Add BCE temporal tags to all documents; add temporal-dating steering doc

.kiro/steering/temporal-dating.md

@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+---
+inclusion: always
+---
+
+# Temporal Dating Conventions for Ancient History
+
+## BCE Tag Syntax
+
+Factbase supports BCE dates in temporal tags. Always use them — never leave BCE dates untagged.
+
+Supported formats:
+- `@t[=331 BCE]` — exact event (Battle of Gaugamela)
+- `@t[~280 BCE]` — approximate/state (Pharos Lighthouse built)
+- `@t[305 BCE..30 BCE]` — date range (Ptolemaic Egypt)
+- `@t[..612 BCE]` — ended at date (fall of Nineveh)
+- `@t[911 BCE..]` — started, ongoing from that point
+
+Use `~` prefix for approximate dates common in ancient history. Most pre-classical dates are approximate.
+
+## Dates as Source Validation
+
+In ancient history, dates ARE the scholarship. A date like "~2334 BCE" for Sargon of Akkad encodes decades of archaeological and textual debate. Temporal tags serve double duty:
+
+1. **Factbase temporal tracking** — enabling `as_of` and `during` queries
+2. **Source accountability** — every tagged date must have a footnote citing who established that chronology
+
+When answering temporal review questions, always:
+- Add the `@t[...]` tag with BCE syntax
+- Confirm the source footnote covers the dating (not just the event)
+- Note if the date is contested (e.g., Egyptian chronology has high/middle/low variants)
+
+## Ranges vs Exact Dates
+
+- Reigns, periods, dynasties → use ranges: `@t[336 BCE..323 BCE]`
+- Battles, founding events → use exact: `@t[=331 BCE]`
+- Approximate dates → use tilde: `@t[~2560 BCE]`
+- Unknown dates → use `@t[?]` and note why in the review answer

battles/battle-of-actium.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Battle of Actium
 
 ## Overview
-The Battle of Actium (31 BCE) was the decisive naval engagement in which Octavian (later Augustus) defeated the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII, ending the Roman Republic's civil wars and paving the way for the Roman Empire.
+The Battle of Actium (31 BCE) was the decisive naval engagement in which Octavian (later Augustus) defeated the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII, ending the Roman Republic's civil wars and paving the way for the Roman Empire. @t[=31 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: 2 September 31 BCE
+- Date: 2 September 31 BCE @t[=31 BCE]
 - Location: Ionian Sea, near Actium (western Greece)
 - Belligerents: Octavian vs. Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII
 - Commanders: Agrippa (for Octavian), Antony and Cleopatra
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ The Battle of Actium (31 BCE) was the decisive naval engagement in which Octavia
 - Remaining fleet surrendered; Antony's legions defected to Octavian
 
 ## Aftermath
-- Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide in Alexandria (30 BCE)
-- Egypt became a Roman province (30 BCE)
-- Octavian became sole ruler; Senate granted him the title Augustus (27 BCE) [^2]
+- Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide in Alexandria (30 BCE) @t[=30 BCE]
+- Egypt became a Roman province (30 BCE) @t[=30 BCE]
+- Octavian became sole ruler; Senate granted him the title Augustus (27 BCE) @t[=27 BCE] [^2]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Plutarch, *Life of Antony*

battles/battle-of-cannae.md

@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
 # Battle of Cannae
 
 ## Overview
-The Battle of Cannae (216 BCE) was Hannibal Barca's masterpiece — a devastating double envelopment of a much larger Roman army during the Second Punic War. It remains one of the most studied tactical victories in military history.
+The Battle of Cannae (216 BCE) was Hannibal Barca's masterpiece — a devastating double envelopment of a much larger Roman army during the Second Punic War. It remains one of the most studied tactical victories in military history. @t[=216 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: 2 August 216 BCE
+- Date: 2 August 216 BCE @t[=216 BCE]
 - Location: Cannae, Apulia (southeastern Italy), near the River Aufidus (modern Ofanto)
 - Belligerents: Carthage vs. Roman Republic
 - Commanders: Hannibal Barca (Carthage), Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro (Rome)
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Rome refused to negotiate or ransom prisoners. Emergency levies were raised and
 - Hannibal's double envelopment became the gold standard of tactical warfare
 - Despite the victory, Hannibal could not take Rome itself
 - Rome eventually adopted Fabian attrition strategy and won the war
-- Scipio Africanus later used Hannibal's own encirclement tactics to defeat him at the Battle of Zama (202 BCE), ending the Second Punic War [^1]
+- Scipio Africanus later used Hannibal's own encirclement tactics to defeat him at the Battle of Zama (202 BCE), ending the Second Punic War @t[=202 BCE] [^1]
 - Cannae is still studied in military academies worldwide as a model of operational art [^2]
 
 ## Archaeology

battles/battle-of-gaugamela.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Battle of Gaugamela
 
 ## Overview
-The Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE) was the decisive battle in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius III, effectively ending the Achaemenid Persian Empire.
+The Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE) was the decisive battle in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persian King Darius III, effectively ending the Achaemenid Persian Empire. @t[=331 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: 1 October 331 BCE
+- Date: 1 October 331 BCE @t[=331 BCE]
 - Location: Gaugamela (near modern Erbil, Iraq)
 - Belligerents: Macedon vs. Persian Empire
 - Commanders: Alexander the Great vs. Darius III
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ The Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE) was the decisive battle in which Alexander the
 
 ## Aftermath
 - Alexander captured Babylon, Susa, and Persepolis
-- Darius III was later murdered by his own satrap Bessus (330 BCE)
+- Darius III was later murdered by his own satrap Bessus (330 BCE) @t[=330 BCE]
 - Marked the end of the Achaemenid dynasty after ~220 years [^2]
 
 ---

battles/battle-of-kadesh.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Battle of Kadesh
 
 ## Overview
-The Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE) was fought between the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II near the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River (modern Syria). It is the earliest battle for which detailed tactical accounts survive from both sides.
+The Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE) was fought between the Egyptian Empire under Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire under Muwatalli II near the city of Kadesh on the Orontes River (modern Syria). It is the earliest battle for which detailed tactical accounts survive from both sides. @t[~1274 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: ~1274 BCE
+- Date: ~1274 BCE @t[~1274 BCE]
 - Location: Kadesh, on the Orontes River (modern Tell Nebi Mend, Syria)
 - Belligerents: Egypt vs. Hittite Empire
 - Commanders: Ramesses II (Egypt), Muwatalli II (Hittites)
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ The Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE) was fought between the Egyptian Empire under Ra
 - Ramesses personally led a counterattack
 
 ## Aftermath
-- Led to the Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE), the earliest known international peace treaty
+- Led to the Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE), the earliest known international peace treaty @t[~1259 BCE]
 - Egypt retained influence in Canaan; Hittites kept Syria
 - Ramesses commissioned extensive propaganda reliefs at Abu Simbel, Karnak, and the Ramesseum [^2]
 

battles/battle-of-marathon.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Battle of Marathon
 
