12th century BC

Century

Millennium
2nd millennium BC
Centuries
13th century BC 12th century BC 11th century BC
Timelines
13th century BC 12th century BC 11th century BC
State leaders
13th century BC 12th century BC 11th century BC
Decades
1190s BC 1180s BC 1170s BC 1160s BC 1150s BC 1140s BC 1130s BC 1120s BC 1110s BC 1100s BC
Categories:
Births – Deaths Establishments – Disestablishments
v t e

The 12th century BC is the period from 1200 to 1101 BC. The Late Bronze Age collapse in the ancient Near East and eastern Mediterranean is often considered to begin in this century.^[1]

Events

1200 BC: the first civilization in Central and North America develops in about 1200 BC in the coastal regions of the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico. Known as the Olmec civilization, its early site is at San Lorenzo.
1200 BC: the Phoenicians found the port of Lisbon, Portugal
1197 BC: the beginning of the first period (1197 BC–982 BC) by Shao Yong's concept of the I Ching and history.
c. 1194 BC: the beginning of the legendary Trojan War.
1192 BC: Wu Ding, King of the Shang dynasty, dies.
1191 BC: Menestheus, legendary King of Athens, dies during the Trojan War after a reign of 23 years and is succeeded by his nephew Demophon, a son of Theseus. Other accounts place his death a decade later and shortly after the Trojan War (see 1180s BC).
1186 BC: end of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, start of the Twentieth Dynasty.
April 24, 1184 BC: traditional date for the fall of Troy, Asia Minor to the Mycenaeans and their allies. This marks the end of the Trojan War of Greek mythology.
1181 BC: Menestheus, legendary King of Athens and veteran of the Trojan War, dies after a reign of 23 years and is succeeded by his nephew Demophon, a son of Theseus. Other accounts place his death a decade earlier and during the Trojan War (see 1190s BC).
1180 BC: the last Kassite King, Anllil-nadin-akhe, is defeated by the Elamites.
1180 BC: collapse of Hittite power in Anatolia with the destruction of their capital Hattusa.
c. 1177 BC: Ramesses III of Egypt repels attacks by northern invaders (the "Sea-Peoples") in the 8th year of his reign (1177 or 1186 BC); an event which Eric Cline closely relates to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age collapse.^[2]
April 16, 1178 BC: a solar eclipse may mark the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom after the Trojan War.^[3] He discovers a number of suitors competing to marry his wife Penelope, whom they believe to be a widow, in order to succeed him on the throne. He organizes their slaying and re-establishes himself on the throne.
1160 BC: death of Pharaoh Ramesses V, from smallpox.
1159 BC: the Hekla 3 eruption triggers an 18-year period of climatic cooling.
1154 BC: death of exiled Queen Helen of Sparta at Rhodes (estimated date).
c. 1150 BC: end of Egyptian rule in Canaan, with Ramesses VI the last Pharaoh acknowledged.
c. 1150 BC: Demophon, legendary King of Athens and veteran of the Trojan War, dies after a reign of 33 years and is succeeded by his son Oxyntes.^[4]
1137 BC: Ramesses VII begins his reign as the sixth ruler of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt.
c. 1138 BC: Oxyntes, legendary King of Athens, dies after a reign of 12 years and is succeeded by his elder son Apheidas.
c. 1137 BC: Apheidas, legendary King of Athens, is assassinated and succeeded by his younger brother Thymoetes after a reign of 1 year.
c. 1128 BC: Thymoetes, legendary King of Athens, dies childless after a reign of 8 years. He is succeeded by his designated heir Melanthus of Pylos, a fifth-generation descendant of Neleus who had reportedly assisted him in battle against the Boeotians.
1122 BC: legendary founding date of the city of Pyongyang.
c. 1120 BC: Troy VIIb₁ is destroyed.
1115 BC: Tiglath-Pileser I becomes King of Assyria.
1107 BC: Pharaoh Ramesses X of Egypt dies and is succeeded by Ramesses XI, probably his son, as 10th and final pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt and last ruler of the New Kingdom of Egypt.
c. 1104 BC: Cádiz (Gadir) founded by Phoenicians in southwestern Spain.
1100 BC: Tiglath-Pileser I of Assyria conquers the Hittites.
c. 1100 BC: the Dorians supposedly invade Greece.
c. 1100 BC: beginning of the proto-Villanovan culture in northern Italy.
c. 1100 BC: Mycenaean civilization ends. Start of Greek Dark Ages.
Elamite invaders loot art treasures from Mesopotamia and carry them into Susa.
Approximate date: Fang ding, from Tomb 1004, Houjiazhuang, Anyang, Henan (Shang dynasty) is made.^[5]

