A thematic collection

Formation

Every event in the Terralore archive tagged formation — origins, unifications and the founding of states as each nation's archive records them. 330 of them, drawn from 163 nations, running from 100,000 BCE to 2012. Indexed below by period; each period opens the full text, with the sources every entry was verified against and a link back to the chronicle it came from.

Events
330
Nations
163
Earliest
100,000 BCE
Latest
2012
Densest period
The 18th century27 events
Asia
103
Europe
95
Africa
91
North America
22
South America
15
Oceania
4

Each period below opens a page holding those events in full — summary, era and citations. Every entry is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.

1 event · 1 nation

Deep prehistory

Every theme in deep prehistory →

  1. Deep prehistory

    The Cradle of Humankind · South Africa

All 1 events in deep prehistory →

1 event · 1 nation

The 8th millennium BCE

Every theme in the 8th millennium BCE →

  1. c. 7100 BCE

    The Neolithic town of Çatalhöyük · Türkiye

All 1 events in the 8th millennium BCE →

1 event · 1 nation

The 7th millennium BCE

Every theme in the 7th millennium BCE →

  1. c. 7000–4000 BCE

    The Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia · Cyprus

All 1 events in the 7th millennium BCE →

4 events · 3 nations

The 4th millennium BCE

Every theme in the 4th millennium BCE →

  1. c. 3500 BCE

    Naqada cultures flourish in Upper Egypt · Egypt

  2. c. 3500–2000 BCE

    The proto-urban settlement of Sarazm · Tajikistan

  3. c. 3200 BCE

    The kingdom of Elam and the city of Susa · Iran

  4. c. 3100 BCE

    Unification under Narmer (Menes) · Egypt

All 4 events in the 4th millennium BCE →

12 events · 12 nations

The 3rd millennium BCE

Every theme in the 3rd millennium BCE →

  1. c. 3000 BCE

    Byblos trades cedar with Egypt · Lebanon

  2. c. 3000 BCE

    Canaanite city-states of the Bronze Age · Palestine

  3. c. 3000-1800 BCE

    The Sacred City of Caral-Supe · Peru

  4. c. 2879 BCE (traditional)

    Legendary founding of Van Lang · Vietnam

  5. c. 2600 BCE

    Mature urban phase of the Indus cities · India

  6. c. 2600 BCE

    Mature phase of the Indus cities · Pakistan

  7. c. 2500–1500 BCE

    The Kerma culture · Sudan

  8. c. 2600–2240 BCE

    The kingdom of Ebla · Syria

All 12 events in the 3rd millennium BCE →4 more not shown here

10 events · 9 nations

The 2nd millennium BCE

Every theme in the 2nd millennium BCE →

  1. c. 2000–1450 BCE

    Rise of the Minoan palaces on Crete · Greece

  2. c. 2000 BCE

    Dilmun settlement on Failaka · Kuwait

  3. c. 1600 BCE

    Shang dynasty rules the Yellow River valley · China

  4. c. 1600 BCE

    Flourishing of Mycenaean civilization · Greece

  5. c. 1500 BCE

    Maya settlement of the lowlands · Belize

  6. c. 1500 BCE

    Rise of the Nok culture · Nigeria

  7. c. 1200 BCE

    Ammon, Moab and Edom emerge · Jordan

  8. c. 1200 BCE

    Olmec civilisation flourishes · Mexico

All 10 events in the 2nd millennium BCE →2 more not shown here

4 events · 4 nations

The 10th century BCE

Every theme in the 10th century BCE →

  1. c. 1000 BCE

    Copán settled · Honduras

  2. Pre-colonial era

    Society of the liurai · Timor-Leste

  3. c. 1000–500 BCE

    Sogdiana settled and under Achaemenid rule · Uzbekistan

  4. c. 10th century BCE

    Rise of the kingdom of D'mt · Ethiopia

All 4 events in the 10th century BCE →

2 events · 2 nations

The 9th century BCE

Every theme in the 9th century BCE →

  1. c. 900-300 BCE

    Tikal settled in the Peten · Guatemala

  2. c. 814 BCE

    Foundation of Carthage · Tunisia

All 2 events in the 9th century BCE →

4 events · 4 nations

The 8th century BCE

Every theme in the 8th century BCE →

  1. from c. 8th c. BCE

    Illyrian and Greek Butrint · Albania

  2. c. 8th century BCE

    The kingdom of Saba flourishes at Marib · Yemen

  3. 782 BCE

    Founding of Erebuni · Armenia

  4. 753 BCE (traditional)