 ## Overview
-The Battle of Marathon (490 BCE) was a decisive Greek victory over the Persian Empire during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It demonstrated that the Persians could be defeated and became a symbol of Greek resistance.
+The Battle of Marathon (490 BCE) was a decisive Greek victory over the Persian Empire during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It demonstrated that the Persians could be defeated and became a symbol of Greek resistance. @t[=490 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: September 490 BCE
+- Date: September 490 BCE @t[=490 BCE]
 - Location: Plain of Marathon, ~40 km northeast of Athens
 - Belligerents: Athens and Plataea vs. Persian Empire
 - Commanders: Miltiades (Athens), Datis and Artaphernes (Persia)

battles/battle-of-thermopylae.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Battle of Thermopylae
 
 ## Overview
-The Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE) was a famous last stand by a Greek force led by King Leonidas I of Sparta against the massive Persian army of Xerxes I during the second Persian invasion of Greece.
+The Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE) was a famous last stand by a Greek force led by King Leonidas I of Sparta against the massive Persian army of Xerxes I during the second Persian invasion of Greece. @t[=480 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: August 480 BCE (three days)
+- Date: August 480 BCE (three days) @t[=480 BCE]
 - Location: Thermopylae pass ("Hot Gates"), central Greece
 - Belligerents: Greek alliance vs. Persian Empire
 - Commanders: Leonidas I (Sparta), Xerxes I (Persia)

cities/alexandria.md

@@ -4,18 +4,18 @@
 # Alexandria
 
 ## Overview
-Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. It became the intellectual capital of the Hellenistic world, home to the Great Library and the Pharos Lighthouse.
+Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. It became the intellectual capital of the Hellenistic world, home to the Great Library and the Pharos Lighthouse. @t[=331 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Location: Mediterranean coast of Egypt, western Nile Delta
-- Founded: 331 BCE by Alexander the Great
-- Capital of: Ptolemaic Egypt (305–30 BCE)
+- Founded: 331 BCE by Alexander the Great @t[=331 BCE]
+- Capital of: Ptolemaic Egypt (305–30 BCE) @t[305 BCE..30 BCE]
 - Peak population: ~500,000–1,000,000 (largest city in the ancient world for centuries)
 
 ## Major Features
 - Great Library of Alexandria: Largest library of the ancient world, ~400,000–700,000 scrolls [^1]
 - Mouseion (Museum): Research institution attached to the Library
-- Pharos Lighthouse: One of the Seven Wonders, ~100–130 m tall, built ~280 BCE [^2]
+- Pharos Lighthouse: One of the Seven Wonders, ~100–130 m tall, built ~280 BCE @t[~280 BCE] [^2]
 - Serapeum: Temple of Serapis, housed part of the Library's collection
 
 ## Intellectual Legacy

cities/athens.md

@@ -8,22 +8,22 @@ Athens was the leading city-state of ancient Greece, birthplace of democracy, an
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Location: Attica, Greece
-- Period of prominence: ~508–322 BCE (democratic period)
-- Population: ~250,000–300,000 (including slaves and metics) at peak ~430 BCE
+- Period of prominence: ~508–322 BCE (democratic period) @t[508 BCE..322 BCE]
+- Population: ~250,000–300,000 (including slaves and metics) at peak ~430 BCE @t[~430 BCE]
 - Key sites: Acropolis, Agora, Pnyx, Kerameikos
 
 ## Major Monuments
-- Parthenon: Temple of Athena, built 447–432 BCE under Pericles [^1]
+- Parthenon: Temple of Athena, built 447–432 BCE under Pericles @t[447 BCE..432 BCE] [^1]
 - Erechtheion: Temple with the Caryatid porch
 - Temple of Hephaestus: Best-preserved Greek temple
 - Theatre of Dionysus: Birthplace of Greek drama
 - Stoa of Attalos: Reconstructed in the Agora
 
 ## Historical Significance
-- Birthplace of Athenian democracy (~508 BCE, Cleisthenes' reforms)
+- Birthplace of Athenian democracy (~508 BCE, Cleisthenes' reforms) @t[~508 BCE]
 - Center of philosophy: Socrates, Plato's Academy, Aristotle's Lyceum
 - Led the Delian League against Persia
-- Defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (404 BCE) [^2]
+- Defeated by Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (404 BCE) @t[=404 BCE] [^2]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Hurwit, J. *The Athenian Acropolis* (Cambridge, 1999)

cities/babylon.md

@@ -8,12 +8,12 @@ Babylon was one of the most important cities of the ancient world, located on th
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Location: Central Mesopotamia, ~85 km south of modern Baghdad, Iraq
-- Period of prominence: ~1894 BCE – 539 BCE
+- Period of prominence: ~1894 BCE – 539 BCE @t[1894 BCE..539 BCE]
 - Modern site: Hillah, Babil Governorate, Iraq
 - UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019
 
 ## Major Features
-- Ishtar Gate: Glazed brick gate decorated with dragons and bulls, built under Nebuchadnezzar II (~575 BCE) [^1]
+- Ishtar Gate: Glazed brick gate decorated with dragons and bulls, built under Nebuchadnezzar II (~575 BCE) @t[~575 BCE] [^1]
 - Processional Way: Ceremonial avenue leading to the Esagila temple
 - Etemenanki: Ziggurat dedicated to Marduk, possibly the inspiration for the Tower of Babel
 - Hanging Gardens: One of the Seven Wonders (existence and location debated) [^2]

cities/pompeii.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Pompeii was a Roman city near modern Naples, Italy, buried by the eruption of Mo
 
 ## Major Features
 - Forum: Central public square with temples, basilica, and markets
-- Amphitheatre: Oldest surviving Roman amphitheatre (~70 BCE)
+- Amphitheatre: Oldest surviving Roman amphitheatre (~70 BCE) @t[~70 BCE]
 - Villa of the Mysteries: Frescoes depicting Dionysiac initiation rites [^1]
 - Thermopolia: Fast-food counters (over 80 found)
 - Plaster casts of victims: Created by Giuseppe Fiorelli's technique (1863)

cities/rome.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Rome, the "Eternal City," was the capital of the Roman Republic and Empire, grow
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Location: Central Italy, on the Tiber River
-- Traditional founding: 753 BCE (Romulus and Remus legend)
+- Traditional founding: 753 BCE (Romulus and Remus legend) @t[=753 BCE]
 - Peak population: ~1 million by the 2nd century CE
 - Key hills: Palatine, Capitoline, Aventine, and four others ("Seven Hills")
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Rome, the "Eternal City," was the capital of the Roman Republic and Empire, grow
 - Aqueducts: 11 aqueducts supplied ~1 million cubic meters of water daily
 
 ## Historical Significance
-- Capital of a republic (509–27 BCE) and empire (27 BCE–476 CE)
+- Capital of a republic (509–27 BCE) and empire (27 BCE–476 CE) @t[509 BCE..27 BCE]
 - Center of Roman law, engineering, and administration
 - Sacked by Visigoths (410 CE) and Vandals (455 CE) @t[=410]
 - Fall of the Western Empire: 476 CE @t[=476] [^2]

cities/troy.md

@@ -4,22 +4,22 @@
 # Troy
 
 ## Overview
-Troy (ancient Ilion/Ilium) was a Bronze Age city in northwestern Anatolia, famous as the setting of Homer's *Iliad*. The archaeological site at Hisarlik reveals multiple occupation layers spanning ~3000 BCE to the Roman period.
+Troy (ancient Ilion/Ilium) was a Bronze Age city in northwestern Anatolia, famous as the setting of Homer's *Iliad*. The archaeological site at Hisarlik reveals multiple occupation layers spanning ~3000 BCE to the Roman period. @t[~3000 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Location: Hisarlik, Çanakkale Province, Turkey
-- Period: ~3000 BCE – Roman era
+- Period: ~3000 BCE – Roman era @t[=000 BCE]
 - Excavated by: Heinrich Schliemann (1870s), Wilhelm Dörpfeld, Carl Blegen, Manfred Korfmann
 - UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998
 
