| 1766 BC Shang Dynasty - The Shang dynasty replaced the Xia in 1766. The 30 kings of Shang dynasty ruled a largely agricultural society that was established in the Yellow River Plain from the mountains of Shansi to the Shangtung massif. The government of the Shang dynasty was highly centralized, with a king and royal bureaucracy. |
| 1792 BC Hammurabi Conquers Mesopotamia- Hammurabi extended the power of Babylon over all of Mesopotamia. He united all Mesopotamia marking the onset of one of the greatest periods in Babylonian history. Hammurabi issued his Code, the first comprehensive legal code ever created. |
| 1720 - 1570 BC Hyskos Dynasties XV& XVI Rule Egypt- Sensing the declining power of the native Egyptian dynasties, the Hyksos invaded Egypt from Syria Palestine. The Hyksos established their capital at Avaris and ruled as if they were Egyptian Pharaohs. But the Hyksos did introduce new ideas into Egypt. They taught the Egyptians how to make bronze and cast the material for tools and weapons. They also brought with them the horse-drawn chariot and introduced the composite bow into the Egyptian arsenal. |
| 1500 BC Harappan Civilization Taken Over By Aryans -The Harappan Civilization began to rapidly decline sometime before 1500 B.C. The causes are not known with certainty, but are believed to have included a changing climate that brought with it severe drought. The weakened Harrappans were quickly taken over by northern invaders known as Aryans. |
| 1595 BC Hittites Lay Waste To Babylonia - The Hittites, under the command of King Mursilis, combined with the Kassites to attack Babylonia. Together they defeated the Babylonian army. The Hittites plundered the wealth of Babylonia and returned to Anatolia, leaving the Kassites in control of Babylonia. |
| 1580 BC New Kingdom Of Egypt - The New Kingdom was established by the Pharaoh Ahmose. He thrust the Hyksos out of the Nile Delta in 1570. The period of the New Kingdom is best known as the time during which Egypt created an empire. Egyptian wealth reached unparalleled heights. |
| 1540 BC Nubians Defeated By Egyptians- One of the first acts of the Eighteenth Dynasty under Ahmose was the subjugation of Nubia. The Egyptians quickly subdued the Nubians and assimilated them into the Empire. |
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