| c.10,000 | POTTERY begins in China. It is represented in more than 1,000 excavated sites in Honan and Kansu provinces, with hand-molded red, black and gray pottery painted with pigments. See Mesopotamia 7000 | 18,000 wikPtr 16-15,000 Copilot 10,000 mxfld |
| c.10,000 | HOABINHIAN culture in Viet Nam from 12,000 ends. BAC SON culture begins in Viet Nam until 8000. It has more edge-ground cobble artifacts. | 10,000 hifiVN, wikBS, wikSV |
| c.9000 |  POTTERY made in Xianrendong (Xianren Cave). |
20,000 Copilot 10-8000 wikXC, 9000 PW 12 |
| c.8500 |  NANZHUANGTOU culture begins in Yellow River region in south Hebei until
7700. Earliest Neolithic site in north China. Domestic dogs, stone grinding slabs and rollers, bone artifacts, pottery. Millet cultivated. |
8700 wikNnz 8500 wikLNC |
| c.8500 | DOGS V, domesticated in Asia from 40-30,000, evidenced at Nanzhuangtou. See Asia 3800 | 8700 wikNnz |
| c.8500 | MILLET V: Broomcorn and foxtail millet first cultivated in China in the Yellow River valley. First evidence found at Cishan. See Asia 6000, Africa 6000. | 8700 wikIDNC 8000 wikCsn 83-6700 Copilot 7000 wikHC |
| c.8000 |  NEOLITHIC AGE begins in China until 1700?? 2000?, but at different times in the various regions. Distinct cultures develop simultaneously along waterways. Defined by presence of agriculture, initially domestication of a few grains and animals. |
8500 u2HWEY timelapse, wikHC 8000 wikHC, 7000 smhiNC |
| c.8000 | With the ice melting, JAPAN is cut off from the mainland. | 8000 mxfld |
| c.8000 | LANGUAGE: 2 cultures survive in Japan, each with its own language - Siberians in the north will become Ainu, and speak a distant relative of some tongue of the Siberian tundra. The southern language, will become modern Japanese. | 8000 mxfld |
| c.8000 |  POTTERY 1st evidenced in Korea. JEULMUN pottery period begins until 1500. |
8000 u2HWEY timelapse, wikJsn, wikKor |
| c.8000 | JOMON period in Japan from 12,000 ends. Subsists on hunting, fishing, and gathering, and had pottery but not metal. | 8000 mxfld |
| c.8000 | AGRICULTURE, mostly RICE V, developed in China. | 8000 wikHAg |
| c.8000 | Sea level rises, creating more islands and coastline in Southeast Asia. | 8000 PW 13 |
| c.8000 | Small bands of hunter-gatherers are widely scattered from Vietnam to Sumatra and east-west from Burma to the Gulf of Tonkin. SPIRIT CAVE excavations have shown deer, pigs, monkeys, bamboo rats, otters, flying squirrels, and from the sea - carp and crabs. Nuts, beans and melons are also available. | 8000 mxfld |
| c.8000 | Wild BEANS first eaten in Thailand. See Argentina 8000. | 7000 Copilot |
| c.8000 | BAC SON culture in Viet Nam from 10,000 ends. QUYNH VAN Culture begins until 6000. | 8000 hifiVN, wikSV |
| c.8000 | Neolithic PRE-AUSTRONESIAN people migrate from China to Taiwan island. See 4000. | 10-6000 wikAst |
| c.7700 | NANZHUANGTOU culture in Yellow River region in south Hebei from
8500 ends. |
map: Uwe Dedering 7700 wikLNC 7500 wikNnz |
| c.7600 | PIGS: Zhenpiyan culture shows first evidence on domestication in China. See Anatolia 7000. | 7600 wikT 6600 ttcDP 6000 Copilot wikPg |
| c.7500 |  PENGTOUSHAN culture begins in central Yangtze region in northwest Hunan until
6100. Rice cultivated. Cord-marked pottery among burial goods. |
map: Uwe Dedering 7500 wikLNC, wikPts, wikT 7000 wikIDNC |
| c.7500 | Domesticated Λ DOGS V evidenced in China at Peiligang. Later evidence is at Banpo and Jiangzhai. | 7500 Copilot |
| c.7500 | JAPAN: Incipient JOMON period from 14,000, ends. Pottery was decorated by impressing cords into the surface of wet clay. Initial JOMON period begins until 5000. | 7500 wikJm |
| c.7000 | Paleolithic XIANREN CAVE culture in Jianxi from 18,000 ends. No agriculture. Pottery fragments have scorch marks, so pottery was used for cooking. |
7000 wikLNC no date: wikXC |
 |
map: Joe Roe |
| c.7000 |  JIAHU agricultural village (a Peiligang type site) occupied until 5800. Contains written symbols, sometimes called proto-WRITING V.Pottery URN first evidenced from the Jiahu site, where 32 burial urns are found. Burial urns are used mainly for children, but sporadically for adults. JIAHU culture begins in China. |
map: Uwe Dedering 7000 wikHC, wikIDNC, wikJhu, wikPlg, wikTop, 6600 wikC |
| c.7000 | LIQUOR first evidenced in village of Jiahu, China, made from rice, honey, and fruit. Beer: Levant 10,000, Mesopotamia 4500 | 7000 Copilot |
| c.7000 | Zhenpiyan cave, occupied from 10,000, becomes one of many independent centers for introduction of animal domestication and pottery until 5500. | 7000 wikZp |
| c.7000 |  PEILIGANG culture begins in Yi-Luo river basin valley in Henan until
5000. Egalitarian, with little political organization. Cultivated millet; raised pigs & poultry; hunted deer & boar; caught carp using hemp nets. Artifacts include stone arrowheads, spearheads, axe heads; stone chisels, awls, sickles for harvesting grain; variety of pottery for cooking & storing. |
