The 26th century BC was a

century A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. ...

that lasted from the year 2600 BC to 2501 BC.

Events

Crete

* c. 2600–2400 BC:

Early Minoan I The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age culture which was centered on the island of Crete. Known for its monumental architecture and Minoan art, energetic art, it is often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. The ruins of the Minoan pa ...

period in

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

Egypt

* c. 2551–2526 BC: Reign of

Khufu Khufu or Cheops (died 2566 BC) was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom period (26th century BC). Khufu succeeded his ...

, second pharaoh of the

Fourth Dynasty The Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty IV) is characterized as a "golden age" of the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Dynasty IV lasted from to c. 2498 BC. It was a time of peace and prosperity as well as one during which trade with othe ...

. The height of the

Old Kingdom In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning –2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth Dynast ...

under the reigns of Khufu,

Khafre Khafre or Chephren (died 2532 BC) was an ancient Egyptian monarch who was the fourth king of the Fourth Dynasty, during the earlier half of the Old Kingdom period (c. 2700–2200 BC). He was son of the king Khufu, and succeeded his broth ...

and

Menkaure Menkaure or Menkaura (; 2550 BC - 2503 BC) was a king of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. He is well known under his Hellenized names Mykerinos ( by Herodotus), in turn Latinized as Mycerinus, and Menkheres ( by Manetho). ...

. Khufu leads an expedition in Sinai and has the

Great Pyramid of Giza The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It served as the tomb of pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom. Built , over a period of about 26 years ...

built. During his reign, the solar cult of Ra prevails, as evidenced by the

Khufu ship The Khufu ship is an intact full-size solar barque from ancient Egypt. It was sealed into a pit alongside the Great Pyramid of pharaoh Khufu around 2500 BC, during the Fourth Dynasty of the ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom. Like other buried Anc ...

. His successor,

Djedefre Djedefre (also known as Djedefra and Radjedef; died 2558 BC) was an ancient Egyptian king (pharaoh) of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt, 4th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom. He is well known by the Hellenization, Hellenized form ...

, is the first pharaoh to refer to himself by the epithet "Son of Ra". The pharaoh's divine filiation asserts itself in the second part of the Fourth Dynasty: the

royal title Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to another ...

is definitively fixed with the appearance of a fifth royal name preceded by the title "Son of Ra". * c. 2520–2493 BC: Reign of Khafre. the

Pyramid of Khafre The pyramid of Khafre or of Chephren is the middle of the three Ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza, the second tallest and second largest of the group. It is the only pyramid out of the three that still has cladding at the top. It is the tomb of t ...

is built, along with the

Great Sphinx of Giza The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Facing east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The original sh ...

, a

monumental sculpture The term monumental sculpture is often used in art history and criticism, but not always consistently. It combines two concepts, one of function, and one of size, and may include an element of a third more subjective concept. It is often used fo ...

of a pharaoh (either Khafre or Khufu) with a lion's body. * Reigns of

and

Shepseskaf Shepseskaf (meaning "His Ka is noble") was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt, the sixth and probably last ruler of the fourth dynasty during the Old Kingdom period. He reigned most probably for four but possibly up to seven years in the late 26th ...

Mesopotamia

* c. 2600–2334 BC: Early Dynastic period III. Dominion of the First Dynasty of Ur. The

Royal Cemetery at Ur The Royal Cemetery at Ur is an archaeological site in modern-day Dhi Qar Governorate in southern Iraq. The initial excavations at Ur took place between 1922 and 1934 under the direction of Leonard Woolley in association with the British Museum and ...

is constructed. * c. 2600 BC: Reign of

Akalamdug Akalamdug (, A-KALAM-DUG; ) was an early ruler of the First Dynasty of Ur in the 26th century BCE. He does not appear in the ''Sumerian King List'', but is known from his tomb (Tomb 1332) and an inscription at the Royal Cemetery at Ur. He may ha ...

, king of Ur. * c. 2600–2500 BC: The

Instructions of Shuruppak __NOTOC__ The Instructions of Shuruppak (or, ''Instructions of Šuruppak son of Ubara-tutu'') are a significant example of Sumerian wisdom literature. Wisdom literature, intended to teach proper piety, inculcate virtue, and preserve community s ...

