18th century BC
The 18th century BC was the century that lasted from 1800 BC to 1701 BC.
Events
- 1800 BC: Beginning of the Nordic Bronze Age in the period system devised by Oscar Montelius.
- : Sedentary Mayan communities in Mesoamerica
- : Hyksos start to settle in the Nile Delta. They had the capital at Avaris in northeastern Nile Delta.
- 1800 BC: Adichanallur urn-burial site in Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. In 2004, a number of skeletons dating from around 3,800 years ago.
- 1800 BC: Beginning of the Indo-Aryan migration
- 1800 BC – 1700 BC: Decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation
- 1800 BC – 1300 BC: Troy VI flourishes.
- – 1750 BC: – Hammurabi rules Babylonia and has to deal with Mari, which he conquers late in his career.
- – 1750 BC: – Stela of Hammurabi, from Susa is made. It is now in Musée du Louvre, Paris.
- 1787 BC – 1784 BC: Amorite conquests of Uruk and Isin.
- 1786 BC: Egypt: Queen Sobekneferu dies. End of Twelfth Dynasty, start of Thirteenth Dynasty, start of Fourteenth Dynasty.
- 1779 BC: Zimrilim, the King of Mari, starts to rule.
- 1770 BC: Babylon, capital of Babylonia becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Thebes, capital of Egypt.
- 1766 BC: Shang conquest of the Xia dynasty. China.
- 1764 BC – 1750 BC: Wars of Hammurabi.
- 1757 BC: Mari sacked by Hammurabi. Zimrilim's palace is destroyed.
- 1757 BC: Zimrilim, the King of Mari, dies.
- 1750 BC: Hyksos occupation of Northern Egypt.
- 1750 BC: A colossal volcanic eruption at Mount Veniaminof, Alaska.
- : Vedic period starts in India.
- : Investiture of Zimrilim, facsimile of a wall painting on mud plaster from the Zimrilim palace at Mari, Court 106, is made. It is now in Musée du Louvre, Paris.
- : reigns of pharaoh Neferhotep I and his brother Sobekhotep IV, marking the apex of the Egyptian 13th Dynasty.
- 1749 BC – 1712 BC: Mesopotamian Rebellions.
- Early Unetice culture, beginning of the Bronze Age in Central Europe.
- Minoan civilization: phase II of the Middle period.
- : The last species of mammoth became extinct on Wrangel Island.
- : Indus Valley Civilization comes to an end but is continued by the Cemetery H culture
- : Minoan Old Palace period ends and Minoan Second Palace period starts in Crete.
- : Aegean metalworkers are producing decorative objects rivaling those of Ancient Near East jewelers, whose techniques they seem to borrow.
- : Lila-Ir-Tash started to rule the Elamite Empire.
- : Bronze Age starts in China.
- : Shang dynasty starts in China.
Deaths
Inventions, discoveries, introductions
- : Median date for the building of the Phaistos Disc. Its purpose and meaning, and even its original geographical place of manufacture remains unknown, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology.
Sovereign states