At this date farming is spreading around the world, but as yet no civilizations exist.

In the Middle East, the Sumerian civilization has appeared in Mesopotamia. This is the first civilization in world history.

More major civilizations have appeared: Egypt in North Africa and the Indus Valley civilization in South Asia.

New civilizations have now emerged in the Middle East and other places - but one has vanished!

This era marks the high point of the Bronze Age world.

This has been a time of great upheaval - civilizations have been damaged, and even destroyed. It is also a period of great progress.

New civilizations are appearing, old ones are changing.

The Assyrian empire has now vanished, and has been replaced by three large states - the Babylonian Empire, the empire of the Medes, and a revived Egypt.