35th century BCE

The 35th century BCE was the period from 3500 to 3401 BCE. It forms part of the late Chalcolithic era, the stage in which peoples used both copper and stone concurrently.

Dating for this period relies on archaeological science and radiocarbon analysis, not on written records from that time. Consequently, the dates cited are broad estimates that can vary by several decades among scholars.

Mesopotamia and the Uruk Period

In southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), this century falls within the later Uruk period. Uruk had become one of the world's largest settlements of the time. It contained monumental temples, a complex division of labor, and a central administration managing agricultural stores. The economy relied on the irrigation systems of the Tigris and Euphrates.

Writing and Counting

From this and the following century come accounting marks—such as impressions on clay and tally signs—used to record property. These later developed into cuneiform script. Writing's original purpose was not literature but accounting: tracking goods, receipts, and taxes.

Other Regions of the World

Lower and Upper Egypt were undergoing early cultural stages that would lead to the unification of the kingdom, though that occurred some centuries later. In northern Europe and East Asia, agricultural societies were spreading cereal crops and animal husbandry. In many non-literate regions, knowledge comes solely from archaeology.