 ## Archaeological Layers
-- Troy I–V (~3000–1750 BCE): Early Bronze Age settlements
-- Troy VI (~1750–1300 BCE): Major fortified city, likely the Homeric Troy [^1]
-- Troy VIIa (~1300–1180 BCE): Destroyed by fire; candidate for the Trojan War destruction
+- Troy I–V (~3000–1750 BCE): Early Bronze Age settlements @t[3000 BCE..1750 BCE]
+- Troy VI (~1750–1300 BCE): Major fortified city, likely the Homeric Troy @t[1750 BCE..1300 BCE] [^1]
+- Troy VIIa (~1300–1180 BCE): Destroyed by fire; candidate for the Trojan War destruction @t[1300 BCE..1180 BCE]
 - Troy VIII–IX: Greek and Roman Ilion
 
 ## The Trojan War
-- Traditionally dated ~1184 BCE (Eratosthenes' calculation)
+- Traditionally dated ~1184 BCE (Eratosthenes' calculation) @t[~1184 BCE]
 - Homer's *Iliad* describes a Greek siege of Troy over the abduction of Helen
 - Historical basis debated; may reflect Bronze Age conflicts between Mycenaeans and Anatolian powers [^2]
 

cities/ur.md

@@ -8,17 +8,17 @@ Ur was one of the most important Sumerian city-states, located in southern Mesop
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Location: Tell el-Muqayyar, Dhi Qar Province, Iraq
-- Period: ~3800 BCE – ~500 BCE
+- Period: ~3800 BCE – ~500 BCE @t[3800 BCE..500 BCE]
 - Excavated by: Leonard Woolley (1922–1934)
 
 ## Major Discoveries
-- Royal Tombs of Ur (~2600–2400 BCE): Elaborate burials with gold, lapis lazuli, and human sacrifices [^1]
+- Royal Tombs of Ur (~2600–2400 BCE): Elaborate burials with gold, lapis lazuli, and human sacrifices @t[2600 BCE..2400 BCE] [^1]
 - Standard of Ur: Mosaic box depicting war and peace scenes
-- Great Ziggurat of Ur: Built by Ur-Nammu (~2100 BCE), partially restored
+- Great Ziggurat of Ur: Built by Ur-Nammu (~2100 BCE), partially restored @t[~2100 BCE]
 - Ram in a Thicket: Gold and lapis lazuli figurine (now in British Museum and Penn Museum)
 
 ## Historical Significance
-- Third Dynasty of Ur (~2112–2004 BCE): Last Sumerian dynasty, produced the Code of Ur-Nammu
+- Third Dynasty of Ur (~2112–2004 BCE): Last Sumerian dynasty, produced the Code of Ur-Nammu @t[2112 BCE..2004 BCE]
 - Major trading port connected to the Persian Gulf
 - Traditionally identified as "Ur of the Chaldees" (Genesis 11:31) [^2]
 

civilizations/akkadian-empire.md

@@ -4,18 +4,18 @@
 # Akkadian Empire
 
 ## Overview
-The Akkadian Empire (~2334–2154 BCE) was the first empire in Mesopotamia, unifying Sumerian and Akkadian-speaking city-states under Sargon of Akkad. It established a model for subsequent Mesopotamian empires.
+The Akkadian Empire (~2334–2154 BCE) was the first empire in Mesopotamia, unifying Sumerian and Akkadian-speaking city-states under Sargon of Akkad. It established a model for subsequent Mesopotamian empires. @t[2334 BCE..2154 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Mesopotamia, extending from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean
-- Period: ~2334–2154 BCE
+- Period: ~2334–2154 BCE @t[2334 BCE..2154 BCE]
 - Capital: Akkad (location still undiscovered)
 - Language: Akkadian (Semitic), alongside Sumerian
 - Founded by: Sargon of Akkad
 
 ## Notable Rulers
-- Sargon of Akkad (~2334–2279 BCE): Founder, conquered Sumerian city-states [^1]
-- Naram-Sin (~2254–2218 BCE): Grandson of Sargon, expanded empire, declared himself divine
+- Sargon of Akkad (~2334–2279 BCE): Founder, conquered Sumerian city-states @t[2334 BCE..2279 BCE] [^1]
+- Naram-Sin (~2254–2218 BCE): Grandson of Sargon, expanded empire, declared himself divine @t[2254 BCE..2218 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
 - First multi-ethnic empire in recorded history
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ The Akkadian Empire (~2334–2154 BCE) was the first empire in Mesopotamia, unif
 - Produced significant art including the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin
 
 ## Decline
-Collapsed ~2154 BCE due to internal revolts, Gutian invasions, and possibly severe drought linked to the 4.2-kiloyear climate event [^2].
+Collapsed ~2154 BCE due to internal revolts, Gutian invasions, and possibly severe drought linked to the 4.2-kiloyear climate event [^2]. @t[~2154 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Westenholz, J.G. *Legends of the Kings of Akkade* (1997)

civilizations/ancient-china.md

@@ -4,28 +4,28 @@
 # Ancient China
 
 ## Overview
-Ancient Chinese civilization developed along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, producing enduring contributions to philosophy, governance, technology, and culture. This entry covers the period from the Shang dynasty through the Han dynasty (~1600 BCE – 220 CE).
+Ancient Chinese civilization developed along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, producing enduring contributions to philosophy, governance, technology, and culture. This entry covers the period from the Shang dynasty through the Han dynasty (~1600 BCE – 220 CE). @t[1600 BCE..220]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: East Asia, centered on the Yellow River and Yangtze River valleys
-- Period covered: ~1600 BCE – 220 CE
+- Period covered: ~1600 BCE – 220 CE @t[1600 BCE..220]
 - Major dynasties: Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
 - Language: Old Chinese, Classical Chinese
-- Writing: Oracle bone script (~1200 BCE), evolving into seal script and clerical script
+- Writing: Oracle bone script (~1200 BCE), evolving into seal script and clerical script @t[~1200 BCE]
 
 ## Major Dynasties
-- Shang (~1600–1046 BCE): First historically verified dynasty, oracle bones, bronze casting [^1]
-- Zhou (~1046–256 BCE): Longest dynasty, Mandate of Heaven, Confucius, Laozi
-- Qin (221–206 BCE): First unified empire under Qin Shi Huang, Great Wall, standardization
-- Han (206 BCE – 220 CE): Silk Road trade, paper invention, Confucian state ideology
+- Shang (~1600–1046 BCE): First historically verified dynasty, oracle bones, bronze casting @t[1600 BCE..1046 BCE] [^1]
+- Zhou (~1046–256 BCE): Longest dynasty, Mandate of Heaven, Confucius, Laozi @t[1046 BCE..256 BCE]
+- Qin (221–206 BCE): First unified empire under Qin Shi Huang, Great Wall, standardization @t[221 BCE..206 BCE]
+- Han (206 BCE – 220 CE): Silk Road trade, paper invention, Confucian state ideology @t[206 BCE..220]
 
