Century
15th Century BCE
What happened in the 15th Century BCE.
TechnologyBenin Acquires Cannon Technology from Portugalc. 1500 CE · Benin City, NigeriaThe Kingdom of Benin integrates Portuguese cannon technology into its military arsenals.
PoliticsKingdom of Kongo Engages in Large-Scale Slave Tradec. 1500 CE · Mbanza Kongo, AngolaThe Kingdom of Kongo begins exporting significant numbers of captives to Portuguese traders in exchange for goods.
TechnologyCompletion of the Qhapaq Ñan Road Networkc. 1500 CE · Andes Mountains (Various), Peru/ChileThe Inca finalize the vast road system connecting their empire.
CivilizationArrival of Indo-Aryan Speakers in the Punjabc. 1500 BCE · Punjab Region (modern Pakistan/India)Indo-Aryan tribes migrate into the northwestern Indian subcontinent, introducing the Vedic Sanskrit language and horse culture.
ExplorationLapita Expansion into the Bismarck Archipelagoc. 1500 BCE · Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New GuineaLapita people migrate from Island Melanesia into the Bismarck Archipelago, establishing distinct pottery traditions.
TechnologyConstruction of Complex Pā Fortifications in New Zealandc. 1500 CE · Auckland Region, New ZealandMāori develop sophisticated multi-tiered defensive fortifications in response to inter-tribal warfare.
TechnologyPhoenician Production of Tyrian Purple Dyec. 1500 BCE · Tyre (Sur), LebanonPhoenician merchants develop a lucrative industry extracting purple dye from murex snails.
ReligionAskia Muhammad's Pilgrimage to Meccac. 1497 CE · Mecca (via Gao)Askia Muhammad undertakes a lavish pilgrimage to Mecca, strengthening ties with the Islamic world.
PoliticsAskia Muhammad Establishes Legal Reforms in Songhaic. 1493 CE · Gao, MaliAskia Muhammad I overthrows the Sunni dynasty and implements Islamic legal reforms across the Songhai Empire.
ReligionKing Nzinga a Nkuwu Baptized as João I of Kongo1491 CE · Mbanza Kongo, AngolaKing Nzinga a Nkuwu converts to Catholicism, initiating a complex fusion of Christian and traditional Kongo beliefs.
ReligionRededication of the Templo Mayor by Ahuitzotlc. 1487 CE · Tenochtitlan, Mexico City, MexicoSacrificial ceremonies attend the expansion of Tenochtitlan's main temple.
DisasterGreat Famine of Ethiopia under Emperor Dawit Ic. 1480 CE · Ethiopian HighlandsSevere drought and locust swarms devastate the Ethiopian highlands, causing widespread famine.
WarDai Viet Annexation of Champa1471 CE · Vijaya (Quang Ngai), VietnamLe Thanh Tong destroys the Champa capital, ending its independence and absorbing its territory.
WarSunni Ali Seizes Gao and Expands Songhai Empirec. 1464 CE · Gao, MaliSunni Ali launches military campaigns to conquer Gao and expand the Songhai Empire across West Africa.
ArtCreation of the Benin Bronzes under Oba Ewuarec. 1450 CE · Benin City, NigeriaOba Ewuare commissions the famous bronze and ivory plaques documenting court life and military victories.
ScienceSankore Madrasah Becomes a Center of Learning in Timbuktuc. 1450 CE · Timbuktu, MaliThe Sankore Madrasah emerges as a premier university for Islamic scholarship in West Africa.
PoliticsOba Ewuare Centralizes the Kingdom of Beninc. 1450 CE · Benin City, NigeriaOba Ewuare reorganizes the kingdom into a centralized state with a professional army and bureaucracy.
DisasterAbandonment of Great Zimbabwec. 1450 CE · Great Zimbabwe, ZimbabweEnvironmental degradation and shifting trade routes lead to the gradual abandonment of Great Zimbabwe.
CivilizationConstruction of Machu Picchu by Pachacutic. 1450 CE · Machu Picchu, PeruEmperor Pachacuti commissions the royal estate of Machu Picchu in the Andes.
ScienceSurvival of the Madrid Codex Amidst Destructionc. 1450 CE · Maya Region (Yucatán), MexicoThe Madrid Codex is created just before the Spanish destruction of Maya books.
ScienceAdoption of Linear B by Mycenaean Greeks in Cretec. 1450 BCE · Knossos, Crete (Greece)Mycenaean Greeks conquer Knossos and adapt Minoan script to write their own language.
DisasterDestruction of Minoan Palaces by Firec. 1450 BCE · Knossos, Crete (Greece)A massive fire destroys most Minoan palaces except Knossos, marking the end of their independence.
WarConquest of the Chanka by Pachacutic. 1438 CE · Cusco, PeruPachacuti defeats the Chanka invasion and transforms Cusco into an empire.
WarExpansion of the Solomonic Empire under Zara Yaqobc. 1434 CE · Lake Tana, EthiopiaEmperor Zara Yaqob launches military campaigns to consolidate the Solomonic dynasty and suppress heresy.
ExplorationEnd of Zheng He's Voyages and Ming Isolationism1433 CE · East Africa / China CoastThe Ming Dynasty halts the great naval expeditions and restricts maritime trade.
WarLam Son Uprising Begins Against Ming China1418 CE · Lam Son, Thanh Hoa, VietnamLe Loi launches a rebellion against Ming occupation, founding the Later Le Dynasty.