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The Axial Age（Ancient Greek red-figure pottery）

AccelerationFour-dimensional view2,826 years ago

800 BCE

The Axial Age

Philosophy and science flourish in Greece, China, India and elsewhere, and geometry and law take shape, but power still comes from human, animal and water power.

Art style · Ancient Greek red-figure pottery

Origin of Life on EarthDinosaurs and MammalsAI Agents
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Civilization metrics

Each sparkline shows the documented history of a metric on a logarithmic time axis. The dot marks the selected moment.

Kardashev index

0.458

Based on primary energy power · Type I = 1

World population

128Mpeople

1/65 of today

Total human primary energy power

3.8×10¹⁰W

1/538 of today

Compute per dollar

—

No reliable data yet · data begins 1945

Fastest delivery time for a message from London to New York

—

No reliable data yet · data begins 1620

Fastest speed reached by humans

56km/h

1/718 of today

Near this moment

The eight closest milestones. Select a title to jump there.

  1. 1753 BCECulture

    A written Babylonian law code carved on a stone stele, around 1753 BC. Source

  2. 1200 BCEHumanity

    From around 1200 BC, ironworking spread and iron gradually replaced bronze. Source

  3. 1050 BCECulture

    A handful of letters could record speech sounds; it later gave rise to the Greek, Latin and other alphabets. Source

  4. 600 BCECulture

    Around 600 BC, electrum coins appeared in Lydia, while China was already casting bronze spade money. Source

  5. 300 BCECulture

    Euclid derived theorems from axioms, setting the model for deductive reasoning. Source

  6. 250 BCEEnergy

    Water-driven wheels appear in the writings of the Greek engineer Philo, around the 3rd century BC. Source

  7. 150 BCEComputing

    A geared device from the 2nd century BC that predicted celestial events; it is the oldest known analog computer. Source

  8. 105Culture

    In the Eastern Han, Cai Lun improved papermaking using tree bark, hemp scraps and rags, making writing material cheap. Source

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Scenes across eras

Each era illustrated in its own style.

Every timeline entry cites its source. Metrics interpolate logarithmically between sourced data points. Forecasts include institutional and community views, and attributed site scenarios; years are not guaranteed realization dates. Illustrations are AI-generated in each era's style.