map: Uwe Dedering 7000 wikIDNC, wikLNC, wikPlg, wikT |
| c.7000 |  NEOLITHIC AGE begins in west central China only until 6500. |
8000 wikHC 7000 u2HWEY timelapse, wikHC |
| c.6700 | Foxtail Λ MILLET V cultivated at Cishan in north China, on the east foothills of the Taihang Mountains. | 6700 wikCsn, wikMlt |
| c.6500 |  NEOLITHIC AGE, in west central China from
7000, spreads north and east until ??. |
6500 u2HWEY timelapse, wikHC |
| c.6500 | WINE production first evidenced in China at Jiahu. It is made from rice, honey, and fruit, with traces of hawthorne fruit and grape juice. | 7-6000 Copilot |
| c.6500 |  HOULI culture begins in Shandong until
5500. Has square, semi-subterranean houses. Subsisted on on hunting & fishing, plus rice & millet. Domestic dogs & pigs. Pottery, stone tools, jade, bone, antler, shell tools. |
map: Kanguole 6500 wikBx, wikLNC, wikHu |
| c.6400 |  Earliest of China's Neolithic writing symbols come from Jiahu, Dadiwan and Damaidi. |
symbols: pub dom map: Kanguole 66-6200 wikNSC |
| c. 6200 | 
XINGLONGWA Neolithic culture begins in Inner Mongolia-Liaoning border until
5400. Xinglongwa village has a large building in center surrounded by 120 pit-houses, each with a hearth at center. Earliest village with a surrounding ditch. Evidence of agriculture and millet. Artifacts; a bone flute with 5 finger holes. Pottery is mostly comb-ceramic, cylindrical and baked at low temperature. 34 sets of human remains from under-house burials, none over age 55. A man is buried with a pair of pigs, and jade objects. 2 men for each woman. |
map: Kmusser 6200 wikHgs, wikLNC, wikXlw 6100 u2HWEY timelapse 6000 wikBfd |
| by 6200 | Λ RICE V (Oryza rufipogon), cultivated in India from the Early Holocene, domesticated in the middle Yangtze Valley, as shown in finds from the Pengtoushan culture at Bashidang. By 5000 also in the Hemudu culture near the Yangtze Delta. See India 5000 Africa 1000 | by 7000 wikIDNC by 6200 wikHAg, wikHRC 6000 wikHC 5700 wikHAg |
| c.6100 | PENGTOUSHAN Culture in central Yangtze region in northwest Hunan from
7500 ends. |
6100 wikLNC, wikPts |
| c.6000 | NEOLITHIC Period begins in Korea until 2500. | 6000 wikKor |
| by 6000 | SALT is harvested on Lake Yuncheng Shanxi. | by 6000 wikIDNC |
| c.6000 | KUAHUQIAO culture begins where the Qiantang River flows into Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang until 5000. Rice, dogs and pigs domesticated; earliest domesticated peach. | 6000 wikLNC, wikKhq |
| c.6000 |  CISHAN culture begins on east foothills of Taihang Mountains in south Hebei until 5500. Houses are semi-subterranean and round. Gathered nuts, apricots, pears, various roots and tubers. Millet cultivated; domestic pigs, dogs, chickens. Fished carp and herring with hemp nets, 500+ subterranean storage pits. |
map: Uwe Dedering 6500 wikCsn 6000 wikBfd, wikLNC, wikT |
| c.6000 |  CLIFF CARVINGS begin at Damaidi in Ningxia until
5000. Date disputed. 3,172 carvings have 8,453 individual characters such as sun, moon, stars, gods and scenes of hunting or grazing, herding and fighting. Over 1,500 symbols resemble ancient hieroglyphs of Chinese characters. |
6000 wikHC, 6-5000 wikNSC, no date: wikDmd |
| c.6000 |  BEIFUDI village in Yi County, Hebei occupied until
4500. Phase 1 begins until 5000, containing ceramic masks in the shape of human and animal faces, the oldest extant stone carvings to date. |
map: Uwe Dedering 6000 wikBfd |
| c.6000 | Λ Proto-WRITING V evidenced at Damaidi in Ningxia. | 6000 wikC, wikHC |
| c.6000 | Farming villages develop in China. Millet is grown. Dogs and pigs are kept. | 6000 PW 13 |
| c.6000 | Λ RICE V cultivated in southeast Asia, evidence found in Spirit Cave in north Siam. Thailand has a wide variety of foods, with many domesticated plants. These include almonds, broad beans, betel nuts, cucumbers, peas, water chestnuts, gourds, and rice. | 6000 TAWH 16, mxfld |
| c.6000 | Dushan JADE V (a rock composed largely of anorthite feldspar and zoisite) is mined. | 6000 wikCJ, wikJd |
| c.6000 | Cave dwellers live in Viet Nam. | 6000 wikHBD |
| c.6000 | 6 wooden ROWING OARS evidenced in a Hemudu culture site at Yuyao, Zhejiang. | 6000 wikIDNC |
| c.6000 | 1st POTTERY in southeast Asia. Quadrilateral adzes, polished slate knives, agriculture. | 6000 PW 13 |
| c.6000 | QUYNH VAN culture in Viet Nam from 8000 ends. | 6000 hifiVN, wikSV |
| c.5800 | JIAHU agricultural village, a Peiligang type site from 7000, flooded and abandoned. |
5800 wikHC, 5700 wikJhu |
| c.5800 |  Neolithic DADIWAN culture begins in Gansu and west Shaanxi until 5400. Has a large building on an elevated rammed earth foundation, layered with burnt clay. Domestic millet, pigs and dogs that ate millet. Thin-walled, cord-marked pottery. |
map: Uwe Dedering 6000 wikLNC, 5900 wikDdw, 5800 wikDdw, wikHC, wikNSC |
| c.5600 | Λ Proto-WRITING V evidenced at Dadiwan. | 58-5400 wikC, wikHC |
