This is a list of named time periods defined in verious fields of study.
This list is under construction: the eventual aim is for it to be a compendium of names of eras and epochs in all fields of study
To do:
- periods should have approximate dates added in the format (start - finish)
- lists should be in chronological order of the start of their period.
See periodization for a discussion of the tendency to try to fit history into non-overlapping periods.
See also List of timelines for a list of timelines in general.
Cosmological time periods
- The Big Bang
Geologic time periods
Dates are given as Millions of Years Ago (MYA).
| Precambrian Eon (4600-544 MYA) | Hadean Era (4600-3800 MYA) | |
| Archaen Era (3800-2500 MYA) | ||
| Proterozoic Era (2500-544 MYA) | ||
| Phanerozoic Eon (544 MYA - now) | Paleozoic Era (544-245 MYA) | Cambrian Period (544-505 MYA) |
| Ordovician Period (505-440 MYA) | ||
| Silurian Period (440-410 MYA) | ||
| Devonian Period (410-360 MYA) | ||
| Mississippian Period (360-325 MYA) | ||
| Pennsylvanian Period (325-286 MYA) | ||
| Permian Period (286-248 MYA) | ||
| Mesozoic Era (245-65 MYA) | ||
| Cenozoic Era (65 MYA - now) |
The Missipissipian Period and the Pennsylvanian Perioid together are also known as the Carboniferous Period.
Human time periods
Human prehistory:
- the stone age
- the bronze age
- the iron age
Calendar systems:
History: (with no particular order at the moment)
- Meiji era
- Elizabethan period
- Victorian era
- Sengoku period
- Nara period
- Period of the Three Kingdoms
- Post-communist period
- Period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
- The Renaissance
- Middle ages
- Gothic
- Baroque
- Pax Romana
Music: (with no particular order at the moment)