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

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 Brief 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 Brief History of Laos

By Tim Lambert Early Latvia The earliest people in Latvia were Stone Age hunters and gatherers who arrived there after the last ice age about 9000 BC. However, the ancestors of today’s Latvians were Baltic tribes who migrated to the area about 2,000 BC. In the 12th century AD, some of the last pagans in… Continue reading A Brief History of Latvia

By Tim Lambert Early Liberia It’s believed the ancestors of the indigenous people of Liberia migrated there between the 12th century and the 16th century. The Portuguese reached the coast in the 15th century and trade began in pepper, ivory, and slaves. In 1816 the American Colonization Society was formed. It aimed to resettle free… Continue reading A Brief History of Liberia

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 Brief History of Libya

By Tim Lambert Early 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 Brief History of Lithuania

By Tim Lambert Early Madagascar Until about 2,000 years ago Madagascar was uninhabited. Then the Indonesian people arrived. About 800 AD the Arabs started sailing to Madagascar. The first European to reach Madagascar was a Portuguese called Diogo Dias in 1500. However, at first, Europeans showed little interest in the island although pirates used it… Continue reading A Brief History of Madagascar

By Tim Lambert Ancient Malawi Two thousand years ago there was a simple stone-age culture in Malawi. The people lived by hunting and gathering. However, by the 4th century AD, Bantu people arrived in the area and introduced iron tools and weapons. They also introduced farming. In the 15th century, people who lived south of… Continue reading A Brief History of Malawi

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 Brief History of Malaysia

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Chloe Annabel Ancient Malta During the last Ice Age Malta was a high mountain joined to Italy by land. However, when the Ice Age ended about 10,000 years ago the sea level rose and Malta became a group of islands. However, about 5,200 BC Stone Age farmers arrived in Malta… Continue reading A Brief History of Malta