5th millennium BC facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The 5th millennium BC was a long period of time, from 5000 BC to 4001 BC. It's impossible to know the exact dates for everything that happened back then. Most dates are educated guesses based on studying old rocks and human remains. During this time, people around the world continued to develop new ways of living, farming, and trading.

A map showing the world around 5000 BC.

Communities Around the World
Calendars and Timekeeping
See also

Communities Around the World

The number of people living on Earth had grown a lot in the millennium before this one, thanks to the Neolithic Revolution (when people started farming). It's thought that about 40 million people lived worldwide by 5000 BC.

Life in Europe

The Cucuteni–Trypillia culture started around 4800 BC. These people lived in what is now Moldova and nearby areas. They were known for their unique pottery and large villages.
From about 4500 BC, people in Europe might have spoken a single language called Proto-Indo-European. This language is believed to be the ancestor of many modern languages, but we don't have any written records of it.
The Vinča culture (5700-4200 BC) continued to thrive. They had early forms of writing, possibly for keeping records of trade or stars. They were also the first to smelt copper in the Old World.
People continued to make Venus figurines, which were small statues of women. These were popular art pieces from the earlier farming revolution.
The Dimini culture appeared around 4800 BC in Greece. They expanded their territory and eventually took over the Sesklo culture.
Large stone structures called megaliths continued to be built across Western Europe. These huge constructions, like those at Locmariaquer megaliths in France, showed that powerful leaders could organize many people to work together.
There was a lot of trade across Europe. Goods traveled from areas near the Danube River and the Caucasus mountains to the Indo-European steppe cultures.
The Varna culture (4600-4200 BC) in modern-day Bulgaria was very rich. They had impressive gold treasures, which suggest they had kings or powerful leaders.
The Hamangia culture (until 4550 BC) had strong connections with people in Anatolia (modern Turkey). This suggests people were traveling and settling in new places, possibly by sea across the Black Sea.
Trade networks were well-established across the Mediterranean Sea. People traded goods from Italy to Portugal and North Africa.
Around 4100 BC, many people migrated to Britain. They cleared large areas of forest to make space for farming.
The first major Indo-European migration happened around 4000 BC. These groups moved southwards, eventually reaching Anatolia.
People in Europe continued to develop their understanding of astronomy and mathematics. Stone circles, like the Carnac stones in France, were built, possibly for tracking the sun and stars.

Mesopotamia: Land Between Rivers

The Ubaid culture continued to expand in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). They built large settlements with communal areas and showed signs of different social classes.
Trade routes for materials like obsidian, silver, and copper became stronger, connecting Anatolia, Iran, the Caucasus, and Southern Iraq.
The Ubaid period saw the invention of the potter's wheel around 4500 BC, which made pottery production much faster.
People developed advanced irrigation systems, especially around 4700-4600 BC, to grow crops in dry areas.
Eridu was a major city during the first half of the 5th millennium BC. It was a powerful center, and later stories said the first kings of Sumer lived there.
Tell Brak was another very large and powerful city, covering about 55 hectares by the late 5th millennium BC. It had monumental buildings, showing the power of its leaders.
Uruk was founded around 5000 BC and quickly grew in importance. By 4500 BC, it was a dominant city, and people started building its famous Eanna district.
The city of Susa in modern Iran began to grow around 4395 BC, influenced by the Ubaid culture. It became a major urban center with monumental buildings.

Other Middle Eastern Regions

In modern Turkey, strong communities developed that traded copper across vast distances. Important sites include Mersin, which had a standing army around 4300 BC, and Hamoukar, a major center for obsidian trade.
In the Levant (modern Israel, Jordan, etc.), the Ghassulian culture thrived. They were skilled in copper metalwork and traded with Egypt and possibly Crete.
New people arrived in Cyprus around 4500 BC, bringing a new Neolithic era to the island.
Trade connected Europe and Asia more directly than ever before. Obsidian from Anatolia was found in Israel, showing how far goods traveled.
In the Caucasus region, the Leyla-Tepe culture (c. 4300 - 4000BC) was economically powerful and pioneered copper metalwork and trade.
The Ubaid culture also expanded into Arabia, with their pottery found at sites in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Central Asia: North and South