    Legendary foundation of Rome · Italy

All 4 events in the 8th century BCE →

2 events · 1 nation

The 7th century BCE

Every theme in the 7th century BCE →

  1. later 7th century BCE

    Phoenicians found Leptis Magna · Libya

  2. 631 BCE

    Greeks found Cyrene · Libya

All 2 events in the 7th century BCE →

6 events · 5 nations

The 6th century BCE

Every theme in the 6th century BCE →

  1. c. 6th century BCE

    Rise of the Sao culture · Cameroon

  2. c. 600 BCE

    Foundation of Massalia (Marseille) · France

  3. c. 6th century BCE

    Kingdom of Colchis flourishes · Georgia

  4. c. 550 BCE

    Cyrus the Great founds the Achaemenid Empire · Iran

  5. 6th century BCE

    Pasargadae, the first Achaemenid capital, is founded in Fars · Iran

  6. c. 550–500 BCE

    Monoikos named by Hecataeus · Monaco

All 6 events in the 6th century BCE →

2 events · 2 nations

The 5th century BCE

Every theme in the 5th century BCE →

  1. c. 5th century BCE

    The kingdom of Lihyan rises at Dadan · Saudi Arabia

  2. c. 5th century BCE

    Sinhalese settlement and the founding of Anuradhapura · Sri Lanka

All 2 events in the 5th century BCE →

3 events · 3 nations

The 4th century BCE

Every theme in the 4th century BCE →

  1. 331 BCE

    Foundation of Alexandria · Greece

  2. c. 322 BCE

    Chandragupta Maurya founds the Maurya Empire · India

  3. 312 BCE

    The Nabataeans resist the Greeks at Petra · Jordan

All 3 events in the 4th century BCE →

9 events · 9 nations

The 3rd century BCE

Every theme in the 3rd century BCE →

  1. c. late 4th century BCE

    Kingdom of Iberia founded · Georgia

  2. c. 3rd century BCE

    Kingdom of Mauretania and Volubilis · Morocco

  3. c. 3rd century BCE

    Kingdom of Au Lac and Co Loa · Vietnam

  4. c. 256 BCE

    The Greco-Bactrian kingdom · Afghanistan

  5. 247 BCE

    The Parthian (Arsacid) Empire · Iran

  6. c. 247 BCE

    Rise of the Parthian Empire · Turkmenistan

  7. 221 BCE

    Qin unifies China; the First Emperor is proclaimed · China

  8. c. 209 BCE

    The Xiongnu confederation reaches its height · Mongolia

All 9 events in the 3rd century BCE →1 more not shown here

1 event · 1 nation

The 2nd century BCE

Every theme in the 2nd century BCE →

  1. c. 200 BCE

    Rise of the Pyu city-states · Myanmar

All 1 events in the 2nd century BCE →

3 events · 3 nations

The 1st century BCE

Every theme in the 1st century BCE →

  1. c. 1st century BCE

    The kingdom of Caucasian Albania · Azerbaijan

  2. 1st century BCE

    The Dacian kingdom · Romania

  3. c. 57 BCE - 1st century CE

    Emergence of the Three Kingdoms · South Korea

All 3 events in the 1st century BCE →

2 events · 2 nations

The 1st century

Every theme in the 1st century →

  1. Rise of Funan · Cambodia

  2. Dalmatia and Pannonia become Roman provinces · Croatia

All 2 events in the 1st century →

2 events · 2 nations

The 2nd century

Every theme in the 2nd century →

  1. Aksum emerges as a Red Sea trading empire · Eritrea

  2. Aksum emerges as a trading empire · Ethiopia

All 2 events in the 2nd century →

1 event · 1 nation

The 3rd century

Every theme in the 3rd century →

  1. Ardashir I founds the Sasanian Empire · Iran

All 1 events in the 3rd century →

4 events · 4 nations

The 4th century

Every theme in the 4th century →

  1. Rise of the Yamato state · Japan

  2. Foundation by Saint Marinus · San Marino

  3. Foundation of Constantinople · Greece

  4. Constantine refounds Constantinople · Türkiye

All 4 events in the 4th century →

1 event · 1 nation

The 5th century

Every theme in the 5th century →

  1. Rise of the Licchavi dynasty · Nepal

All 1 events in the 5th century →

1 event · 1 nation

The 6th century

Every theme in the 6th century →

  1. Tiwanaku reaches its apogee · Bolivia