 ## Achievements
-- Oracle bone script: Earliest Chinese writing ~1200 BCE
-- Iron casting by ~500 BCE (centuries before the West)
+- Oracle bone script: Earliest Chinese writing ~1200 BCE @t[~1200 BCE]
+- Iron casting by ~500 BCE (centuries before the West) @t[~500 BCE]
 - Silk production and trade
 - Paper invented ~100 CE during the Han dynasty [^2]
 - Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism as philosophical traditions
-- Great Wall construction begun under Qin Shi Huang ~221 BCE
+- Great Wall construction begun under Qin Shi Huang ~221 BCE @t[~221 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Keightley, D. *Sources of Shang History* (University of California Press, 1978)

civilizations/ancient-egypt.md

@@ -4,32 +4,32 @@
 # Ancient Egypt
 
 ## Overview
-Ancient Egypt was a civilization centered along the Nile River in northeastern Africa, lasting from ~3100 BCE to 30 BCE. It produced monumental architecture, a complex writing system, and one of the longest-lasting state structures in history.
+Ancient Egypt was a civilization centered along the Nile River in northeastern Africa, lasting from ~3100 BCE to 30 BCE. It produced monumental architecture, a complex writing system, and one of the longest-lasting state structures in history. @t[~3100 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Nile Valley and Delta, northeastern Africa
-- Period: ~3100 BCE – 30 BCE (Roman annexation)
+- Period: ~3100 BCE – 30 BCE (Roman annexation) @t[3100 BCE..30 BCE]
 - Capital cities: Memphis, Thebes, Amarna, Alexandria (Ptolemaic)
 - Language: Egyptian (Afro-Asiatic family)
 - Writing systems: Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, Demotic
 - Religion: Polytheistic with pharaoh as divine intermediary
 
 ## Major Periods
-- Early Dynastic (~3100–2686 BCE): Unification under Narmer/Menes
-- Old Kingdom (~2686–2181 BCE): Pyramid age, centralized power
-- Middle Kingdom (~2055–1650 BCE): Cultural golden age
-- New Kingdom (~1550–1069 BCE): Imperial expansion, Ramesses II, Tutankhamun
-- Ptolemaic Period (305–30 BCE): Greek-ruled Egypt after Alexander's conquest
+- Early Dynastic (~3100–2686 BCE): Unification under Narmer/Menes @t[3100 BCE..2686 BCE]
+- Old Kingdom (~2686–2181 BCE): Pyramid age, centralized power @t[2686 BCE..2181 BCE]
+- Middle Kingdom (~2055–1650 BCE): Cultural golden age @t[2055 BCE..1650 BCE]
+- New Kingdom (~1550–1069 BCE): Imperial expansion, Ramesses II, Tutankhamun @t[1550 BCE..1069 BCE]
+- Ptolemaic Period (305–30 BCE): Greek-ruled Egypt after Alexander's conquest @t[305 BCE..30 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
-- Great Pyramid of Giza, built ~2560 BCE under Khufu [^1]
-- Developed hieroglyphic writing ~3200 BCE
+- Great Pyramid of Giza, built ~2560 BCE under Khufu @t[~2560 BCE] [^1]
+- Developed hieroglyphic writing ~3200 BCE @t[~3200 BCE]
 - Advanced mummification and funerary practices
 - Sophisticated medicine, mathematics, and astronomy
 - Monumental temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor
 
 ## Decline
-Egypt fell under Persian rule (525 BCE), then Macedonian (332 BCE), and finally became a Roman province after the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BCE.
+Egypt fell under Persian rule (525 BCE), then Macedonian (332 BCE), and finally became a Roman province after the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BCE. @t[=525 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Lehner, M. *The Complete Pyramids* (Thames & Hudson, 1997)

civilizations/ancient-greece.md

@@ -4,30 +4,30 @@
 # Ancient Greece
 
 ## Overview
-Ancient Greece (~800–146 BCE) comprised independent city-states (*poleis*) that produced foundational contributions to Western philosophy, democracy, science, art, and literature.
+Ancient Greece (~800–146 BCE) comprised independent city-states (*poleis*) that produced foundational contributions to Western philosophy, democracy, science, art, and literature. @t[800 BCE..146 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Greek peninsula, Aegean islands, western Anatolia, colonies across the Mediterranean
-- Period: ~800 BCE (Archaic) – 146 BCE (Roman conquest)
+- Period: ~800 BCE (Archaic) – 146 BCE (Roman conquest) @t[~800 BCE]
 - Major city-states: Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes
 - Language: Ancient Greek (Indo-European)
-- Writing: Greek alphabet, adapted from Phoenician ~800 BCE
+- Writing: Greek alphabet, adapted from Phoenician ~800 BCE @t[~800 BCE]
 
 ## Major Periods
-- Archaic (~800–480 BCE): Colonization, rise of the polis, early philosophy
-- Classical (480–323 BCE): Golden Age of Athens, Peloponnesian War, Alexander
-- Hellenistic (323–146 BCE): Post-Alexander kingdoms, cultural diffusion
+- Archaic (~800–480 BCE): Colonization, rise of the polis, early philosophy @t[800 BCE..480 BCE]
+- Classical (480–323 BCE): Golden Age of Athens, Peloponnesian War, Alexander @t[480 BCE..323 BCE]
+- Hellenistic (323–146 BCE): Post-Alexander kingdoms, cultural diffusion @t[323 BCE..146 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
-- Athenian democracy established ~508 BCE under Cleisthenes [^1]
+- Athenian democracy established ~508 BCE under Cleisthenes @t[~508 BCE] [^1]
 - Philosophy: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
 - Drama: Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes
 - History: Herodotus, Thucydides
-- Olympic Games, first held 776 BCE
-- Parthenon completed ~432 BCE
+- Olympic Games, first held 776 BCE @t[=776 BCE]
+- Parthenon completed ~432 BCE @t[~432 BCE]
 
 ## Decline
-Greece fell under Macedonian hegemony after the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BCE), then became a Roman province after the destruction of Corinth in 146 BCE.
+Greece fell under Macedonian hegemony after the Battle of Chaeronea (338 BCE), then became a Roman province after the destruction of Corinth in 146 BCE. @t[=338 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Ober, J. *The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece* (Princeton, 2015)

civilizations/assyrian-empire.md

@@ -4,19 +4,19 @@
 # Assyrian Empire
 
 ## Overview
-The Assyrian Empire was a Mesopotamian power that dominated the ancient Near East, reaching its zenith during the Neo-Assyrian period (911–609 BCE) as the largest empire the world had yet seen.
+The Assyrian Empire was a Mesopotamian power that dominated the ancient Near East, reaching its zenith during the Neo-Assyrian period (911–609 BCE) as the largest empire the world had yet seen. @t[911 BCE..609 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Northern Mesopotamia, expanding across the Near East
-- Neo-Assyrian period: 911–609 BCE
+- Neo-Assyrian period: 911–609 BCE @t[911 BCE..609 BCE]
 - Capitals: Ashur, Nimrud (Kalhu), Nineveh
 - Language: Akkadian (Assyrian dialect), later Aramaic
 