| c.5500 |  XINLE culture begins on lower Liao River on Liaodong Peninsula until 4800. 40 neolithic houses. Artifacts include stone tools, pottery, jade, bone tools, wood carvings, refined coal. Millet cultivated; pigs domesticated. One of the oldest wooden carvings in the world. |
map: Uwe Dedering 5500 wikLNC, wikXnl 5300 wikHgs |
| c.5500 | Zhenpiyan cave, occupied from 10,000, an independent center for introduction of animal domestication and pottery from 7000, abandoned. | 5500 wikZp |
| c.5500 | ΛMILLET V, domesticated in China from ?, becomes main crop of the Yellow River basin. | 5500 wikHAg |
| c.5500 | HOULI culture in Shandong from
6500 ends. |
5500 wikBx, wikLNC, wikHu |
| c.5500 | CISHAN culture in south Hebei from
6000 ends. |
5500 wikLNC 5000 wikCsn |
| c.5400 |  XINGLONGWA culture in Inner Mongolia-Liaoning border from 6200 ends. |
5400 wikHgs, wikLNC, wikXlw 5000 wikBfd |
| c.5400 | ZHAOBAOGOU culture begins on Luan River valley in Inner Mongolia and north Hebei until 4500. Sand-tempered, incised pottery with geometric and zoomorphic designs; stone and clay human figurines. | 5400 wikLNC, wikZbg |
| c.5400 | Neolithic DADIWAN culture in Gansu and west Shaanxi from 5800 ends. |
6000 wikLNC 5400 wikHC, wikDdw, wikNSC 5200 wikDdw |
| c.5300 |  BEIXIN culture begins in Shandong until
4100. Houses semi-subterranean and round. Millet cultivated; water buffalo, pigs, chickens, fruits and vegetables domesticated. Fished carp; hunted deer, foraged for wild pears, roots and tubers. Wild hemp used for clothing, baskets, thread, twine, rope, fishing nets. Artifacts: stone axe heads, spearheads, arrowheads, and stone sickle blades. Houses and burial areas separated and clustered in small groups. Tools, weapons, and other articles buried with the dead. |
map: Kanguole 5300 wikLNC, wikBx |
| c.5000 | KUAHUQIAO culture in Zhejiang from 6000 ends. | 5000 wikLNC |
| c.5000 | Humans live in Yellow River settlements where they farm, fish, raise pigs and dogs for food, and grow millet and rice. | 5000 wikPAs |
| c.5000 | PEILIGANG culture in Yi-Luo river basin valley in Henan from 7000 ends. |
5000 wikLNC, wikPlg |
| c.5000 |  Wooden COFINS first evidenced in Tomb 4 at Beishouling. |
5000 wikIDNC |
| c.5000 | BEIFUDI village in Yi County Hebei, phase 1 from
6000, ends. Phase 2 begins until 4500, containing pottery and stone tools, ceramic pots (including the round-bottom fu vessel, the vessel seat, and the bo bowl) and small-mouth-double-handled pots. |
5000 wikBfd |
| c.5000 |  MAJIABANG culture begins in Lake Tai area and north of Hangzhou Bay and spreads south to Jiangsu and north Zhejiang until 3000. Subsisted on gathering, hunting, fishing. Cultivated rice; domesticated pigs. Artifacts: different materials, mostly jade and red pottery. |
map: Kanguole 5000 wikLNC, wikMjb |
| c. 5000 |  HEMUDU culture begins south of Hangzhou Bay in Yuyao, Zhoushan, and Zhejiang until
4500. Long, stilt houses, communal longhouses. Cultivated rice, domesticated pigs, hunted deer and wild water buffalo, fished carp. Plants: water caltrop, acorns, melon, wild kiwi, blackberries, peaches, foxnuts, bottle gourds. Artifacts: red lacquer wood vessels, carved jade, ivory, clay figurines, thick, porous pottery, typically black made with charcoal powder, painted with plant and geometric designs. Animal bones, made into hoes harpoons bows, arrowheads. People buried facing east, most without grave goods.Religion: shamanistic rituals to the sun, bird totems, belief in an afterlife and ghosts. |
map: Kanguole 5500 wikHmd 5000 wikIDNC, wikLNC |
| c. 5000 |  YANGSHAO culture begins in Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi until 3000. Houses built over a rounded rectangular pit with a lattice of woven wattle over it plastered with mud. Raised-floor buildings possibly for storing grain. Subsisted on millet, rice, hunting and fishing. Keep pigs and dogs; sometimes sheep, goats, and cattle. Stone tools are polished and specialized. White, red, and black painted pottery with human facial, animal, and geometric designs. Clothing made of hemp. |
map: Kanguole 5000 wikHC, wikLNC, wikPAs, wikYgs yut, 4800 wikDdw 3000 mxfld |
| c.5000 |  Neolithic DAXI culture begins in Three Gorges region at middle Yangtze, until 3300. Characterized by dou (cylindrical bottles), white pan (plates), and red pottery. Cultivated rice. 1st moats and walled settlements in China. Jade artifacts. |
map: Kanguole 5000 wikLNC, wikDx 5000 wikLNC |
| c.5000 | BAIJIA culture shows evidence on domestication of oxen and sheep. | 5000 wikT |
| c.5000 | GOATS, domesticated in Asia and Mesopotamia from 8500, domesticated in China. | 5000 guess 2-1700 Copilot |
| c.5000 | CLIFF CARVINGS at Damaidi in Ningxia from
6000 now total 3,172 and end. They feature 8,453 individual characters such as sun, moon, stars, gods and scenes of hunting or grazing. |
5000 wikHC |
