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7500 BC
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First Stone age settlements at Çatalhüyük
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1900-1300 BC
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Hittite Empire with Hattusas as capital, contemporary with ancient Egypt and Babylon
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1250 BC
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The Trojan war and the fall of Troy
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1200-700 BC
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Migration of Greeks to Aegean coastal regions. Establishment of the Phrygian, Ionian, Lycian, Lydian, Carian and Pamphylian Kingdoms. The East of Turkey is the home of the Urartians
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700 BC
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Homer is born in Izmir (Smyrna). Aegean Hellenism begins
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546 BC
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Cyrus the Great leads the Persians into Anatolia
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334 BC
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Alexander the Great drives out the Persians
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130 BC
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The Romans incorporate Anatolia as the province of Asia, controlled from Ephesus (Efes)
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40 BC
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Antioch sees the marriage of Antony and Cleopatra
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47-57 AD
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St. Paul spreads Christianity and a community at Antioch is established
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313
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Roman Empire adopts Christianity
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330
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Constantine lays out the boundaries of his new capital, Constantinople
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527-65
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Glory of Byzantium under Justinian
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638-718
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Muslim Arabs besiege Constantinople
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1054
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Greek and Roman Churches split over theology
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1071-1243
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Rise and rule of the Selcuk Turks in Anatolia, Konya is their capital
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1096-1204
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The Crusades, marking the beginning of the end for Byzantium, a fascinating period in Byzantine history
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1288
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Ottoman Empire appears in Bursa
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1453
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The fall of Constantinople - the birth of Istanbul
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1520-66
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Suleyman the Magnificent sits on the Ottoman throne controlling a huge and powerful empire
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1682-1725
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Peter the Great initiates Russo-Turkish rivalry
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1854
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Crimean war
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1909
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Abdul Hamid, the last of an unbroken line of Ottoman sultans is deposed
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1914
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Turkey allies with Germany in the first world war
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1915
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Gallipoli
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1919
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Ataturk leads resistance to the allied plan to carve up Turkey
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1923
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Foundation of the modern Republic of Turkey by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Many things happen all at once
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1938
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Ataturk dies in Istanbul's Dolmabahce palace
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1939-45
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Turkey manages to remain neutral during the second world war
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1946
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Charter membership of the UN
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1952
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Turkey joins NATO
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1960
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Military coup, successive governments ineffective
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1964
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Associate member status of EU
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1974
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Cyprus crisis
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1980
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Kanan Evren leads military coup. 3 years of military government
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1983
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Turgut Ozal elected prime Minister
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1985-90
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Full EU membership for Turkey impeded by Cypriot issue and questions over human rights record
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1991-93
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Suleyman Demirel elected Prime Minister, inflation at 70%
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1993-96
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Demirel President, Tansu Ciller Prime Minister, Turkey joins EU Customs Union
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1997-98
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5 attempts at forming coalition governments, Islamic Welfare party disbanded, reforms as Virtue and is the largest single party in parliament. Military intervenes to prevent Islamicists forming governments. 75th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic (and 15th of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) celebrated.
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