East Asia: China, Korea, Japan 500 BCE
The philosopher Confucius, whose teachings will influence millions of people down to the present day, lives at this time.
Subscribe for more great content – and remove ads
Civilizations
Subscribe for more great content – and remove ads
What is happening in East Asia: China, Korea, Japan in 500BCE
China
The past centuries have seen the Zhou kingdom of northern China fragment into a number of large, highly organized states. These are continually at war with one another. Despite this, civilization has made huge strides in all spheres. The use of iron has come in from western Asia, and iron farming tools have come into widespread use. This has greatly increasing food production, and commerce and industry have also expanded.
An influential philosopher
This is leading to widespread social change, and into this fluctuating environment comes one of the most important philosophers in world history, Confucius. His teachings will be hugely influential on the life and thought of the peoples of East Asia from ancient times right up to the present day.
Korea and Japan
Bronze age Korea is divided into numerous small but warlike chiefdoms, whose aristocracies have developed a fashion for large stone-built graves (dolmens), often furnished with bronze weapons, fine ceramics and jade objects as burial goods. Contacts between Korea and Japan are growing. At this time groups of Koreans are migrating to Japan, introducing their culture, based on rice cultivation, and their knowledge of bronze working, to the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.
Next map, East Asia in 200 BCE
Dig Deeper
The Zhou dynasty of ancient China
Premium Units
Subscribe for more great content – and remove ads
Civilizations related to East Asia: China, Korea, Japan
1750BCE - 1050BCE Shang Dynasty China 1050BCE - 700BCE The Zhou Dynasty of Ancient China 500BCE - 1900CE Korean Civilization 250BCE - 200BCE The Qin Dynasty of Ancient China 200BCE - 200CE The Han Dynasty of Ancient China 250CE - 1850CE Japanese Civilization 589CE - 610CE Sui dynasty China 600CE - 1900CE Tibetan Civilization 600CE - 900CE Tang Dynasty China 950CE - 1300CE Song Dynasty China 1200CE - 1450CE The Mongol Empire 1350CE - 1650CE Ming Dynasty China 1650CE - 1900CE Qing Dynasty China 1800CE - 2000CE Modern China from the end of the Qing dynasty to present-day Communist China 1800CE - 2000CE Modern Japan 1900CE - 2000CE Modern KoreaSubscribe for more great content – and remove ads
What else is happening in the rest of the world...

Middle East history 500BCE
A succession of great empires - the Assyrian, the Babylonian, and now the Persian - have dominated the Middle East for the past few centuries

Europe history 500BCE
The Iron Age Celts and their relatives dominate much of Europe, whilst in the Mediterranean land a number of brilliant city-state civilizations, most notably the Greeks, now flourish

Africa history 500BCE
Bantu farmers from West Africa are beginning to spread out across the continent

India and South Asia history 500BCE
The return of urban civilization to ancient India has been followed by a creative period in its history, with the great world religion of Buddhism being founded
What else is happening in the rest of the world...

Africa history 3500BCE
Most of Africa is home to bands of hunter-gatherers, but in the Nile valley, the civilization of Egypt is beginning to emerge

Middle East history 3500BCE
The first civilizations in world history, those of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, are emerging

Europe history 3500BCE
Stone Age farming villages dot the landscape of Europe

India and South Asia history 3500BCE
In India and South Asia, the foundations are being laid for one of the great civilizations of ancient history

South East Asia history 3500BCE
Stone Age farmers and hunter-gatherers inhabit South East Asia

Oceania history 3500BCE
All the Pacific islands are uninhabited, except for Australia, New Guinea and the Solomons

South America history 3500BCE
Permanent villages have grown up along coasts and rivers

North America history 3500BCE
Hunter-gatherer cultures cover most of North America
What else is happening in the rest of the world...