| c.5000 | Wet field Λ RICE V farming at Hemudu. | 5000 PW 13 |
| c.5000 | Pottery STEAMERS used in Banpo. A "yan" composed of 2 vessels, a "zen" with perforated floor surmounted on a pot or caldron with a tripod base and a top cover. | 5000 wikIDNC |
| c.5000 | JAPAN: Neolithic Initial JOMON period from 7500, ends. Early JOMON period begins until 3520. Population gradually increases as climate becomes warmer and more humid. | 3520 wikJm |
| c.5000 | ΛJADE V is evidenced in Japan. All jade in Japan since the Jomon period is from Itoigawa. | 5000 wikJd |
| c.5000 | AUSTRALIA: Coastlands are flooded by rising water. | 5000 PW 13 |
| c.5000 | New Guinea and Tasmania are detached from the mainland. | 5000 PW 13 |
| c.4800 | XINLE culture on lower Liao River on Liaodong Peninsula from 5500 ends. |
4800 wikHgs, wikLNC, wikXnl |
| c.4700 |  HONGSHAN culture begins in Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Hebei until 2900. Grave goods include earliest carved jade, figures of pig dragons and embryo dragons. Clay figurines of pregnant women. Small copper rings. A temple has stone platforms and painted walls, with clay figurines 3 times the size of real humans. 60 nearby tombs made of stone and covered by stone mounds, often includinge jade artifacts. |
map: Uwe Dedering 4700 wikLNC, wikHgs, 3800 wikCJ |
| c.4700 | Λ JADE V appears in the Hongshan culture. The center is along the modern northeast border. Typical objects are pendants and large C-shaped ornaments, realistic figures of fish, turtles, cicadas, and owl-like birds with spread wings. | 4700 wikJd 3800 wikCJ |
| c.4700 | JIANGZHAI, a Banpo phase Yangshao culture, is founded, and lasts until 3600. Brass is found in Jiangzhai until 4000. It contains the oldest arsenical COPPER V ever found. | 4700 wikBnp, wikJz 4000 Copilot |
| c.4700 |  BANPO is founded, and lasts until
3600. Settlement is surrounded by a moat, with communal burial areas and pottery kilns outside the moat perimeter. Houses are circular, built of mud and wood with overhanging thatched roofs. |
map: Kanguole 4700 wikBnp |
| c.4500 | Λ Proto-WRITING V evidenced at Banpo, Southeast Europe (Vinca symbols) and West Asia (proto-literate cuneiform). | 6-3000 wikTop 5-4000 wikC, wikHC |
| c.4500 | BEIFUDI village in Yi County Hebei, from
6000, Phase 2 from 5000, ends. |
4500 wikBfd |
| c.4500 | HEMUDU culture in Yuyao, Zhoushan, and Zhejiang from
5000 ends. |
4500 wikIDNC, wikLNC 3300 wikHmd, wikT |
| c.4500 | PERFUME is described in a Chinese document. See Egypt: 3000. | 4500 prfms, wikT |
| c.4500 | ZHAOBAOGOU culture on Luan River valley in Inner Mongolia and north Hebei from 5400 ends. | 4500 wikLNC, wikZbg |
| c.4325 | Akahoya volcano eruption creates the Kikai Caldera and ends the earliest homogeneous Jomon culture in Japan. When Jomon culture recovers, it shows regional differences. | 43-4000 bk |
| c. 4300 |  Neolithic DAWENKOU culture begins in Shandong, Anhui, Henan, and Jiangsu until 2600. Millet dominant in north and lower class; rice in south and upper class. Domesticated chickens, dogs, pigs, cattle, but no horses. Pig remains account for 85% of the total. Artefacts include turquoise, jade and ivory. Phases: early 41-3500, middle 35-3000, late 30-2600. Early phase is egalitarian, and has much seafood residue. Long-stemmed cups. Graves built with earthen ledges. Middle phase grave goods emphasize quantity over diversity. Late phase, wood coffins appear. 1st alligator hide drums. 1st trepanation - skull surgery. |
map: Kanguole 4300 wikDwk 4100 wikBx, wikIDNC, wikLNC, 2800 wikNSC |
| c.4280 | Wet field Λ RICE V cultivation evidenced at the Chaodun site in Kushan County. | 4280 wikIDNC |
| c.4100 | BEIXIN Culture in Shandong from
5300 ends. |
4100 wikLNC, wikBx |
| by 4000 | Most Yangshao areas use an intensive form of foxtail Λ MILLET V cultivation, complete with storage pits and finely prepared tools for digging and harvesting. | by 4000 wikIDNC |
| c.4000 |  Banpo script is etched or painted on pottery. 22 different symbols discovered on 113 sherds at Banpo and nearby Jiangzhai. Scholars still debate if it is Λ WRITING V or not. |
art: Yu Shengwu 5-4000 wikNSC 4000 wikT |
| c.4000 | Λ JADE V is imported to China, and used for ornaments and weapons. | 4000 PW 13 |
| c.4000 | DA BUT Culture begins in Viet Nam until 3000. | 4000 hifiVN, wikSV |
| c.4000 | Domesticated Λ DOGS evidenced in the Yangshao Culture. Dogs are often buried with their owners in elaborate tombs. Selective breeding is evidenced. | 5-3000 Copilot |
| c.4000 | AUSTRONESIAN people migrate from China to Λ Taiwan island. They migrate further in 3500, but maintain regular contact with the mainland until 1500. | 5000 wikPAs, 4000 wikAst, wikInd |
| c.3830 | CLIMATE turns wet until 2900. | 3830 wikMjy |
| c.3800 | Neolithic SONGZE culture begins in Lake Tai area overlapping Majiabang culture until
3300. Made of 3 sites: Nanhebang, Pishan, Dongshan. |
map: Kanguole 3800 wikLNC, wikSz |
