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

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 Amsterdam The city of Amsterdam began as a village on the River Amstel. However, in the Middle Ages, it grew rapidly as a center of trade. In 1275 Floris V, Count of Holland gave the people of ‘Amstelledamme’ to transport their goods by water through his territory. In 1306 the bishop… Continue reading A Brief History of Amsterdam

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 Crimea The ancient Greeks founded colonies in Crimea after 600 BC. They built cities and ports but they did not conquer the whole peninsula. In the 1st century BC, the Romans conquered parts of Crimea. However, people from central Asia called the Goths conquered eastern Crimea in the 3rd century. Later,… Continue reading A Brief History of Crimea

By Tim Lambert Ancient Egypt By 5,000 BC the people of Egypt had begun farming. They also wove linen and made pottery. Later they learned to use bronze. About 3,200 BC the Egyptians invented writing. The first Egyptian in history was King Menes aka Narmer who lived shortly before 3,100 BC. At that time Egypt… Continue reading A Brief History of Egypt

By Tim Lambert Early Ghana The Portuguese reached what is now Ghana in 1471. They found it was a rich source of gold. So much so that the area was called the Gold Coast. The Portuguese built slaves on the Gold Coast and during the 16th century, they traded with the native peoples. However, in… Continue reading A Brief History of Ghana

By Tim Lambert The Inuit in Greenland The first inhabitants of Greenland were the Inuit. They lived in Greenland for long periods but there were also times when Greenland was uninhabited. The first people to live in Greenland were the Saqqaq people from about 2,500 BC to 900 BC. Greenland was then uninhabited until about… Continue reading A Brief History of Greenland

By Tim Lambert Ancient Iran The Persian Empire The Persian Empire was created by Cyrus II, known as Cyrus the Great (559-529 BC). Cyrus first defeated another Iranian people called the Medes. In 547 he defeated the kingdom of Lydia (in what is now Turkey) at the battle of Pterya and became the ruler of… Continue reading A Brief History of Iran

By Tim Lambert The first human beings lived in Panama about 11,000 BC. By 2,500 BC they had learned to make pottery and later people from the region traded with others as far north as Mexico and as far south as Peru. The first European to land in Panama was a Spaniard named Rodrigo Galvan… Continue reading A Brief History of Panama

By Tim Lambert Early Serbia In the 7th century Slavs, ancestors of modern Serbs arrived in Serbia. At first, they were divided into clans but in the 8th century, a man named Vlastimir founded the first Serbian state called Rasica. Then in the 9th century, the Serbs were converted to Christianity. However, until the 13th… Continue reading A Brief History of Serbia