Middle East history 2500BCE
The civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia are now flourishing in the Middle East

Europe history 2500BCE
Europe is still inhabited by Stone Age farming peoples. Tribes speaking Indo-European languages are migrating into the continent from the east

Africa history 2500BCE
Ancient Egypt, one of the great civilizations of world history, has now full emerged in the Nile valley

India and South Asia history 2500BCE
One of the earliest civilizations in world history has emerged in ancient India, the Indus Valley civilization

South East Asia history 2500BCE
Population movements At around this time, a series of major population movements begin to affect this region. Starting in southern China and Taiwan, farming and fishing communities begin to move south and west, into the coasts and islands of South East Asia. These are the ancestors of today’s Malays, Polynesians and other Austronesian peoples, and […]
Oceania history 2500BCE
A new phase in technology is beginning in Australia, and the migration of the ancestors of the Polynesians has begun from south China

South America history 2500BCE
Large villages are developing along the Pacific coast, with temple-mounds and irrigation systems being constructed

North America history 2500BCE
The ancestors of the Inuit are arriving in North America
What else is happening in the rest of the world...

Middle East history 1000BCE
Invasions have devastated the old centres of civilization, but important new developments, such as the use of iron, the appearance of the alphabet and the rise of Israel, with its monotheistic religion, have taken place

Europe history 1000BCE
Major population movements in Europe have caused widespread upheaval, and the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations have vanished

Africa history 1000BCE
Farming and cattle herding is spreading in western and central Africa

India and South Asia history 1000BCE
In this dark age of ancient indian history the Aryan people are laying the foundations of future Indian civilization
What else is happening in the rest of the world...

Middle East history 200BCE
The conquests of Alexander the Great have reshaped the map of the Middle East, and Greek-speaking kingdoms, founded by Alexander's generals, now cover the region

Europe history 200BCE
The Celts still dominate much of Europe, but a new power, Rome, is on the rise and is now the leading power in the western Mediterranean

Africa history 200BCE
Trade routes across the Sahara desert are being pioneered, while, to the south, Bantu farmers continue their swift expansion across the continent

India and South Asia history 200BCE
The history of ancient India has seen the great Mauryan empire cover much of the subcontinent

South East Asia history 200BCE
Indian traders are bringing Hinduism, Buddhism and other elements of Indian civilization to South East Asia

Oceania history 200BCE
A distinctive Polynesian culture is now evolving

South America history 200BCE
The spread of maize as a staple crop allows new areas to be settled by farmers

North America history 200BCE
Several post-Olmec civilizations are emerging in different parts of Central America
What else is happening in the rest of the world...

Middle East history 30BCE
The Middle East is now divided between the Roman and Parthian empires

Europe history 30BCE
The Roman empire now rules much of Europe

Africa history 30BCE
North Africa is now part of the Roman empire, while in central Africa the Bantu expansion continues

India and South Asia history 30BCE
The Mauryan empire has vanished, and ancient India sees a new chapter in its history with invasions from Central Asia

South East Asia history 30BCE
The first urban civilization of South East Asia has appeared, in Burma

Oceania history 30BCE
A new phase of Polynesian expansion in the Pacific is occurring

South America history 30BCE
The Moche and Nazca civilizations are now flourishing

North America history 30BCE
The Mayan civilization is emerging
What else is happening in the rest of the world...

Middle East history 200CE
One small part of the region, Judaea, has given birth to the new religion of Christianity, but has also seen the dispersal of the Jewish people from their homeland

Europe history 200CE
The Roman Empire has given much of Europe two centuries of peace and prosperity

Africa history 200CE
All of North Africa is now part of the Roman empire, while to the south the Bantu migration continues

India and South Asia history 200CE
The Kushana empire of ancient India is important to world history as a centre for the spread of Buddhism

South East Asia history 200CE
Indian-style kingdoms and principalities are appearing in South East Asia

South America history 200CE
The Moche have reached a high level of civilization

North America history 200CE
The Mayan civilization is now emerging
What else is happening in the rest of the world...

Middle East history 500CE
The Middle East is divided between the Eastern Roman empire and the Persian empire

Europe history 500CE
The western Roman empire has fallen to German invaders, but the eastern Roman empire remains intact

Africa history 500CE
A powerful new kingdom is arising in Ethiopia, while in West Africa trade routes across the Sahara are developing

India and South Asia history 500CE
This period of India's history has seen the rise of the Gupta dynasty, under whom ancient Indian civilization reaches its peak

South East Asia history 500CE
Indian civilization exerts a deep influence upon the kingdoms and peoples of South East Asia

Oceania history 500CE
The Polynesians have settled Hawaii and Easter Island

South America history 500CE
Large chiefdoms have emerged in Amazonia

North America history 500CE
The Hopewell culture has vanished
Lost your way? See a list of all maps
Subscribe for more great content – and remove ads