Category: Histories of countries and key towns and cities around the world

By Tim Lambert Ancient Afghanistan Afghanistan has a very long history. The Oxus civilisation flourished from about 2,200 to about 1,700 in northern Afghanistan. This great civilisation vanished for unknown reasons. However, most of the Ancient history of Afghanistan is that of one empire after another conquering the region. About 700 BC, Afghanistan was conquered… Continue reading A Brief History of Afghanistan

By Tim Lambert Ancient Africa Scientists believe that Africa was the birthplace of mankind. By 100,000 BC modern humans lived by hunting and gathering with stone tools. From Africa, they spread to Europe. By 5,000 farming had spread to North Africa. People herded cattle and they grew crops. At that time the Sahara Desert was… Continue reading A Brief History of Africa

By Tim Lambert Early Algeria In 150 BC, Berber kingdoms existed in what is now Algeria. However, in 24 BC, they were annexed by the Romans. They built roads, cities, and aqueducts. Under the Romans, Algeria became Christian. The famous theologian Augustine (354-430) lived in Hippo (present-day Annaba). As the Roman Empire in the west… Continue reading A Brief History of Algeria

By Tim Lambert In the Middle Ages what is now Angola was organized into kingdoms. The people lived by agriculture. Craftsmen made things of metal and pottery. The Portuguese first reached Angola in 1483 but at first, they showed little interest in the area. The first Portuguese colony in Angola was not founded till 1575.… Continue reading A Brief History of Angola

By Tim Lambert The Early Explorers of Antarctica Although it is now a frozen wilderness Antarctica was once much further north and it had a tropical or semi-tropical climate. Forests grew there and life flourished. The Ancient Greeks realized there might be a great continent in the southern hemisphere. Aristotle argued that since the world… Continue reading A Brief History of Antarctica

By Tim Lambert Early Argentina Before Europeans came to Argentina it was thinly populated. In the Northwest, people grew crops such as potatoes and squash. They sometimes lived in walled towns and they used metal and made pottery. However, most of the indigenous people lived by hunting animals and gathering plants. They continued their hunter-gatherer… Continue reading A Brief History of Argentina

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Frederick Wilde During the 17th century and 18th century, European explorers reached Australia. In 1770 Captain Cook claimed eastern Australia for Britain. He called it New South Wales. Life was hard for ordinary people in the 18th century and punishments for even minor crimes were severe. In England, you could… Continue reading A Brief History of Australia

By Tim Lambert Early Belgium The Romans conquered Belgium in 57 BC and it became integrated into the Roman Empire as Gallia Belgica. However, in the 5th century AD Roman rule collapsed and the Franks conquered Belgium. Their first capital was at Tournai. In the 9th century, the Franks ruled most of Western Europe. Yet… Continue reading A Brief History of Belgium

By Tim Lambert Early Belize The Mayans created a great civilization in what is now Belize. The ancestors of the Mayans were hunters but about 2,000 BC they adopted farming as a way of life. In the years from 300 BC to 250 AD organized Mayan kingdoms emerged. Then from 250 AD to 600 AD,… Continue reading A Brief History of Belize

By Tim Lambert Early Bhutan By 1,500 BC people lived in Bhutan by herding animals. In the 7th century AD Buddhism was introduced into Bhutan. In the 8th century, an Indian named Padmasambhava did much to encourage the spread of Buddhism in Bhutan. Ever since Buddhism has been an integral part of the culture of… Continue reading A Brief History of Bhutan