26th century BC

The 26th century BC was a century which lasted from the year 2600 BC to 2501 BC.

Events

c. 3700-1800 BC: [Chico civilization]. [Caral-Supe]] flourished between the fourth and second millennia BC, with the formation of the first city generally dated to around 3500 BC, at Huaricanga, in the Fortaleza area. It is from 3100 BC onward that large-scale human settlement and communal construction become clearly apparent, which lasted until a period of decline around 1800 BC.

c.3500 BC-3000 BC Huaricanga is the earliest city of the Norte Chico civilization, called Caral or Caral-Supe in Peru and Spanish language sources. "It existed around 3500 BC and was the oldest city in the Americas and one of the earliest cities in the world." It is located in the arid Fortaleza Valley on Peru’s north central coast and is 14 mi (23 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean. The site covers a total area of 100 hectares, and is the largest Late Archaic construction in the Norte Chico region. The three earthwork mounds on the large site are believed to be remains of pyramidal-shaped structures. Two standing stones, known as huancas, also survive. Excavation in 2007 revealed a structure believed to be a temple, of a design similar to, but predating, the Mito architectural tradition seen in the Peruvian highlands. In addition, later research in the Fortaleza and Pativilca valleys has found evidence of maize cultivation, as well as fourteen other domesticated species of fruits and vegetables. This suggests that agriculture may have been more important to the development of Caral-Supe civilization than previously thought, as it was for other independent civilizations of the world, such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, and India.

c. 2600–2334 BC: Early Dynastic period III. Dominion of the First Dynasty of Ur. The Royal Cemetery at Ur is constructed.^[2]
c. 2600 BC: Reign of Akalamdug, king of Ur.^[3]
c. 2600–2500 BC: The Instructions of Shuruppak, the earliest known literary texts, are created in Adab, Shuruppak and Abu Salabikh.^[4]
2570 BC: Reigns of Uhub, king of Kish, and of En-hegal, king of Lagash.^[3]
2560–2525 BC: Reign of Mesannepada, 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 shores.^[3]
2550 BC: Reign of Mesilim, king of Kish. He was an apparent suzerain over the Lagash king Luga-shag-engur and the Adab king Nin-kisalsi. 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.^[3]
2540 BC: Mesannepada, who has already dominated the city of Nippur, takes advantage of an eclipse of power in Kish (caused by an incursion by the Elamites of Awan) 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.^[3]
2525–2485 BC: Reign of A'annepada, king of Ur.^[3]

c. 2551–2526 BC: Reign of Khufu, second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. The height of the Old Kingdom under the reigns of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Khufu leads an expedition in Sinai and has the Great Pyramid of Giza built. During his reign, the solar cult of Ra prevails, as evidenced by the Khufu ship. His successor, Djedefre, 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 is definitively fixed with the appearance of a fifth royal name preceded by the title "Son of Ra".^[5]
c. 2520–2493 BC: Reign of Khafre. The Pyramid of Khafre is built, along with the Great Sphinx of Giza, a monumental sculpture of a pharaoh (either Khafre or Khufu) with a lion's body.^[5]

^ Mellersh, H. E. L. (1970). The Destruction of Knossos: The Rise and Fall of Minoan Crete. Barnes & Noble Inc. ISBN 978-1566191944.
^ Roux, Georges. La Mésopotamie. Essai d'histoire politique, économique et culturelle. Le Seuil. p. PT115. ISBN 9782021291636.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Roux, Georges (1995). La Mésopotamie. Le Seuil. p. 550. ISBN 9782020086325.
^ Crawford, Harriet (2013). The Sumerian World. Routledge. p. 298. ISBN 9781136219122.
^ ^a ^b Hawass, Zahi (2017). La fantastique histoire des bâtisseurs de pyramides. Éditions du Rocher. p. PT54. ISBN 9782268094588.

Millennium
3rd millennium BC
Centuries
27th century BC 26th century BC 25th century BC
Timelines
27th century BC 26th century BC 25th century BC
State leaders
27th century BC 26th century BC 25th century BC
Decades
2590s BC 2580s BC 2570s BC 2560s BC 2550s BC 2540s BC 2530s BC 2520s BC 2510s BC 2500s BC
Categories:
Births – Deaths Establishments – Disestablishments
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