Inventions, discoveries, introductions

1100s BC—Alphabet, developed by the Phoenicians

Sovereign states

See: List of sovereign states in the 12th century BC

References

^ Bungart, Victoria. "Timeline: 12th Century". Oxford Reference. HistoryWorld. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
^ Cline, Eric. 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed [video], 2016, 1h10'17. See 5'41 for the invasion of the Sea People in the 8th yr of Ramses III's reign; 6'19 for the incertitude on the dates; 4'30 for the start of the Late Bronze Age collapse "on either side of 1200 BC".
^ Espenak, Fred. "Eclipse Predictions". eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
^ Harding, Phillip (2006). The story of Athens. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-30447-9. OCLC 1100435996.
^ It is now kept at Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.

Decades and years

12th century BC
14th century BC ← 13th century BC ← ↔ → 11th century BC → 10th century BC

1200s BC	1209 BC	1208 BC	1207 BC	1206 BC	1205 BC	1204 BC	1203 BC	1202 BC	1201 BC	1200 BC
1190s BC	1199 BC	1198 BC	1197 BC	1196 BC	1195 BC	1194 BC	1193 BC	1192 BC	1191 BC	1190 BC
1180s BC	1189 BC	1188 BC	1187 BC	1186 BC	1185 BC	1184 BC	1183 BC	1182 BC	1181 BC	1180 BC
1170s BC	1179 BC	1178 BC	1177 BC	1176 BC	1175 BC	1174 BC	1173 BC	1172 BC	1171 BC	1170 BC
1160s BC	1169 BC	1168 BC	1167 BC	1166 BC	1165 BC	1164 BC	1163 BC	1162 BC	1161 BC	1160 BC
1150s BC	1159 BC	1158 BC	1157 BC	1156 BC	1155 BC	1154 BC	1153 BC	1152 BC	1151 BC	1150 BC
1140s BC	1149 BC	1148 BC	1147 BC	1146 BC	1145 BC	1144 BC	1143 BC	1142 BC	1141 BC	1140 BC
1130s BC	1139 BC	1138 BC	1137 BC	1136 BC	1135 BC	1134 BC	1133 BC	1132 BC	1131 BC	1130 BC
1120s BC	1129 BC	1128 BC	1127 BC	1126 BC	1125 BC	1124 BC	1123 BC	1122 BC	1121 BC	1120 BC
1110s BC	1119 BC	1118 BC	1117 BC	1116 BC	1115 BC	1114 BC	1113 BC	1112 BC	1111 BC	1110 BC
1100s BC	1109 BC	1108 BC	1107 BC	1106 BC	1105 BC	1104 BC	1103 BC	1102 BC	1101 BC	1100 BC
1090s BC	1099 BC	1098 BC	1097 BC	1096 BC	1095 BC	1094 BC	1093 BC	1092 BC	1091 BC	1090 BC

Centuries and millennia

Millennium	Century
BC (BCE)
4th	40th	39th	38th	37th	36th	35th	34th	33rd	32nd	31st
3rd	30th	29th	28th	27th	26th	25th	24th	23rd	22nd	21st
2nd	20th	19th	18th	17th	16th	15th	14th	13th	12th	11th
1st	10th	9th	8th	7th	6th	5th	4th	3rd	2nd	1st
AD (CE)
1st	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th
2nd	11th	12th	13th	14th	15th	16th	17th	18th	19th	20th
3rd	21st	22nd	23rd	24th	25th	26th	27th	28th	29th	30th