 ## Notable Rulers
-- Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army
-- Sargon II (722–705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin
-- Sennacherib (705–681 BCE): Expanded Nineveh, besieged Jerusalem
-- Ashurbanipal (668–631 BCE): Created the Library of Nineveh [^1]
+- Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727 BCE): Administrative reforms, professional army @t[745 BCE..727 BCE]
+- Sargon II (722–705 BCE): Conquered Israel, built Dur-Sharrukin @t[722 BCE..705 BCE]
+- Sennacherib (705–681 BCE): Expanded Nineveh, besieged Jerusalem @t[705 BCE..681 BCE]
+- Ashurbanipal (668–631 BCE): Created the Library of Nineveh @t[668 BCE..631 BCE] [^1]
 
 ## Achievements
 - Library of Nineveh: ~30,000 cuneiform tablets, preserving Mesopotamian literature
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ The Assyrian Empire was a Mesopotamian power that dominated the ancient Near Eas
 - Monumental palace reliefs (Nimrud, Nineveh)
 
 ## Decline
-Fell to a coalition of Babylonians and Medes; Nineveh destroyed in 612 BCE. The last Assyrian forces defeated at Carchemish in 605 BCE [^2].
+Fell to a coalition of Babylonians and Medes; Nineveh destroyed in 612 BCE. The last Assyrian forces defeated at Carchemish in 605 BCE [^2]. @t[=612 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Frahm, E. "The Library of Ashurbanipal" in *The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture* (2011)

civilizations/babylonia.md

@@ -4,28 +4,28 @@
 # Babylonia
 
 ## Overview
-Babylonia was a major Mesopotamian civilization centered on the city of Babylon, with two principal periods of dominance: the Old Babylonian period under Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE) and the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 BCE) under Nebuchadnezzar II.
+Babylonia was a major Mesopotamian civilization centered on the city of Babylon, with two principal periods of dominance: the Old Babylonian period under Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE) and the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 BCE) under Nebuchadnezzar II. @t[1792 BCE..1750 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Central-southern Mesopotamia (modern Iraq)
-- Old Babylonian period: ~1894–1595 BCE
-- Neo-Babylonian period: 626–539 BCE
+- Old Babylonian period: ~1894–1595 BCE @t[1894 BCE..1595 BCE]
+- Neo-Babylonian period: 626–539 BCE @t[626 BCE..539 BCE]
 - Capital: Babylon
 - Language: Akkadian (Babylonian dialect)
 
 ## Notable Rulers
-- Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE): Unified Mesopotamia, issued the Code of Hammurabi [^1]
-- Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BCE): Built the Ishtar Gate, destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem (586 BCE)
-- Nabonidus (556–539 BCE): Last native king, defeated by Cyrus the Great
+- Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE): Unified Mesopotamia, issued the Code of Hammurabi @t[1792 BCE..1750 BCE] [^1]
+- Nebuchadnezzar II (605–562 BCE): Built the Ishtar Gate, destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem (586 BCE) @t[605 BCE..562 BCE]
+- Nabonidus (556–539 BCE): Last native king, defeated by Cyrus the Great @t[556 BCE..539 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
-- Code of Hammurabi: One of the earliest comprehensive legal codes (~1754 BCE)
+- Code of Hammurabi: One of the earliest comprehensive legal codes (~1754 BCE) @t[~1754 BCE]
 - Advanced astronomy and mathematics (predicted eclipses, developed algebra)
 - Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the Seven Wonders, existence debated) [^2]
 - Ishtar Gate and Processional Way
 
 ## Decline
-The Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BCE.
+The Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BCE. @t[=539 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Roth, M.T. *Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor* (1997)

civilizations/carthage.md

@@ -4,19 +4,19 @@
 # Carthage
 
 ## Overview
-Carthage (~814–146 BCE) was a Phoenician colony that grew into a major Mediterranean power, rivaling Rome in three devastating Punic Wars before its total destruction.
+Carthage (~814–146 BCE) was a Phoenician colony that grew into a major Mediterranean power, rivaling Rome in three devastating Punic Wars before its total destruction. @t[814 BCE..146 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: North Africa (modern Tunisia), with territories in western Mediterranean
-- Period: ~814–146 BCE
+- Period: ~814–146 BCE @t[814 BCE..146 BCE]
 - Founded by: Phoenician settlers from Tyre, traditionally by Queen Dido
 - Language: Punic (Phoenician dialect)
 - Government: Oligarchic republic with elected *suffetes* (magistrates)
 
 ## Punic Wars with Rome
-- First Punic War (264–241 BCE): Fought over Sicily; Rome won naval supremacy [^1]
-- Second Punic War (218–201 BCE): Hannibal's invasion of Italy via the Alps; Rome ultimately prevailed
-- Third Punic War (149–146 BCE): Rome besieged and destroyed Carthage completely
+- First Punic War (264–241 BCE): Fought over Sicily; Rome won naval supremacy @t[264 BCE..241 BCE] [^1]
+- Second Punic War (218–201 BCE): Hannibal's invasion of Italy via the Alps; Rome ultimately prevailed @t[218 BCE..201 BCE]
+- Third Punic War (149–146 BCE): Rome besieged and destroyed Carthage completely @t[149 BCE..146 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
 - Dominant Mediterranean naval and trading power
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ Carthage (~814–146 BCE) was a Phoenician colony that grew into a major Mediter
 - Hannibal Barca: One of history's greatest military commanders [^2]
 
 ## Destruction
-Rome destroyed Carthage in 146 BCE. The site was later refounded as a Roman colony by Julius Caesar in 46 BCE.
+Rome destroyed Carthage in 146 BCE. The site was later refounded as a Roman colony by Julius Caesar in 46 BCE. @t[=146 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Goldsworthy, A. *The Fall of Carthage* (2003)

civilizations/hittite-empire.md

@@ -4,29 +4,29 @@
 # Hittite Empire
 
 ## Overview
-The Hittite Empire (~1600–1178 BCE) was a major Bronze Age power centered in Anatolia (modern Turkey). The Hittites were among the first to work iron and engaged in diplomacy with Egypt, producing the earliest known peace treaty.
+The Hittite Empire (~1600–1178 BCE) was a major Bronze Age power centered in Anatolia (modern Turkey). The Hittites were among the first to work iron and engaged in diplomacy with Egypt, producing the earliest known peace treaty. @t[1600 BCE..1178 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Central Anatolia, expanding into Syria and Upper Mesopotamia
-- Period: ~1600–1178 BCE
+- Period: ~1600–1178 BCE @t[1600 BCE..1178 BCE]
 - Capital: Hattusa (modern Boğazkale, Turkey)
 - Language: Hittite (earliest attested Indo-European language)
 - Writing: Cuneiform (official), Anatolian hieroglyphs
 