| c.3630 | SILK V 1st evidenced in what is now Henan province. . | 3630 PW 14, wikIDNC 2674 B76 7-287 |
| c.3600 | BANPO, founded 4700, ends. Houses are circular, built of mud and wood with overhanging thatched roofs. There appear to be communal burial areas. |
3600 wikBnp |
| c.3600 | JIANGZHAI, a Banpo phase Yangshao culture, from 4700, ends. | 3600 wikBnp |
| c.3520 | JAPAN: Neolithic Early JOMON period from 5000, ends. Middle JOMON period begins until 2470. Pit-houses get complex, with some even having paved stone floors. Pit houses continue until the Satsumon culture 700 CE. | 3520 wikJm |
| c. 3500 | XIAOHEYAN Culture begins inside of Hongshan culture until 2000. Economy based on agriculture, plus livestock breeding and hunting. Pottery and handmade textiles are important. Houses are oval, semi-underground, with 1 or 2 rooms, doors on the south. Some have circular fire chambers, or column holes on both sides of the middle soil stove. Cellars used for storing food. People no longer use large stone tools from Hongshan Culture, but use refined grinding stone tools, e.g. perforated stone shovels, stone axes, stone arrowheads, sharp and strong tools, scrapers, stone blades, bone knives. |
map: Robert Drennan 3500 wikXhy |
| c.3500 | LIANG CHENG CHEN is 1st city in China. | 3500 TAWH 16 |
| c.3500 | Wide range trade of luxury items causes increase of social stratification in China. | 3500 Pw 13 |
| c.3500 | Triangular PLOWSHARE V made of stone is used at sites of Majiabang culture around Lake Tai. | 4000 bk 3500 wikIDNC |
| c.3500 | AUSTRONESIANS, in Taiwan from 4000, begin expanding. First sail south into Bataanese islands and Luzon, then the archipelago in 2500. | 3500 wikHAg, 3000 wikAMH |
| c. 3400 |  Neolithic LIANGZHU culture begins in Yangtze River Delta until 2250. Last Neolithic jade culture in Yangtze Delta. Highly stratified, as jade, Λ SILK V, ivory and lacquer are exclusive to elite burials. Interior area is 290 hectares, surrounded by clay walls with 6 gates, foundations of large structures, a wooden pier, an embankment for flood protection, tombs, altars, residences, docks, workshops. Advanced agriculture, with irrigation, paddy rice cultivation, and aquaculture. Houses often built on stilts, on rivers or shorelines. Artifacts: utensils for production, living, military and ritual purposes, art with spirals & circles, pottery pedestals with cut-out decorations, baked clay spindle whorls, slate reaping knives, spear points. Pottery is often cord-marked, and decorated with black or red slip. 1st known use of diamond tools. |
map: Kanguole 3400 wikIDNC, wikLNC, 3300 wikCJ, wikLgz |
| c.3400 | Λ JADE V appears in the Liangzhu culture, which lasts until 2250. Centered in the Lake Tai District, they are mostly small ornamental items, such as small discs strung onto necklaces. Typically it is polished and perforated. | 3400 wikJd 3300 wikCJ |
| c.3300 | SONGZE culture in Lake Tai area from 3800 ends. |
3300 wikLNC, wikSz |
| c.3300 | DAXI Culture in Three Gorges region from
5000 ends. |
3300 wikDx 3000 wikLNC |
| c.3300 |  MAJIAYAO culture begins in upper Yellow River region in Gansu and Qinghai until 2000. 3 phases: Majiayao 3300-2500, Banshan 2500-2300, Machang 2300-2000.Majiayao phase begins until 2500. Majiayao pottery designs in black pigment with sweeping parallel lines and dots. Contains bronze artifacts. |
map: Kanguole 3300 wikMjy 3100 wikHC, wikLNC, 2700 PW 14 |
| c.3300 | KARUO Culture begins in Tibet until 2000. | 3300 wikKru |
| c.3195 | METEORS bombard Earth, resulting atmospheric dust-veil as evidenced as cold period in narrow tree rings, and other world events. | 3195 kpol 3123 CWH |
| c.3100 | BRONZE AGE begins in East Asia until 300. | 3100 wikBA |
| c.3100 | MAJIAYAO culture site begins until 2700. | 3100 wikHC |
| c.3100 |  QUJIALING culture begins in middle Yangtze region in Hubei and Hunan until
2700. Has domestic chickens, dogs, pigs, sheep, fish. Has storage pits, egg shell pottery and tripods. City walls, man-made water systems, large courtyard buildings, |
map: Kanguole 3400 wikQjl, wikSz 3100 wikLNC |
| c.3000 | KOREA: Agriculture begins; millet is cultivated. | 3000 PW 14 |
| c.3000 | Neolithic Age reaches Korea, lasts until ??. | 3000 mxfld |
| c. 3000 | 
LONGSHAN V CULTURE begins in central and lower Yellow River until 1900. (Black Pottery Culture). Buffaloes are domesticated. Late Neolithic culture in middle and lower Yellow River valley areas of north China. Noted for wheel-made highly polished black egg-shell pottery, widespread in north China, and also found in the Yangtze River valley and as far as the southeast coast. |
cup Ismoon map Kanguole 3000 vart, wikHC, wikIDNC, wikLC, wikLNC, wikT 2900 tcg 2500 wikCJ, wikPAs 2200 brit |
| c.3000 | Λ JADE is used by the Longshan culture. The center is on the coast. Objects are ritualistic implements, such as axes, knives, and chisels. A distinctive carving technique is used to create fine raised relief of the anthropomorphic images. | 2500 wikCJ |