In Pakistan and northwest India, farming cultures continued to grow, leading to more cities and social classes.
The Jeitun culture in Turkmenistan and Afghanistan existed for over 2000 years, until 4600 BC. They grew crops that needed irrigation as the climate became drier.
The Mehrgarh culture in modern Pakistan was a huge trade center connecting East, South, and West Asia. They were pioneers in metalwork, leather tanning, bead making, and using the potter's wheel.
Nomadic groups in Central Asia herded sheep, goats, horses, and camels. They lived in yurts, which are portable tents made of hides and wood.
Ancestors of the Afanasevo culture lived in modern Xinjiang, China. They were connected to Indo-European cultures from the Eurasian Steppe.
Tibetan cultures and settlements were found in river valleys, with evidence of pottery and stone tools.
By 4000 BC, Tibeto-Burmese cultures had reached Nepal, possibly from Tibet or Myanmar.
Ancient people in India, known as Dravidians, lived in the area before other groups arrived. They had a rich history that predates the Bronze Age.
In North Asia, cultures continued to use stone tools and pottery. Early Uralic groups migrated into North Asia from Eurasia in the mid-5th millennium BC.
Some of the earliest megaliths (large stone structures) in South Asia date back to 5000 BC in southern India. These cultures had metalwork and trade.

China: Early Civilizations

Chinese civilization advanced with the start of three important cultures around 5000 BC.
The Yangshao culture was located in the Huang He (Yellow River) basin. They were known for their painted pottery and for domesticating pigs. They also grew millet. A key settlement was Banpo, established around 4700 BC.
Around 5000 BC, the Hemudu culture in eastern China began cultivating rice.
The Majiabang culture was established near modern Shanghai, lasting until about 3300 BC.

Oceania: Islands and Seas

The powerful chiefdoms of the Proto-Papuan people in New Guinea continued to develop their farming systems, including ancient irrigation. They had been farming sugarcane since 6000 BC.
Hunter-gatherers still lived in most parts of Indonesia. Trade continued between Australia and Indonesia across the Torres Strait.
Melanesian people thrived in Melanesia. They were skilled seafarers and traders, connecting different islands and regions.
The ancestors of Polynesians arrived in Papua New Guinea at least 6,000 to 8,000 years ago, marking an early phase of island settlement.
The first wave of Austronesian migrants, originally from Taiwan, arrived in Melanesia around 4000 BC. They settled along the coast of New Guinea and nearby islands, interacting with the local Papuan-speaking people.

Australia: Ancient Land

Distinctive Aboriginal rock carvings near Sydney are thought to have been created between 5000 BC and 3000 BC.
Sea levels became stable around Australia's coastlines by 4500 BC, after thousands of years of rising water from melting glaciers. Aboriginal oral histories remembered these dramatic changes.
People developed new stone tools and ways to process plants. Elaborate fish and eel traps, some up to three kilometers long, were used in western Victoria from about 6,500 years ago.
Semi-permanent villages with wooden huts appeared, showing a more systematic use of food sources in wetlands.
The Furneaux Group of islands off Tasmania was inhabited for a long time, but Aboriginal Tasmanians stopped living there permanently around 4000 BC.
Rock art in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, shows battle scenes and animals, with some depictions dating back to 4000 BC.
Stone points for spears and spear throwers called 'Woomeras' became widely used around Australia.

Africa: From Sahara to Nile

In North Africa, the Pastoral Neolithic began, with people herding animals in the Green Sahara. As the Sahara became drier after 4000 BC, herders moved towards the Nile Valley.
The earliest known permanent settlement in Egypt was near the Nile Delta, dating to about 4750 BC.
Merimde culture flourished in Lower Egypt (5000-4200 BC).
In Upper Egypt, people started living in permanent settlements around 5000 BC. Migrations from the drying Sahara brought farming to the Nile Valley.
Ancient Egyptians of this time created geometric designs and developed their understanding of mathematics and astronomy. Stone circles were built and aligned with the summer solstice and bright stars like Sirius. This shows they were deeply interested in the sky and its connection to their lives.
The Tasian culture and Badarian culture thrived, trading goods like cedar from Syria and gold from Nubia.
The El Omari culture and Amratian culture formed around 4000 BC. The Amratian culture expanded its influence across Upper and Middle Egypt.
In the Maghreb (Northwest Africa), people fully transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming by 5000 BC.
Cattle herding continued in the Sahara, with some Eurasian groups migrating into the region.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, large stone monuments (tumuli) were built as early as 4700 BC in Niger, showing complex religious beliefs.
Pottery with distinctive "dotted wavy line" patterns was traded across North and Eastern Africa.
In West Africa, agriculture was introduced and advanced. Complex pastoral societies emerged, possibly with a priest class.
The Niger–Congo languages began to spread with long-distance trade and large chiefdoms, especially as the Sahara became a desert around 3500 BC.
Hunter-gatherers who created the Round Head rock art adopted cattle herding from incoming groups.
In Southern Africa, rock art was created by Khoisan hunter-gatherers.
Around 4500 BC, the Proto-Bantu chiefdoms in Cameroon began to expand eastward, showing complex social structures and political growth.