 ## Notable Rulers
-- Hattusili I (~1650–1620 BCE): Early expansion
-- Suppiluliuma I (~1344–1322 BCE): Greatest territorial extent
-- Muwatalli II (~1295–1272 BCE): Fought Ramesses II at Kadesh
-- Hattusili III (~1267–1237 BCE): Signed Treaty of Kadesh with Egypt
+- Hattusili I (~1650–1620 BCE): Early expansion @t[1650 BCE..1620 BCE]
+- Suppiluliuma I (~1344–1322 BCE): Greatest territorial extent @t[1344 BCE..1322 BCE]
+- Muwatalli II (~1295–1272 BCE): Fought Ramesses II at Kadesh @t[1295 BCE..1272 BCE]
+- Hattusili III (~1267–1237 BCE): Signed Treaty of Kadesh with Egypt @t[1267 BCE..1237 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
-- Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE): Earliest known international peace treaty [^1]
+- Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE): Earliest known international peace treaty @t[~1259 BCE] [^1]
 - Early adoption of iron technology
 - Sophisticated legal codes and vassal treaty system
 - Extensive diplomatic correspondence (Amarna Letters)
 
 ## Decline
-Collapsed ~1178 BCE during the Bronze Age Collapse, likely due to invasions by the Sea Peoples, internal instability, and disrupted trade networks [^2].
+Collapsed ~1178 BCE during the Bronze Age Collapse, likely due to invasions by the Sea Peoples, internal instability, and disrupted trade networks [^2]. @t[~1178 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Beckman, G. *Hittite Diplomatic Texts* (1999)

civilizations/maurya-empire.md

@@ -4,19 +4,19 @@
 # Maurya Empire
 
 ## Overview
-The Maurya Empire (~322–185 BCE) was the first empire to unify most of the Indian subcontinent, founded by Chandragupta Maurya and reaching its greatest extent under Ashoka.
+The Maurya Empire (~322–185 BCE) was the first empire to unify most of the Indian subcontinent, founded by Chandragupta Maurya and reaching its greatest extent under Ashoka. @t[322 BCE..185 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Indian subcontinent, from Afghanistan to Bengal
-- Period: ~322–185 BCE
+- Period: ~322–185 BCE @t[322 BCE..185 BCE]
 - Capital: Pataliputra (modern Patna)
 - Language: Prakrit, Sanskrit
 - Religion: Initially Vedic/Hindu, Buddhism promoted under Ashoka
 
 ## Notable Rulers
-- Chandragupta Maurya (~322–298 BCE): Founded the empire, defeated Seleucid forces [^1]
-- Bindusara (~298–272 BCE): Expanded southward
-- Ashoka (~268–232 BCE): Converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga War, erected edicts promoting dharma [^2]
+- Chandragupta Maurya (~322–298 BCE): Founded the empire, defeated Seleucid forces @t[322 BCE..298 BCE] [^1]
+- Bindusara (~298–272 BCE): Expanded southward @t[298 BCE..272 BCE]
+- Ashoka (~268–232 BCE): Converted to Buddhism after the Kalinga War, erected edicts promoting dharma @t[268 BCE..232 BCE] [^2]
 
 ## Achievements
 - Unified most of the Indian subcontinent for the first time
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ The Maurya Empire (~322–185 BCE) was the first empire to unify most of the Ind
 - Extensive road network and trade connections
 
 ## Decline
-Declined after Ashoka's death due to weak successors and regional fragmentation. Last Maurya ruler overthrown by Pushyamitra Shunga ~185 BCE.
+Declined after Ashoka's death due to weak successors and regional fragmentation. Last Maurya ruler overthrown by Pushyamitra Shunga ~185 BCE. @t[~185 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Thapar, R. *Aśoka and the Decline of the Mauryas* (Oxford, 1961)

civilizations/minoan-civilization.md

@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@
 # Minoan Civilization
 
 ## Overview
-The Minoan civilization (~3000–1450 BCE) on Crete was the first advanced civilization in Europe, known for elaborate palace complexes, vibrant frescoes, and the undeciphered Linear A script.
+The Minoan civilization (~3000–1450 BCE) on Crete was the first advanced civilization in Europe, known for elaborate palace complexes, vibrant frescoes, and the undeciphered Linear A script. @t[3000 BCE..1450 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Crete and Aegean islands
-- Period: ~3000–1450 BCE
+- Period: ~3000–1450 BCE @t[3000 BCE..1450 BCE]
 - Major sites: Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros
 - Writing: Cretan hieroglyphs, Linear A (undeciphered)
 - Named by: Arthur Evans, after the mythical King Minos [^1]
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ The Minoan civilization (~3000–1450 BCE) on Crete was the first advanced civil
 - Extensive maritime trade network across the eastern Mediterranean
 
 ## Decline
-The Minoan civilization declined after ~1450 BCE, possibly due to the Thera eruption (~1628 BCE), Mycenaean invasion, or a combination of factors [^2].
+The Minoan civilization declined after ~1450 BCE, possibly due to the Thera eruption (~1628 BCE), Mycenaean invasion, or a combination of factors [^2]. @t[~1450 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Evans, A. *The Palace of Minos at Knossos* (1921–1935)

civilizations/mycenaean-civilization.md

@@ -4,24 +4,24 @@
 # Mycenaean Civilization
 
 ## Overview
-The Mycenaean civilization (~1600–1100 BCE) was the first major civilization on mainland Greece, known for its warrior culture, palatial centers, and connection to the Homeric epics.
+The Mycenaean civilization (~1600–1100 BCE) was the first major civilization on mainland Greece, known for its warrior culture, palatial centers, and connection to the Homeric epics. @t[1600 BCE..1100 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Region: Mainland Greece, Crete (after ~1450 BCE), Aegean islands
-- Period: ~1600–1100 BCE
+- Region: Mainland Greece, Crete (after ~1450 BCE), Aegean islands @t[~1450 BCE]
+- Period: ~1600–1100 BCE @t[1600 BCE..1100 BCE]
 - Major sites: Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos, Thebes, Athens
 - Writing: Linear B (deciphered by Michael Ventris in 1952 as early Greek) [^1]
 - Society: Warrior aristocracy ruled by *wanax* (king)
 
 ## Achievements
 - Massive fortifications with Cyclopean masonry
-- Lion Gate at Mycenae (~1250 BCE)
+- Lion Gate at Mycenae (~1250 BCE) @t[~1250 BCE]
 - Tholos tombs (Treasury of Atreus)
 - Extensive trade networks reaching Egypt, the Levant, and Italy
 - Likely historical basis for the Trojan War tradition [^2]
 
 ## Decline
-Collapsed ~1100 BCE during the Bronze Age Collapse, leading to the Greek Dark Ages (~1100–800 BCE). Causes debated: Sea Peoples, internal conflict, systems collapse.
+Collapsed ~1100 BCE during the Bronze Age Collapse, leading to the Greek Dark Ages (~1100–800 BCE). Causes debated: Sea Peoples, internal conflict, systems collapse. @t[1100 BCE..800 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Chadwick, J. *The Decipherment of Linear B* (Cambridge, 1958)

civilizations/persian-empire.md

@@ -4,20 +4,20 @@
 # Persian Empire (Achaemenid)
 