All 1 events in the 6th century →

4 events · 4 nations

The 7th century

Every theme in the 7th century →

  1. Founding of Carantania · Slovenia

  2. Rise of the Srivijaya thalassocracy · Indonesia

  3. Rise of the Srivijaya thalassocracy · Malaysia

  4. Foundation of the First Bulgarian Empire · Bulgaria

All 4 events in the 7th century →

7 events · 7 nations

The 8th century

Every theme in the 8th century →

  1. Ghana Empire dominates the trade routes · Mauritania

  2. Traditional founding of Kathmandu · Nepal

  3. Gopala founds the Pala dynasty · Bangladesh

  4. The Donation of Pepin creates the Papal States · Vatican City

  5. Al-Mansur founds Baghdad · Iraq

  6. Idris I and the founding of the dynasty · Morocco

  7. The Charlemagne tradition and the Marca Hispanica · Andorra

All 7 events in the 8th century →

14 events · 14 nations

The 9th century

Every theme in the 9th century →

  1. Rise of the Muisca · Colombia

  2. Rise of the Kanem empire · Nigeria

  3. Jayavarman II founds the Khmer Empire · Cambodia

  4. Idris II founds Fez · Morocco

  5. The Samanid Empire centred on Bukhara · Tajikistan

  6. Founding of Great Moravia · Slovakia

  7. Founding of Dublin as a longphort · Ireland

  8. Treaty of Verdun · France

All 14 events in the 9th century →6 more not shown here

16 events · 13 nations

The 10th century

Every theme in the 10th century →

  1. The Laguna Copperplate Inscription · Philippines

  2. Rollo and the Viking grant of Normandy · France

  3. Goryeo dynasty founded · North Korea

  4. Wang Geon founds Goryeo · South Korea

  5. Tomislav recognised as king of the Croats · Croatia

  6. England unified under Athelstan · United Kingdom

  7. Founding of the Althing at Þingvellir · Iceland

  8. Reign of Gorm the Old at Jelling · Denmark

All 16 events in the 10th century →8 more not shown here

10 events · 10 nations

The 11th century

Every theme in the 11th century →

  1. The medieval Ghana Empire flourishes far to the northwest · Ghana

  2. Coronation of Stephen I · Hungary

  3. Refuge on a fortified mountain · San Marino

  4. Rise of Bunyoro-Kitara · Uganda

  5. Great Zimbabwe is built · Zimbabwe

  6. Bagrat III unites Georgia · Georgia

  7. Duklja wins independence from Byzantium · Montenegro

  8. Reign of Anawrahta · Myanmar

All 10 events in the 11th century →2 more not shown here

11 events · 11 nations

The 12th century

Every theme in the 12th century →

  1. Rise of Bono and the early Akan states · Ghana

  2. Shirazi dynasty founds Kilwa · Tanzania

  3. Roger II crowned King of Sicily · Italy

  4. Battle of Ourique · Portugal

  5. The town is walled · Luxembourg

  6. Stefan Nemanja founds the Nemanjić state · Serbia

  7. Revolt of Asen and Peter restores the state · Bulgaria

  8. Charter of Ban Kulin · Bosnia and Herzegovina

All 11 events in the 12th century →3 more not shown here

20 events · 17 nations

The 13th century

Every theme in the 13th century →

  1. Rise of Pipil Cuzcatlan · El Salvador

  2. Foundation of Riga by Bishop Albert · Latvia

  3. Temüjin proclaimed Chinggis Khan · Mongolia

  4. Genoa fortifies the Rock · Monaco

  5. The kingdom of Mapungubwe · South Africa

  6. Mali's reach extends to the Gambia · Gambia

  7. Foundation of the Mali Empire on the upper Niger · Guinea

  8. Mali's reach and the rise of Kaabu · Guinea-Bissau

All 20 events in the 13th century →12 more not shown here

21 events · 20 nations

The 14th century

Every theme in the 14th century →

  1. Flourishing of Benin and Oyo · Nigeria

  2. Vilnius founded by Gediminas · Lithuania

  3. Founding of Tenochtitlan · Mexico

  4. Basarab I founds Wallachia · Romania

  5. Iliyas Shah founds the Bengal Sultanate · Bangladesh

  6. The county of Vaduz takes shape · Liechtenstein

