25th century BC facts for kids

The 25th century BC was a time long, long ago, from the year 2500 BCE to 2401 BCE. BCE means "Before the Common Era," which is like saying "Before Christ." This century was a period of big changes and amazing creations in ancient civilizations around the world. People built huge structures, invented new tools, and developed complex societies.

Amazing Events of the 25th Century BC

The ruined pyramid of Userkaf at Saqqara. He started the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt.

• Around 2900 BCE to 2334 BCE, there were many wars in Mesopotamia. This area is now mostly Iraq.
• About 2500 BCE, people in Malaysia started growing rice for the first time.
• In Sumer, which was also in Mesopotamia, schools for scribes (people who wrote) became very popular.
• A special cylinder seal from Sumer was made around 2500 BCE. It's now in a museum in New York City.
• The amazing underground temple called the Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni in Paola, Malta, was being dug out and used. It later became a burial place.
• The Valley Temple of Khafra was built in Giza, Egypt, around 2500 BCE.
• A famous statue of Khafre was made around 2500 BCE. He was a pharaoh from the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt. This statue is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
• Around 2500 BCE, people in Peru ate a lot of fish and mussels.
• The ancient city of Mohenjo-daro was very large, about 7 square miles. It had a population of 20,000 to 50,000 people.
• Around 2494 BCE, the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt ended, and the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt began. This was a time when many pyramids were built.
• From 2494 BCE to 2345 BCE, a relief (a type of carving) called "Sculptors at work" was made in Saqqara, Egypt. It shows artists busy creating.
• Also from 2494 BCE to 2345 BCE, the famous "Seated Scribe" statue was created. It's now in the Musée du Louvre in Paris.
• In 2492 BCE, the Armenian nation is said to have been founded by a legendary hero named Hayk.
• Around 2450 BCE, the Early Dynastic IIIa Period ended in Sumer, and the Early Dynastic IIIb Period began.
• Around 2450 BCE, the city of Kish was taken over by tribes from the Kurdistan mountains. Also, people from Elam (an ancient civilization) moved into parts of Sumer.
• By 2410 BCE, kings in Sumer stopped being the main high priests of their city's gods.
• Around 2400–2200 BCE, the famous stone circle of Stonehenge in England was being built.
• Huge stone structures called megaliths started to appear across Europe and the western Mediterranean.
• The Celts, an ancient group of people, began moving into Europe from the east.
• The first signs of the Battle Axe Culture appeared in the Caucasus region.
• People from the Mediterranean settled in southeastern Spain. They used pottery similar to that from ancient Egypt.
• The Amorites and Canaanites moved into Syria and Lebanon.

Important People of This Time

• 2492 BCE—Hayk is said to have founded the nation of Armenia.
• 2491 BCE—The mythical Chinese Emperor Zhuanxu lived around this time.
• 2490 BCE—Menkaura became a Pharaoh of Egypt.
• 2475 BCE—Shepseskaf became a Pharaoh of Egypt.
• 2465 BCE—The Fifth Dynasty of Egypt began, and Userkaf became Pharaoh.
• 2458 BCE—Sahure became Pharaoh.
• 2446 BCE—Neferirkare Kakai became Pharaoh.
• 2426 BCE—Shepseskare Isi became Pharaoh.
• c. 2425 BCE—Eannatum, a ruler from Lagash, died. His nephew, Entemena, took over. Entemena worked with Lugal-kinishe-dudu, who united the cities of Uruk and Ur.
• 2419 BCE—Neferefre became Pharaoh.
• 2416 BCE—Nyuserre Ini became Pharaoh.

New Ideas and Discoveries

• The Indus Valley civilization was at its strongest. It covered a huge area, about 480,000 square kilometers. Its main part was in the Indus River valley in Pakistan. But its settlements spread far and wide, including cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. These cities had amazing sewage systems, used bronze, and had early forms of trade tokens (like coins). They even had large public baths.
• Ancient Cycladic marble figures show that people used musical pipes and a type of lyre (a stringed instrument).
• The oldest ski ever found was left in a peat bog in Hoting, Sweden, around this time.
• The Sumerians used donkeys to pull their war chariots. This was a big step in warfare.
• At a place called Prieta Huaca, people grew cotton and bottle-gourds for farming.

See also

In Spanish: Siglo XXV a. C. para niños