-331 BC: Alexander the Great conquers the Near East and introduces a Hellenic culture to
the area. On the death of Alexander in 323 BC, the Greek Empire is divided between his
two generals, Ptolemy and Seleucos. Whereas Syria is given to Seleucos, Jordan, Palestine
and Egypt are given to Ptolemy.
-400 BC - 140 AD: The independent southern kingdom of the Nabatans flourishes. Their marvellous capital of Petra is Jordan's most popular tourist attraction.
-63 - 324 AD: Jordan belongs to the Roman Empire. The Greek-Roman cities of Jerash: Philadelphia (Amman), Umm Qais and Pella are four cities of the commercially important Decapolis, a league of ten cities established to facilitate the trade and commerce of the area.
-324 - 632 AD: During the Byzantine period, the inhabitants of Jordan farm and provision travelers on the caravan routes linking countries as far as China and India with Syria, Egypt, and the Mediterranean.
-630 AD: Beginning of the Islamic period. The Omayyad and Abbasid dynasties of Damascus and Bagdad respectively rule the area for two-and-a-half centuries.
-1099 AD: The Crusaders establish themselves in Jerusalem and build two large castles in Jordan to protect their conquests.
-1187 AD: Salah Ed-Din (Saladin) defeats the Crusaders at Kerak, a prelude to their full withdrawal from the Near East.
-15th century: Following a 300 years rule by the Mamelukes, Jordan becomes a part of the Ottoman Empire under which it remains till the beginning of the 20th century.
-1915 - 1918 AD: The famous Arab revolt.
-1921 AD: The beginning of the modern history of Jordan begins when Emir Abdullah, second son of Sherif -Hussein of the Hejaz, establishes the Emirate of Trans-Jordan. It was a self-governing territory under the British mandate.
-1946 AD: On the 25th of this year, Emir Abdullah was proclaimed King of the now independent Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In 1950, the formal union of Jordan and the West Bank was declared.
-1952 AD: On the 11th of August, Hussein Ibn Talal, Abdullah's 17 years old grandson, became king. The young monarch formally ascended the throne in 1953.