, the earliest known literary texts, are created in

Adab Adab or ADAB may refer to: ; Places * Adab (city), a city of ancient Sumer * Adab, Yemen, a village * Al Dhafra Air Base, a military installation of the United Arab Emirates Air Force near Abu Dhabi, UAE ; Literary and cultural use * Adab (Islam ...

Shuruppak Shuruppak ( , SU.KUR.RUki, "the healing place"), modern Tell Fara, was an ancient Sumerian city situated about 55 kilometres (35 mi) south of Nippur and 30 kilometers north of ancient Uruk on the banks of the Euphrates in Iraq's Al-Qādisiy ...

and

Abu Salabikh The archaeological site of Abu Salabikh (Tell Abū Ṣalābīkh), around northwest of the site of ancient Nippur and about 150 kilometers southeast of the modern city of Baghdad in Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq marks the site of a small Sume ...

. * 2570 BC: Reigns of Uhub, king of

Kish Kish may refer to: Businesses and organisations * KISH, a radio station in Guam * Kish Air, an Iranian airline * Korean International School in Hanoi, Vietnam People * Kish (surname), including a list of people with the name * Kish, a former ...

, and of

En-hegal En-hegal, also Enhengal ( Sumerian: , ; ), was possibly an ancient ruler of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash. Only one inscription mentioning him is known, the "Tablet of En-hegal", describing a business transaction. If indeed a king of Lagash, ...

, king of

Lagash Lagash (; cuneiform: LAGAŠKI; Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Lagaš'') was an ancient city-state located northwest of the junction of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers and east of Uruk, about east of the modern town of Al-Shatrah, Iraq. Lagash ( ...

. * 2560–2525 BC: Reign of

Mesannepada Mesannepada (, ES-AN-NE2-PAD3-DA, Mesh-Ane-pada or Mes-Anne-pada ("Youngling chosen by An"; died ) was the first king listed for the First Dynasty of Ur on the Sumerian king list. He is listed to have ruled for 80 years, having overthrown Lu ...

, king of Ur. The city, which had only 4,000 citizens at the time, would become a large capital during the 40 years of Mesannepada's reign. Its opulence was brought about by its commercial activity: Ur's southern river port concentrated Mesopotamian trade with clients along the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

shores. * 2550 BC: Reign of

Mesilim Mesilim (), also spelled Mesalim (), was '' lugal'' (king) of the Sumerian city-state of Kish. Though his name is missing from the ''Sumerian king list'', Mesilim is among the earliest historical figures recorded in archaeological documents. He re ...

, king of Kish. He was an apparent

suzerain A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy and economic relations of another subordinate party or polity, but allows i ...

over the Lagash king Luga-shag-engur and the Adab king

Nin-kisalsi Nin-kisalsi (; ) was a Sumerian ruler of the Mesopotamian city of Adab in the mid-3rd millennium BC. His name does not appear in the Sumerian King List, but he is known from one inscription bearing his name. The inscription, on a bowl fragment, ...

. A conflict between Lagash and the neighboring Umma begins over fields claimed by each of the parties. An initial crisis is settled by Mesilim in favor of Lagash. * 2540 BC: Mesannepada, who has already dominated the city of

Nippur Nippur (Sumerian language, Sumerian: ''Nibru'', often logogram, logographically recorded as , EN.LÍLKI, "Enlil City;"I. E. S. Edwards, C. J. Gadd, N. G. L. Hammond, ''The Cambridge Ancient History: Prolegomena & Prehistory'': Vol. 1, Part 1, Ca ...

, takes advantage of an eclipse of power in Kish (caused by an incursion by the

Elam Elam () was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of Iran, stretching from the lowlands of what is now Khuzestan and Ilam Province as well as a small part of modern-day southern Iraq. The modern name ''Elam'' stems fr ...

ites of

Awan Awan may refer to: * Awan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Awana, also known as Awan is a clan of Gujjars in South Asia * Awan (tribe), a social group of Pakistan * Awan dynasty, an Elamite dynasty of Iran * Awan languages, ...

) to seize the city. He becomes the ruler of all of Lower Mesopotamia as he becomes the king of Kish, and his name appears on a pearl in Mari. * 2525–2485 BC: Reign of

A'annepada A'annepada (; ) was a king of the First Dynasty of Ur. He was a son of Mesannepada. It is thought that his tomb may be tomb PG 580 in the Royal Cemetery at Ur. Votive tablets Several tablets are known that bear his name, in particular dedicated t ...

, king of Ur.

References

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