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

By Tim Lambert Early Costa Rica At the beginning of the 16th century, the indigenous people of Costa Rica were divided into tribes of farmers. They had created a sophisticated society. However, on 18 September 1502, Christopher Columbus sighted Costa Rica. In the mid 16th century the Spanish gradually conquered Costa Rica. However, it lacked… Continue reading A Short History of Costa Rica

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 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 Medieval Lithuania The ancestors of modern Lithuanians were a people called the Balts who arrived in the area about 2,000 BC. In c.1240 AD a man named Mindaugas united the Lithuanian tribes. In 1251 he converted to Christianity. However, Mindaugas was assassinated in 1263 and his people reverted to paganism. In 1316… Continue reading A Short History of Lithuania

By Tim Lambert Ancient and Medieval Paris The city of Paris began in the 3rd century BC when a Celtic tribe called the Parisii built a fortified settlement on the Ile de la Cite. The Romans conquered the Parisii in 52 AD and they built a town on the River Seine. The Romans called Paris… Continue reading A Short History of Paris

By Tim Lambert Early Tasmania About 35,000 years ago the Earth was in the grip of an ice age. The sea level was lower than it is today and Tasmania was joined to mainland Australia. Indigenous Tasmanians were able to cross on foot. However, about 12,000 years ago the ice age ended and the sea… Continue reading A Short History of Tasmania

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Sophie Goode Ancient Wales During the last Ice Age, people hunted reindeer and mammoths in what is now Wales. When the ice age ended around 10,000 BC new animals appeared in Wales, such as red deer and wild boar. Stone Age hunters hunted them both. They also gathered plants for… Continue reading A Short History of Wales