  7. Founding of the Principality of Moldavia · Moldova

  8. Rise of the Jolof Empire · Senegal

All 21 events in the 14th century →13 more not shown here

14 events · 13 nations

The 15th century

Every theme in the 15th century →

  1. Founding of Malacca by Paramesvara · Malaysia

  2. Clans coalesce into kingdoms · Rwanda

  3. Foundation of Buganda · Uganda

  4. Founding of the Sultanate of Aïr · Niger

  5. Foundation of the Mossi states · Burkina Faso

  6. Rise of the Mutapa state · Mozambique

  7. Founding of the Shilluk Kingdom · South Sudan

  8. Rise of the Mutapa empire · Zimbabwe

All 14 events in the 15th century →6 more not shown here

25 events · 22 nations

The 16th century

Every theme in the 16th century →

  1. Rise of Ndongo under the ngola · Angola

  2. Rise of the Kingdom of Allada · Benin

  3. Rise of the island sultanates · Comoros

  4. Funj Sultanate founded at Sennar · Sudan

  5. The khanate of Khiva is founded · Uzbekistan

  6. The Confederacy of thirteen cantons · Switzerland

  7. Barbarossa brothers seize Algiers · Algeria

  8. Founding of Havana · Cuba

All 25 events in the 16th century →17 more not shown here

13 events · 11 nations

The 17th century

Every theme in the 17th century →

  1. Founding of Porto-Novo · Benin

  2. Rise of the Lozi kingdom · Zambia

  3. Champlain founds Quebec · Canada

  4. Rise of the Sakalava kingdom · Madagascar

  5. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal arrives in Bhutan · Bhutan

  6. Foundation of Dahomey at Abomey · Benin

  7. Kuba kingdom unified by Shyaam · DR Congo

  8. Fasilides founds Gondar · Ethiopia

All 13 events in the 17th century →5 more not shown here

27 events · 24 nations

The 18th century

Every theme in the 18th century →

  1. Rise of the Geledi Sultanate · Somalia

  2. Founding of the Kazembe kingdom · Zambia

  3. Founding of the Asante Empire · Ghana

  4. Acts of Union create Great Britain · United Kingdom

  5. Seku Watara founds the Empire of Kong · Ivory Coast

  6. Ratsimilaho unites the Betsimisaraka · Madagascar

  7. Bitòn Coulibaly consolidates the Bambara kingdom of Segou · Mali

  8. Foundation of the Principality of Liechtenstein · Liechtenstein

All 27 events in the 18th century →19 more not shown here

4 events · 4 nations

The 1800s

Every theme in the 1800s →

  1. Union with Ireland forms the United Kingdom · United Kingdom

  2. Gia Long founds the Nguyen dynasty · Vietnam

  3. The Empire of Austria proclaimed · Austria

  4. Founding of the Sokoto Caliphate · Nigeria

All 4 events in the 1800s →

2 events · 2 nations

The 1810s

Every theme in the 1810s →

  1. Accession of Sobhuza I · Eswatini

  2. Kingdom of the Netherlands founded · Netherlands

All 2 events in the 1810s →

3 events · 3 nations

The 1820s

Every theme in the 1820s →

  1. Federal Republic of Central America · Guatemala

  2. Moshoeshoe occupies Thaba Bosiu · Lesotho

  3. Turki ibn Abdullah founds the Second Saudi State · Saudi Arabia

All 3 events in the 1820s →

4 events · 4 nations

The 1830s

Every theme in the 1830s →

  1. Republic of Ecuador founded · Ecuador

  2. Separation from Gran Colombia · Venezuela

  3. Leopold I, first King of the Belgians · Belgium

  4. Britain re-establishes control (founding of continuous administration) · Falkland Islands

All 4 events in the 1830s →

3 events · 3 nations

The 1840s

Every theme in the 1840s →

  1. Treaty of Waitangi signed · New Zealand

  2. El Salvador becomes sovereign · El Salvador

  3. Libreville founded for freed slaves · Gabon

All 3 events in the 1840s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 1850s

Every theme in the 1850s →

  1. Union of the Principalities · Romania

All 1 events in the 1850s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 1860s