| c.3000 | METAL CASTING evidenced in China. | 3000 Copilot |
| c.3000 | MAJIABANG culture in Lake Tai area and north of Hangzhou Bay from 5000 ends. |
3300 wikMjb 3000 wikLNC |
| c.3000 | YANGSHAO culture in Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi from 5000 ends. |
3000 wikHC, wikLNC, wikYgs, yut 2900 wikDdw 2500 wikPAs |
| c.3000 | SAN HUANG Period begins in China until 2700. It contains a dynasty of 3 emperors. | 3000 yut |
| c.3000 | Λ PLOW with first metal blade invented in north China. | 3000 apwh |
| c.3000 | DYE, evidenced in Levant from 10,000, created in China from insects, barks, and plants. | 3000 Copilot |
| c.3000 | BRONZE V evidenced in Thailand. | 3000 TAWH 16 |
| c.3000 | DA BUT Culture in Viet Nam from 4000 ends. | 3000 hifiVN, wikSV |
| c.3000 | Foxtail Λ MILLET V evidenced at Karuo Tibet. | 3000 wikKru |
| c.2953 | Fu XI SHU becomes San Huang king in China until 2852. | 2953 yut |
| c.2900 | CLIMATE, wet from 3830, turns dry until 2700. | 2900 wikMjy |
| c.2900 | HONGSHAN Culture in Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, and Hebei from 4700 ends. |
2900 wikHgs, wikLNC 2700 wikCJ 2200 wikJd |
| c.2900 | CHANGSHAN Culture begins until 2800. | 2900 wikDdw |
| c.2900 | Λ COPPER SMELTING is evidenced in China. | pre-2800 wikCpr |
| c.2879 |  XICH QUY Kingdom begins until
2500, as Kinh Duong Vuong spreads his rule outward. |
2879 wikHBD 2700 u2HWEY timelapse |
| c. 2860 | CREATION according to the Classic of Mountains and Seas : Deity PANGU is a giant sleeping within an egg of chaos. He awakes, stands up, and divides sky from earth. Pangu then dies, and his body turns to rivers, mountains, plants, animals, and everything else in the world, including a powerful being known as Huaxu, who gives birth to twins Fuxi and Nuwa, who have human heads and snake bodies. One day they make 2 fires, which eventually become one. Under the fire, they use clay to create offspring, and made the clay figures come alive. These clay figures were the 1st humans. | no date: wikFx |
| c. 2860 | CREATION according to the Ban Gu, Bai Hu Tongy : In the beginning there was no morality(Sangang) or social order. Men knew their mothers only, not their fathers. When hungry, they searched for food; when satisfied, they threw away the remnants. They devoured their food hide and hair, drank the blood, and wore skins and rushes. Then came Fu Xi and united man and wife, regulated the 5 stages of change, and laid down the laws of humanity. He devised the 8 trigrams, in order to gain mastery over the world. | no date: wikFx |
| c.2852 | FU XI SHU, San Huang king in China from 2953 ends. SHEN NONG SHU (aka Yan Di) succeeds until 2737. | 2852 yut |
| c.2852 | THREE RULERS & FIVE EMPERORS period begins until 2205. Mythical, morally perfect rulers of such long lifespans that they may be dynasties rather than individuals. The 3, also called August Ones, are named in Sima Qian's Shiji from 109 BC. According to Sima, they are the Heavenly Ruler, FU XI, the Earthly Ruler, NUWA, and the Tai or Human Ruler, SHENNONG (possibly same as the Yan Emperor). Names of the 5 emperors differ according to which of 3 sources is used. In Shiji they are: Huangdi (Yellow Emperor), Zhuanxu, Ku, Yao, Shun. | 2852 ntno5E, nwe3S5E, ttc3S5E |
| c.2850 | Mythical ruler FU XI and his sis/wife NUWA (who have human heads and snake bodies) create humans, and give them music, hunting, fishing, domestication, cooking, and the Cangjie system of Λ WRITING V. | no date: wikFx |
| c.2820 |  Oldest Λ BRONZE object found in China, a knife found at a Majiayao site in Dongxiang. |
photo: Gary Lee Todd 2900-2740 wikMjy |
| c.2800 |  Neolithic BAODUN culture begins in Chengdu Plain until 1700. Settlement walls are covered with pebbles. Yufu, Zizhu, and Shuanghe have double walls. All settlements straddle the Min River. Most buildings are wattle and daub. Divided into 4 phases (I-IV). Subsist mostly on rice with millet 2nd. |
map: Kanguole 2800 wikLNC, 2700 wikBdn |
| c.2800 |  YIN YANG concept originated by Fu Xi, legendary Chinese emperor. Health and tranquility require equilibrium of 5 elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, water - which correspond to 5 planets, 5 seasons, 5 colors, 5 sounds, 5 senses, 5 tastes, 5 vicera. |
art: Klem 2800 TTPC |
| c.2800 | CHANGSHAN Culture from 2900 ends. | 2800 wikDdw |
| c.2737 | SHEN NONG SHU (aka Yan Di), San Huang king in China from 2852 ends. SUI REN SHI succeeds until 2697. | 2737 yut |
| c.2737 | TEA V, allegedly discovered by Shennong when a leaf falls into water he was boiling for drinking purposes. | 2737 wikHTC, wikT |
| c.2700 | CLIMATE, dry from 2900, turns normal. | 2700 wikMjy |
| c.2700 | SAN HUANG Period in China containing a dynasty of 3 emperors from 3000 ends. | 2700 yut |
