Nicene Christianity Made Official
Nicene Trinitarian Christianity was declared the true faith of the empire's people, and other Christian groups were branded heretics, paving the way for the Council of Constantinople in 381.
Ancient World
Battle of Fei River (383): Eastern Jin Halts the Former Qin
Decisive Eastern Jin victory; the Former Qin army collapsed, Fu Jian's empire broke apart and southern China remained independent.
Ancient World
Division of the Roman Empire (395): East and West Split
The empire was permanently governed by two separate courts, in Constantinople and in the West; the two halves were never again ruled by a single resident emperor.
Ancient World
Faxian's Pilgrimage to India (AD 399): A Chinese Monk's Record
Faxian brought Buddhist monastic rules and scriptures back to China and wrote the earliest surviving first-hand Chinese account of India.
Ancient World
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: The Ancient Text Behind Yoga
The Yoga Sutras became the classic text of yoga philosophy in India and, after the 19th century, a foundational text for yoga in the West.
Ancient World
Iron Pillar of Delhi: The Rust-Resistant Gupta Monument
A forged wrought-iron pillar of the Gupta age that still stands largely free of corrosion after some 1,600 years.
Ancient World
Crossing of the Rhine (406): Vandals, Alans and Suebi Enter Gaul
The invaders broke through the Rhine frontier, plundered Gaul for almost three years and crossed into Spain in 409.
Ancient World
Theodosian Walls (413): The Land Walls of Constantinople
The triple line of land walls made Constantinople almost impregnable until the Ottoman artillery siege of 1453.
Ancient World
End of Roman Britain (c. 410): Rome Leaves the Province
Britain ceased to be part of the Roman Empire; Roman towns, villas and the money economy declined, and Anglo-Saxon settlement followed in the 5th century.
Ancient World
Sack of Rome (410): Alaric and the Visigoths Take the City
The Goths plundered Rome for three days and left with great wealth and hostages; the event shocked the Roman world but did not end the Western Empire.