Every theme in the 1860s →

  1. Confederation — the Dominion of Canada · Canada

All 1 events in the 1860s →

3 events · 3 nations

The 1870s

Every theme in the 1870s →

  1. Proclamation of the German Empire · Germany

  2. Samori proclaims the Wassoulou Empire · Guinea

  3. The League of Prizren · Kosovo

All 3 events in the 1870s →

5 events · 5 nations

The 1880s

Every theme in the 1880s →

  1. Founding of Brazzaville at Nkuna · Congo

  2. Unification with Eastern Rumelia · Bulgaria

  3. Founding of Addis Ababa · Ethiopia

  4. Founding of Djibouti city · Djibouti

  5. Tobago united with Trinidad · Trinidad and Tobago

All 5 events in the 1880s →

4 events · 4 nations

The 1900s

Every theme in the 1900s →

  1. Federation creates the Commonwealth of Australia · Australia

  2. Republic of Cuba proclaimed · Cuba

  3. The Kruševo Republic · North Macedonia

  4. Ugyen Wangchuck crowned first king · Bhutan

All 4 events in the 1900s →

9 events · 9 nations

The 1910s

Every theme in the 1910s →

  1. Union of South Africa · South Africa

  2. Republic of China founded; last emperor abdicates · China

  3. Ukrainian People's Republic proclaimed · Ukraine

  4. Foundation of Czechoslovakia · Czechia

  5. Union of Transylvania with Romania · Romania

  6. Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes proclaimed · Serbia

  7. Czechoslovakia and the Martin Declaration · Slovakia

  8. Birth of the Yugoslav kingdom · Slovenia

All 9 events in the 1910s →1 more not shown here

7 events · 6 nations

The 1920s

Every theme in the 1920s →

  1. Reunification of Northern Schleswig · Denmark

  2. Abdullah founds the Emirate of Transjordan · Jordan

  3. Northern Ireland's Parliament opens · United Kingdom

  4. Founding of the Soviet Union · Russia

  5. Mongolian People's Republic proclaimed · Mongolia

  6. Signing of the Lateran Treaty · Vatican City

  7. The State of Vatican City comes into being · Vatican City

All 7 events in the 1920s →

2 events · 2 nations

The 1930s

Every theme in the 1930s →

  1. Proclamation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia · Saudi Arabia

  2. A new Constitution claims the whole island · Ireland

All 2 events in the 1930s →

5 events · 5 nations

The 1940s

Every theme in the 1940s →

  1. Proclamation of a Macedonian state (ASNOM) · North Macedonia

  2. Founding of the DPRK · North Korea

  3. Republic of Korea proclaimed · South Korea

  4. People's Republic of China proclaimed · China

  5. ROC government relocates to Taiwan · Taiwan

All 5 events in the 1940s →

3 events · 3 nations

The 1950s

Every theme in the 1950s →

  1. Commonwealth established · Puerto Rico

  2. Republic of Egypt proclaimed · Egypt

  3. Fifth Republic founded · France

All 3 events in the 1950s →

5 events · 4 nations

The 1960s

Every theme in the 1960s →

  1. Union with the south forms the Somali Republic · Somaliland

  2. Reunification and federation · Cameroon

  3. Formation of the Federation of Malaysia · Malaysia

  4. Union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar · Tanzania

  5. The union is named Tanzania · Tanzania

All 5 events in the 1960s →

4 events · 3 nations

The 1970s

Every theme in the 1970s →

  1. The country is named Papua New Guinea · Papua New Guinea

  2. The United Arab Emirates is founded · United Arab Emirates

  3. Ras al-Khaimah joins the federation · United Arab Emirates

  4. Proclamation of the Islamic Republic · Iran

All 4 events in the 1970s →

4 events · 4 nations

The 1990s

Every theme in the 1990s →

  1. Unification of the Republic of Yemen · Yemen

  2. The Velvet Divorce and birth of the Czech Republic · Czechia

  3. Formal independence · Eritrea

  4. Nouméa Accord signed · New Caledonia

All 4 events in the 1990s →

2 events · 2 nations

The 2000s

Every theme in the 2000s →

  1. Restoration of independence · Timor-Leste

  2. Act on Greenland Self-Government in force · Greenland

All 2 events in the 2000s →

1 event · 1 nation

The 2010s

Every theme in the 2010s →

  1. Federal Government of Somalia established · Somalia

All 1 events in the 2010s →