| c.2700 | QUJIALING culture in middle Yangtze region in Hubei and Hunan from 3100 ends. |
2700 wikLNC, 2600 wikQjl, wikSz |
| c.2700 | Mythical ruler SHENNONG teaches humans to use the plow, basic agriculture, medicinal plants. Possibly influenced by the Yan Emperor mythos or slash-and-burn agriculture, Shennong was a god of burning wind. He is sometimes said to be a progenitor to, or to have had as one of his ministers, Chiyou (and like him, was ox-headed, sharp-horned, bronze-foreheaded, and iron-skulled). | no date: wikSng |
| c.2700 | Mythical ruler SHENNONG orders clerks to classify plants by food and medicinal values. Clerks list barley, millet, rice, soy, wheat as principal and sacred crops. | 2700 TTPC |
| c.2700 | MAJIAYAO culture site from 3100 ends. | 2700 wikHC |
| c.2700 | Λ TEA V, cultivated in China. At first the leaves are merely chewed. | 2700 B76 IX-855 |
| c.2700 | Bronze Age LAOHUSHAN Culture begins in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, and China until 2200. | 2700 wikLhs |
| c.2700 | Accupuncture & herbal remedies based on yin/yang principles originated in China under mythical ruler Shennong. | 2700 TTPC |
| c.2700 | CANNABIS, first recorded in China. | 2700 nrcMT |
| c.2698 | Battle of Banquan, first battle in Chinese history and Battle of Zhuolu, 2nd battle in Chinese history, fought by the Yellow Emperor. | 2698 wikT |
| c.2697 | SUI REN SHI, San Huang king in China from 2737 ends. | 2697 yut |
| c.2697 | HUANG-DI (The Yellow Emperor) is mythical Emperor of China until 2597. Credited with civilizing the earth, teaching many skills, and inventing the wheel, building blocks, compass, armor, weapons, ships, writing, Taoism, coining money, and a calendar based on 50 year cycles. | 2697 encYE, nwe3S5E, ttc3S5E, no date: B76 V-176 |
| c.2674 | Mythical emperor Shennong writes Divine Husbandman , a classification of plants in terms of food & medicinal value. Main crops are barley, millet, rice, soy, wheat. | 2674 TTPC |
| c.2674 | Λ SILK V weaving begins in China. Empress Xi Ling Shih discovers a way to raise worms and unwind filaments from their cucoons. . | 3500 wikSms 2700 PW 14 2674 B76 7-287 2600 bk |
| c.2650 | Legend of Cangjie , an official historian of the Yellow Emperor, inventor of the Chinese character. He had 4 eyes, and when he invented the characters, the deities and ghosts cried and the sky rained millet. He is not considered to be the sole inventor of Chinese characters. There are several versions of the legend. | 2650 wikT no date: wikGgj |
| c.2600 | DAWENKOU culture in Shandong, Anhui, Henan, and Jiangsu from 4300 ends. |
2600 wikBx, wikDwk, wikIDNC, wikLNC 2500 wikNSC |
| c.2600 | Chinese society changes from matriarchal to patriarchal. | 2600 wikFx |
| c.2600 | OXEN are harnessed to plows in China. | 2600 TTPC |
| c.2600 | WHEAT, cultivated in Asia from 7000, first cultivated in China. It is not popular, and grown only when other grains are scarce. | 2600 Copilot |
| c.2600 | HUANG-DI (The Yellow Emperor), is credited with writing Nei Ching , a medical text listing herbs that will contribute to pharmacopias, containing substances camphor, opium, chaumoogra, ephedrine, sodium sulphate. | 2595 TTPC |
| c.2597 | HUANG-DI (The Yellow Emperor), mythical Emperor of China from 2697, ends. ZHUANXU succeeds until 2436. | 2598 nwe3S5E 2597 ttc3S5E, 2514 wikT |
| c.2570 | Λ SILK and other items found at Liangzhu culture site at Qianshanyang in Wuxing District, Zhejiang; silk items included a braided silk belt, silk threads, and woven silk. | 2570 wikT |
| c.2500 | NEOLITHIC Period, in Korea from 6000, ends. But somehow the Stone Age continues until 1000. | 2500 wikKor |
| c.2500 |  SHIJIAHE culture begins in middle Yangtze region in Hubei until 2000. Settlements are often enclosed with walls and moats. People grow rice and millet, and leave many jade artifacts. Primary mode of travel is water. People build canals to connect urban areas to adjacent rivers or from towns to main rivers. Artifacts are mostly jade. |
map: Kanguole 2500 wikLNC, wikSjh |
| c.2500 | Pan-Chan phase of YANGSHAO Culture appears until 1500 with large urns painted in spirals with purple, brown, red and black. | 2500 mxfld |
| c.2500 | PLOW: Plowshares of wood or bone are evidenced in the Longshan Culture, at several sites including Liangzhu. | 3-2000 Copilot |
| c.2500 | MAJIAYAO phase of Majiayao culture from
3300 ends. BANSHAN phase begins until 2300. Pottery has curvilinear designs using black and red paint. Control over production and quality declines. |
2600 wikBns 2500 wikMjy |
| c.2500 | WHEELS V with axles, in Mesopotamia from 5500, Asia from 3700, first evidenced in China. | 2500 guess 2000-1500 Copilot |
| c.2500 | Λ Longshan, walled settlement, has wheel-made pottery. | 2500 PW 14 1800 B76 4-300 |
| c.2500 | Yang shao tsun culture begins. Walled villages inhabited by hunters, farmers, cattlemen, skilled carpenters and weavers. Ceramics are superior. | 2500 B76 4-299 |
