2nd millennium BC
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The 2nd millennium BC refers to the thousand-year period from 2000 BC to 1001 BC, during which major civilizations like ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley developed complex societies, writing systems, and trade networks. This era matters because it saw the rise of some of history's earliest empires and the foundations of cultures that would shape the world for centuries to come.
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From top left clockwise: Hammurabi, Babylonian king, best known for his code of laws; The gold funerary mask of Tutankhamun has become a symbol of ancient Egyptian civilization and its enduring legacy; Nebra sky disc is considered the oldest concrete representation of astronomical phenomena, such as the Sun, Moon, and stars; The Lion Gate of Hattusa is a testament to the architectural and artistic skills of the Hittites; Hieroglyphs from the tomb of Seti I; Mask of Agamemnon (Background: Bull-Leaping Fresco ca. 1450-1400 BC). The 2nd millennium BC spanned the years 2000 BC to 1001 BC. In the Ancient Near East, it marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. The Ancient Near Eastern cultures are well within the historical era: The first half of the millennium is dominated by the Middle Kingdom of Egypt and Babylonia. The alphabet develops. At the center of the millennium, a new order emerges with Mycenaean Greek dominance of the Aegean and the rise of the Hittite Empire. The end of the millennium sees the Bronze Age collapse and the transition to the Iron Age.
Other regions of the world are still in the prehistoric period. In Europe, the Beaker culture introduces the Bronze Age, presumably associated with Indo-European expansion. The Indo-Iranian expansion reaches the Iranian plateau and onto the Indian subcontinent (Vedic India), propagating the use of the chariot. Mesoamerica enters the Pre-Classic (Olmec) period. North America is in the late Archaic stage. In Maritime Southeast Asia, the Austronesian expansion reaches Micronesia. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the Bantu expansion begins.