 ## Overview
-The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 BCE) was the largest empire of the ancient world by territory, stretching from Egypt to the Indus Valley. Founded by Cyrus the Great, it pioneered administrative innovations including satrapies, a postal system, and religious tolerance.
+The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 BCE) was the largest empire of the ancient world by territory, stretching from Egypt to the Indus Valley. Founded by Cyrus the Great, it pioneered administrative innovations including satrapies, a postal system, and religious tolerance. @t[550 BCE..330 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Iran, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia, Central Asia, Indus Valley
-- Period: 550–330 BCE
+- Period: 550–330 BCE @t[550 BCE..330 BCE]
 - Capital cities: Pasargadae, Persepolis, Susa, Ecbatana
 - Language: Old Persian (official), Aramaic (administrative lingua franca)
 - Religion: Zoroastrianism (royal religion)
 
 ## Notable Rulers
-- Cyrus the Great (559–530 BCE): Founded the empire, conquered Babylon (539 BCE) [^1]
-- Darius I (522–486 BCE): Administrative reforms, built Persepolis, Royal Road
-- Xerxes I (486–465 BCE): Invaded Greece (480 BCE)
-- Darius III (336–330 BCE): Defeated by Alexander the Great
+- Cyrus the Great (559–530 BCE): Founded the empire, conquered Babylon (539 BCE) @t[559 BCE..530 BCE] [^1]
+- Darius I (522–486 BCE): Administrative reforms, built Persepolis, Royal Road @t[522 BCE..486 BCE]
+- Xerxes I (486–465 BCE): Invaded Greece (480 BCE) @t[486 BCE..465 BCE]
+- Darius III (336–330 BCE): Defeated by Alexander the Great @t[336 BCE..330 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
 - Cyrus Cylinder: Early declaration of human rights and religious tolerance [^2]
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 BCE) was the largest empire of the anci
 - Persepolis: Monumental ceremonial capital
 
 ## Decline
-Conquered by Alexander the Great; Darius III defeated at Gaugamela (331 BCE), Persepolis burned 330 BCE.
+Conquered by Alexander the Great; Darius III defeated at Gaugamela (331 BCE), Persepolis burned 330 BCE. @t[=331 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Briant, P. *From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire* (2002)

civilizations/phoenicia.md

@@ -4,24 +4,24 @@
 # Phoenicia
 
 ## Overview
-Phoenicia (~1500–300 BCE) was a maritime civilization of city-states along the coast of modern Lebanon. The Phoenicians were master sailors and traders who developed the alphabet that became the ancestor of Greek, Latin, and most modern alphabets.
+Phoenicia (~1500–300 BCE) was a maritime civilization of city-states along the coast of modern Lebanon. The Phoenicians were master sailors and traders who developed the alphabet that became the ancestor of Greek, Latin, and most modern alphabets. @t[1500 BCE..300 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Coastal Lebanon, with colonies across the Mediterranean
-- Period: ~1500–300 BCE
+- Period: ~1500–300 BCE @t[1500 BCE..300 BCE]
 - Major cities: Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, Berytus (Beirut)
 - Language: Phoenician (Northwest Semitic)
-- Writing: Phoenician alphabet (~1050 BCE), ancestor of Greek and Latin alphabets [^1]
+- Writing: Phoenician alphabet (~1050 BCE), ancestor of Greek and Latin alphabets @t[~1050 BCE] [^1]
 
 ## Achievements
-- Developed the first widely-used phonetic alphabet ~1050 BCE
-- Founded Carthage (~814 BCE) and colonies across the western Mediterranean
+- Developed the first widely-used phonetic alphabet ~1050 BCE @t[~1050 BCE]
+- Founded Carthage (~814 BCE) and colonies across the western Mediterranean @t[~814 BCE]
 - Pioneered long-distance maritime trade (tin from Britain, gold from West Africa)
 - Produced Tyrian purple dye from murex snails
-- Circumnavigated Africa under commission from Pharaoh Necho II (~600 BCE) [^2]
+- Circumnavigated Africa under commission from Pharaoh Necho II (~600 BCE) @t[~600 BCE] [^2]
 
 ## Decline
-Phoenician city-states fell under successive foreign rule: Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and finally Macedonian. Tyre was besieged and captured by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE.
+Phoenician city-states fell under successive foreign rule: Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, and finally Macedonian. Tyre was besieged and captured by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. @t[=332 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Markoe, G. *Phoenicians* (University of California Press, 2000)

civilizations/roman-republic-and-empire.md

@@ -4,28 +4,28 @@
 # Roman Republic and Empire
 
 ## Overview
-Rome evolved from a small Italian city-state to a republic (509–27 BCE) and then an empire (27 BCE – 476 CE in the West) that dominated the Mediterranean world. Roman law, engineering, and governance profoundly shaped Western civilization.
+Rome evolved from a small Italian city-state to a republic (509–27 BCE) and then an empire (27 BCE – 476 CE in the West) that dominated the Mediterranean world. Roman law, engineering, and governance profoundly shaped Western civilization. @t[509 BCE..27 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Mediterranean basin, Western Europe, North Africa, Near East
-- Kingdom: ~753–509 BCE
-- Republic: 509–27 BCE
-- Empire: 27 BCE – 476 CE (Western), continued as Byzantine Empire in the East
+- Kingdom: ~753–509 BCE @t[753 BCE..509 BCE]
+- Republic: 509–27 BCE @t[509 BCE..27 BCE]
+- Empire: 27 BCE – 476 CE (Western), continued as Byzantine Empire in the East @t[27 BCE..476]
 - Capital: Rome; later Constantinople (from 330 CE)
 - Language: Latin
 - Writing: Latin alphabet
 
 ## Major Periods
-- Roman Kingdom (~753–509 BCE): Legendary founding by Romulus
-- Early Republic (509–264 BCE): Expansion in Italy, Conflict of the Orders
-- Late Republic (264–27 BCE): Punic Wars, civil wars, Caesar's assassination (44 BCE)
-- Principate (27 BCE – 284 CE): Augustus through the Crisis of the Third Century
+- Roman Kingdom (~753–509 BCE): Legendary founding by Romulus @t[753 BCE..509 BCE]
+- Early Republic (509–264 BCE): Expansion in Italy, Conflict of the Orders @t[509 BCE..264 BCE]
+- Late Republic (264–27 BCE): Punic Wars, civil wars, Caesar's assassination (44 BCE) @t[264 BCE..27 BCE]
+- Principate (27 BCE – 284 CE): Augustus through the Crisis of the Third Century @t[27 BCE..284]
 - Dominate (284–476 CE): Diocletian's reforms through the fall of the Western Empire @t[=476]
 
 ## Achievements
 - Roman law: Foundation of Western legal tradition [^1]
 - Engineering: Aqueducts, roads (~400,000 km network), concrete, the Colosseum
-- Pax Romana (~27 BCE – 180 CE): ~200 years of relative peace and prosperity
+- Pax Romana (~27 BCE – 180 CE): ~200 years of relative peace and prosperity @t[27 BCE..180]
 - Latin language and literature: Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, Tacitus
 
