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

By Tim Lambert Ancient Indonesia The first people in Indonesia arrived about 40,000 years ago when the sea level was lower and it was joined to Asia by a land bridge. Then at the end of the last ice age about 10,000 BC, a new wave of people came. At first, they hunted animals, collected… Continue reading A Short History of Indonesia

By Tim Lambert Ancient Ireland The first humans arrived in Ireland between 7,000 and 6,000 BC after the end of the last ice age. The first Irish people lived by farming, fishing, and gathering food such as plants and shellfish. The Stone Age hunters tended to live on the seashore or on the banks of… Continue reading A Short History of Ireland

By Tim Lambert The Etruscans The first civilization in Italy was the Etruscan, which arose about 800 BC in central Italy. The Etruscans built cities on a grid pattern. Some of these cities still exist (including Arezzo, Chiusi, Cortona, Perugia, and Cerveteri). The Etruscans were also engineers who drained marshes and built roads. They were… Continue reading A Short History of Italy

By Tim Lambert Early Jamaica From about 800 AD a people called the Arawaks lived in Jamaica. They were stone age farmers although they also hunted and fished. The Arawaks grew beans, cassava, and maize. They also grew cotton. However, in 1494, Christopher Columbus landed in Jamaica. The Spanish and Arawaks briefly fought each other… Continue reading A Short History of Jamaica

By Tim Lambert The First Japanese Human beings have lived in Japan for at least 30,000 years. During the last ice age, Japan was connected to mainland Asia by a land bridge and Stone Age hunters were able to walk across. When the ice age ended about 10,000 BC Japan became a group of islands.… Continue reading A Short History of Japan

By Tim Lambert Early Jordan Before 8,000 BC Stone Age hunters lived in what is now Jordan. However, by about 8,000 BC people in the region began farming although they still used stone tools. People began to live in villages. By about 5,000 BC people in Jordan were making pottery. By 4,000 BC they smelted… Continue reading A Short History of Jordan

By Tim Lambert Ancient Korea By 4000 BC stone age farmers were living in Korea. By 1000 BC they had learned to use bronze. By about 300 BC they had learned to use iron to make tools and weapons. At first, Korea was divided into tribes but eventually organized kingdoms emerged. There were 3 of… Continue reading A Short History of Korea

By Tim Lambert Ancient Laos The earliest inhabitants of Laos were hunter-gatherers. Later they were farmers growing rice and pulses. The first farmers used stone tools but from about 2,000 BC bronze was used in Laos and from about 500 BC iron. However, unlike Vietnam, the people of Laos were influenced by Indian rather than… Continue reading A Short History of Laos

By Tim Lambert Ancient Libya At first, Libya was inhabited by Berber tribes. After 1,000 BC a people from Lebanon called the Phoenicians settled in Tripolitania (western Libya). They founded Tripoli. Later, the ancient Greeks settled in Cyrenaica (eastern Libya). Later, both areas of Libya became part of the Roman Empire. A Roman Emperor called… Continue reading A Short History of Libya

By Tim Lambert Ancient Malaysia The first people to live in Malaysia were Stone Age hunter-gatherers. They arrived as early as 8,000 BC. Later Stone Age farmers came to Malaya and displaced them. (The hunter-gatherers continued to exist but they retreated into remote areas). The farmers practiced slash-and-burn agriculture. They cleared an area of the… Continue reading A Short History of Malaysia