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

By Tim Lambert Ancient Spain From about 900 BC a seafaring people called the Phoenicians who came from what is now Lebanon traded with what is now Spain. They founded a chain of trading settlements along the coast on islands and peninsulas. The Iberians gave the Phoenicians silver in return for wine and olive oil… Continue reading A Brief History of Spain

By Tim Lambert Ancient Sri Lanka About 500 BC when a people called the Sinhalese migrated there from India. According to legend, the first settlers were led by a man named Vijaya. According to tradition, Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in 260 BC by a man named Mahinda. It soon became an integral part… Continue reading A Brief History of Sri Lanka

By Tim Lambert Ancient Sweden The first humans arrived in Sweden by 8,000 BC after the end of the ice age, when warming temperatures first made the country habitable. The first Swedes were stone-age hunters and fishermen who lived near the coast. However, after 4,000 BC, farming was introduced into Sweden. The farmers used stone… Continue reading A Brief History of Sweden

By Tim Lambert Early Switzerland About 500 BC a Celtic people called the Helveti entered Switzerland from the west. However, by 58 BC the Romans ruled the area and they built a capital at Aventicum (Avenches). In the following centuries, Switzerland became thoroughly Romanized. The Romans built roads and other towns. However, in 260 a… Continue reading A Brief History of Switzerland

By Tim Lambert Ancient Tanzania The first human beings in Tanzania lived by hunting animals and gathering plants. Agriculture in Tanzania probably began about 1,000 BC but the farmers still made wooden and stone tools. However, by the 4th century AD, Bantu people began to migrate to Tanzania. They brought iron tools and weapons. Meanwhile,… Continue reading A Brief History of Tanzania

By Tim Lambert Ancient Georgia The first people in what is now Georgia were hunters and gatherers, but about 6,000 BC, they began farming. The Stone Age farmers also made pottery. By 3,000 BC, the people of what is now Georgia made bronze tools. About 1,100 BC, they started making iron tools.  By about 600… Continue reading A Brief History of the Country of Georgia

By Tim Lambert The Early Philippines The Philippines was named after King Philip II of Spain (1556-1598) and was a Spanish colony for over 300 years. Today the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,000 islands. However, it is believed that during the last ice age, they were joined to mainland Asia by a land bridge,… Continue reading A Brief History of The Philippines

By Tim Lambert Ancient Tunisia By about 8,000 BC human beings lived in what is now Tunisia by hunting and gathering. After about 5,000 BC they began farming although they still used stone tools. Then from about 1100 BC the Phoenicians from what is now Lebanon settled and traded in the area. About 480 BC… Continue reading A Brief History of Tunisia

By Tim Lambert Early Uganda In 1875 the explorer Henry Stanley reached Uganda. At that time Uganda was divided into kingdoms. Shortly afterward the first missionaries came to Uganda. The first Anglican missionaries arrived in Uganda in 1877. The first Roman Catholic missionaries arrived in 1879. Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims all tried to convert the… Continue reading A Brief History of Uganda

By Tim Lambert The Early History of Ukraine In the 7th century BC, a people called the Scythians lived in what is now Ukraine. Later the Greeks settled on the north coast of the Black Sea and they founded city-states there. Slavs settled in Ukraine in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. Then in the… Continue reading A Brief History of Ukraine