| c.2500 |  XICH QUY kingdom from 2879 becomes VAN LANG kingdom until 258. |
2500 u2HWEY timelapse |
| c.2500 | Southeast Asia: Bronze used, 1st pottery and domestic animals. | 2500 PW 14 |
| c.2500 | Austronesian people, in Bataanese islands and Luzon from 3500, start to populate the archipelago and introduce primitive ironworks technology. They don't enter Indonesia until 2000. | 2500 wikSeA |
| c.2470 | JAPAN: Middle JOMON period from 3520, ends. Other Neolithic societies remain. Late JOMON period begins until 1250. | 2470 wikJm |
| c.2436 | ZHUANXU, mythical Emperor of China from 2597, ends. KU succeeds until 2366. | 2436 nwe3S5E, ttc3S5E, wikT |
| c.2366 | KU, mythical Emperor of China from 2436, ends. Interregnum until 2358. | 2366 ttc3S5E |
| ZHI succeeds until 2358. | 2366 wikT |
| c.2358 | YAO becomes mythical Emperor of China until 2258. | 2366 nwe3S5E, ttc3S5E 2358 wikT |
| c.2350 | Longshan culture practices divination in China. | 2350 bk |
| c.2333 | GOJOSEON (Old Joseon) kingdom founded in basins of Liao river in Korea, supposedly by legendary king DANGUN. Lasts until 194. | 2333 wikJsn, wikKor' |
| c.2300 | Λ RICE farming reaches north China. | 2300 TTPC |
| c.2300 | BANSHAN phase of Majiayao culture from 2500, ends. MACHANG phase begins until 2000. Pottery is produced at large, centralised workshops, but not as carefully finished. Development is associated with interaction between hunter-gatherers in Qinghai region. |
2300 wikBns, wikMjy |
| c.2300 | Emperor YAO of China invents an elaborate game with hundreds of pieces, in which spectators bet on the outcome played by 2 opponents. | 2300 CWH, kpol |
| c.2300 | PLUMBING: The walled city of Pingliangtai in central China, has a network of ceramic water pipes and drainage ditches. | 26-2000 Copilot |
| c.2278 |  YELLOW RIVER changes course from south to north until until 602. |
2278 B76 8-1129 |
| c.2258 | YAO, mythical Emperor of China from 2358, ends. SHUN succeeds 2255-2195. | 2258 nwe3S5E, ttc3S5E 2255 wikT |
| c.2250 | LIANGZHU culture in Yangtze River Delta from 3400 disappears, probably because of flood, leaving almost no trace. |
2300 wikLgz 2250 wikLNC |
| c.2250 | Legendary emperor Yao ends 70-year rule in China. | 2250 bk |
| c.2220 | Legendary emperor Shun ends 30-year rule in China. | 2220 bk |
| c.2205 | THREE RULERS & FIVE EMPERORS period from 2852 ends. Mythical, morally perfect rulers of long lifespans. | 2205 ntno5E, nwe3S5E |
| c.2205 | Legendary XIA DYNASTY founded in China until 1600 by Yu, but doesn't become a kingdom until 2070. | 2205 MCAW, TTPC, bk 2194 wikT |
| c.2205 | GRAIN MILLING begins in China. | 2205 TTPC 5 |
| c.2200 |  MAJIAYAO culture from
3300 is replaced by Bronze Age QIJIA culture in 3 main geographic zones: East Gansu, Middle Gansu, and West Gansu/East Qinghai until
1600. Warm and humid conditions lead to flourishing agriculture and rapid population growth. Has much metal ware, mostly copper, plus earliest bronze and copper mirrors in China. Extensive domestication of horses at many Qijia sites. Over 350 Qijia sites have been found superimposed on the Majiayao culture. |
map: Kanguole 2200 wikQjC 2190 u2HWEY timelapse |
| c.2200 | Bronze Age LAOHUSHAN Culture in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia, and China from 2700 ends. | 2200 wikLhs |
| c. 2200 | Hongshan Culture is replaced by Lower XIAJIADIAN Culture in northeast China until 1600. It intersects Xiaoheyan culture. Permanent ettlements are near cliffs or steep slopes. Houses are typically round, made of mud and stone, and with stone walls. Economy based on millet farming plus animal husbandry and hunting. Domesticated pigs, dogs, sheep, and cattle. Artifacts include stone, bone, and pottery plus some gold, lead, lacquer, jade, copper, and bronze. Oracle bone divination is practiced. |
map: Robert Drennan 2200 wikHC, wikHgs |
| c.2200 | Chengziya site in Longshan, Shandong has fragments of inscribed bones presumably used to divine the future. | 25-1900 wikNSC |
| c.2200 |  11 characters on pottery vessels from Dinggong in Shandong are thought by some to be an early form of Λ WRITING V. |
photo: Tomchen 25-1900 wikNSC |
4.2 kiloyear event begins from 2200 to 2150?. A volcanic eruption causes marked increase in aridity and wind circulation, induces degradation of land-use conditions.
 Global distribution of 4.2 kiloyear event. Hatched areas get wet conditions or flooding. Dotted areas get drought or dust storms. |
map: Jianjun Wang 2200 wik4.2, wikAE, wikAkE, wikOKE |
| c.2200 | Severe drought begins eroding rice-cultivation in Shijiahe. | 2200 wikSjh |
| c.2200 | Λ WHEEL tracks are left at Pingliangtai, a site of the Longshan Culture. See 1700 | 2200 Copilot, wikWl, |
| c.2195 | SHUN, mythical Emperor of China from 2255, ends. | 2195 wikT, ttc3S5E |
| c.2137 | Earliest recorded SOLAR ECLIPSE V is recorded in China. | 2137 Copilot |
East Asia 2070-1001
V