North America: Early Cultures

Around 4130 BC, Toggling harpoons were invented in eastern Siberia. These tools for hunting whales spread to North America and were used by the Inuit.
The Dene-Yeniseian languages split into groups in North America and Siberia, suggesting ancient migrations across the Bering Strait.
In the Southeastern Woodlands, people started using wetland resources, creating large shell mounds.
The Old Copper culture thrived in Wisconsin, making copper tools, ornaments, and utensils that were traded across the Great Plains.
The Shield Archaic tradition began around 4500 BC.
Around 5000 BC, melting glaciers affected the Southwest, leading to soil erosion. People adapted by living in tribes and chiefdoms, with some settlements and storehouses.
Shell ornaments and copper items found in Kentucky show a wide-ranging trade system across North America.
Astronomical and religious practices continued to develop, such as the origins of the Green Corn Ceremony, which was linked to the yearly maize harvest.
The Tehuacán culture (5000-2300 BC) lived in the Tehuacán valley in Mexico. Their language family, Proto-Otomanguean, is one of the oldest in the Americas.
Mesoamerican cultures advanced their maize cultivation. They had social classes, workshops, stone settlements, and traded obsidian.

The Caribbean: Island Life

Trinidad continued to be settled by the Ortoiroid culture, being the first part of the Caribbean to be inhabited before 3500 BC.
Some of the earliest known villages appeared along the coasts, where abundant sea resources supported year-round settlements. Shell mounds are visible in these areas, showing where people collected and processed seafood.

South America: Farming and Empires

By 4000 BC, people on the Colombian Caribbean coast began to live in permanent settlements.
The advanced Mexican farming cultures brought maize (corn) to South America. The Muisca people, starting around 5000 BC in Colombia, developed intensive maize production and permanent settlements.
The Tairona people in Colombia also shifted to long-term settlements and farming, which gave them advantages over other groups.
The Amazon rainforest, often seen as a wild place, had been shaped by humans for at least 11,000 years through practices like forest gardening and building trade routes.
Ancient sites in Peru, like Huaca Prieta, were major trading hubs. Maize was farmed here as early as 4700 BC, showing extensive trade networks.
Peruvians continued to domesticate llamas and alpacas since at least 6000 BC. These animals were important for transporting goods and providing fertilizer, boosting economic growth.
Evidence of social classes and labor forces is seen in Peru's Zaña Valley, where canals were built from 4700 BC to bring water from the Andes for farming.
The earliest known use of cotton worldwide was discovered at Huaca Prieta, with 6000-year-old dyed cotton fabric. Indigo dye was used for special clothes, showing different social classes.
The Las Vegas culture in Ecuador, known for its settlements and maize production, experienced a sudden collapse around 4600 BC.
The Neolithic period ended in Argentina around 4000 BC due to a long dry period.

Calendars and Timekeeping

The 5th millennium BC is a starting point for some ancient calendars.

The Assyrian calendar traditionally begins in 4750 BC, though the city of Assur was founded much later.
The supposed beginning of the Egyptian calendar was calculated to be 19 July 4241 BC. This calendar was likely based on the first appearance of the star Sirius at dawn.
The Ussher chronology, based on the Bible, suggests the Earth was created on 22 or 23 October 4004 BC.
Monday, 1 January 4713 BC, marks the start of the current Julian Period, a system used by historians to convert dates between different calendars.