 ## Fall of the Western Empire

civilizations/sumer.md

@@ -4,32 +4,32 @@
 # Sumer
 
 ## Overview
-Sumer was the earliest known civilization in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day southern Iraq), emerging ~4500 BCE and flourishing during the 3rd millennium BCE. It is credited with foundational innovations including writing (cuneiform), urbanization, and codified law.
+Sumer was the earliest known civilization in southern Mesopotamia (modern-day southern Iraq), emerging ~4500 BCE and flourishing during the 3rd millennium BCE. It is credited with foundational innovations including writing (cuneiform), urbanization, and codified law. @t[~4500 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Region: Southern Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
-- Period: ~4500–1900 BCE
+- Period: ~4500–1900 BCE @t[4500 BCE..1900 BCE]
 - Major cities: Ur, Uruk, Eridu, Lagash, Nippur, Kish
 - Language: Sumerian (language isolate)
-- Writing system: Cuneiform, developed ~3400 BCE
+- Writing system: Cuneiform, developed ~3400 BCE @t[~3400 BCE]
 - Government: City-states ruled by *lugal* (kings) and *ensi* (governors)
 
 ## Major Periods
-- Ubaid period (~5500–4000 BCE): Proto-urban settlements
-- Uruk period (~4000–3100 BCE): First true cities, invention of writing
-- Early Dynastic period (~2900–2350 BCE): Competing city-states
-- Third Dynasty of Ur (~2112–2004 BCE): Final Sumerian renaissance under Ur-Nammu
+- Ubaid period (~5500–4000 BCE): Proto-urban settlements @t[5500 BCE..4000 BCE]
+- Uruk period (~4000–3100 BCE): First true cities, invention of writing @t[4000 BCE..3100 BCE]
+- Early Dynastic period (~2900–2350 BCE): Competing city-states @t[2900 BCE..2350 BCE]
+- Third Dynasty of Ur (~2112–2004 BCE): Final Sumerian renaissance under Ur-Nammu @t[2112 BCE..2004 BCE]
 
 ## Achievements
-- Invented cuneiform writing ~3400 BCE [^1]
+- Invented cuneiform writing ~3400 BCE @t[~3400 BCE] [^1]
 - Built ziggurats as temple complexes
 - Developed the sexagesimal (base-60) number system
-- Created the earliest known legal code (Code of Ur-Nammu, ~2100 BCE)
+- Created the earliest known legal code (Code of Ur-Nammu, ~2100 BCE) @t[~2100 BCE]
 - Established irrigation agriculture at scale
 - Produced the *Epic of Gilgamesh*, among the earliest literary works [^2]
 
 ## Decline
-Sumer was absorbed by the Akkadian Empire under Sargon of Akkad ~2334 BCE, briefly revived under the Third Dynasty of Ur, and finally eclipsed by the rise of Babylon ~1900 BCE.
+Sumer was absorbed by the Akkadian Empire under Sargon of Akkad ~2334 BCE, briefly revived under the Third Dynasty of Ur, and finally eclipsed by the rise of Babylon ~1900 BCE. @t[~2334 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Schmandt-Besserat, D. *Before Writing* (1992)

cultural-movements/greek-philosophy.md

@@ -2,24 +2,24 @@
 # Greek Philosophy
 
 ## Overview
-Greek philosophy (~600 BCE – ~500 CE) laid the foundations of Western intellectual tradition, encompassing metaphysics, ethics, logic, political theory, and natural science.
+Greek philosophy (~600 BCE – ~500 CE) laid the foundations of Western intellectual tradition, encompassing metaphysics, ethics, logic, political theory, and natural science. @t[600 BCE..500]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Period: ~600 BCE (Thales) – ~529 CE (closure of Plato's Academy by Justinian)
+- Period: ~600 BCE (Thales) – ~529 CE (closure of Plato's Academy by Justinian) @t[~600 BCE]
 - Region: Greek world (Ionia, Athens, Alexandria, Rome)
 - Major schools: Pre-Socratics, Pythagoreanism, Platonism, Aristotelianism, Cynicism, Stoicism, Epicureanism, Skepticism, Neoplatonism
 
 ## Major Figures
-- Thales of Miletus (~624–546 BCE): First philosopher, proposed water as the fundamental substance [^1]
-- Pythagoras (~570–495 BCE): Founded Pythagoreanism; blended mathematics, mysticism, and ethics; taught metempsychosis (transmigration of souls); influenced Plato [^3]
-- Heraclitus (~535–475 BCE): "Everything flows" (*panta rhei*)
-- Pyrrho of Elis (~360–270 BCE): Founded Pyrrhonism (radical skepticism); advocated suspension of judgment (*epoché*) to achieve tranquility (*ataraxia*) [^3]
-- Diogenes of Sinope (~412–323 BCE): Leading Cynic philosopher; rejected social conventions and material wealth in favor of virtue and self-sufficiency [^3]
-- Socrates (~470–399 BCE): Socratic method, executed for impiety
-- Plato (~428–348 BCE): Theory of Forms, founded the Academy
-- Aristotle (384–322 BCE): Logic, natural science, ethics, politics; founded the Lyceum
-- Epicurus (341–270 BCE): Atomism, pleasure as the highest good
-- Zeno of Citium (~334–262 BCE): Founded Stoicism [^2]
+- Thales of Miletus (~624–546 BCE): First philosopher, proposed water as the fundamental substance @t[624 BCE..546 BCE] [^1]
+- Pythagoras (~570–495 BCE): Founded Pythagoreanism; blended mathematics, mysticism, and ethics; taught metempsychosis (transmigration of souls); influenced Plato @t[570 BCE..495 BCE] [^3]
+- Heraclitus (~535–475 BCE): "Everything flows" (*panta rhei*) @t[535 BCE..475 BCE]
+- Pyrrho of Elis (~360–270 BCE): Founded Pyrrhonism (radical skepticism); advocated suspension of judgment (*epoché*) to achieve tranquility (*ataraxia*) @t[360 BCE..270 BCE] [^3]
+- Diogenes of Sinope (~412–323 BCE): Leading Cynic philosopher; rejected social conventions and material wealth in favor of virtue and self-sufficiency @t[412 BCE..323 BCE] [^3]
+- Socrates (~470–399 BCE): Socratic method, executed for impiety @t[470 BCE..399 BCE]
+- Plato (~428–348 BCE): Theory of Forms, founded the Academy @t[428 BCE..348 BCE]
+- Aristotle (384–322 BCE): Logic, natural science, ethics, politics; founded the Lyceum @t[384 BCE..322 BCE]
+- Epicurus (341–270 BCE): Atomism, pleasure as the highest good @t[341 BCE..270 BCE]
+- Zeno of Citium (~334–262 BCE): Founded Stoicism @t[334 BCE..262 BCE] [^2]
 - Plotinus (204/5–270 CE): Founded Neoplatonism; posited emanation from "the One" as the source of all reality; among the most influential philosophers of late antiquity [^3]
 
 ## Legacy

cultural-movements/hellenism.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Hellenism
 
 ## Overview
-Hellenism refers to the spread of Greek language, culture, art, and thought across the eastern Mediterranean and Near East following Alexander the Great's conquests (323 BCE onward). The Hellenistic period lasted until Roman absorption of the last successor kingdom (30 BCE).
+Hellenism refers to the spread of Greek language, culture, art, and thought across the eastern Mediterranean and Near East following Alexander the Great's conquests (323 BCE onward). The Hellenistic period lasted until Roman absorption of the last successor kingdom (30 BCE). @t[=323 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Period: 323–30 BCE (death of Alexander to death of Cleopatra VII)
+- Period: 323–30 BCE (death of Alexander to death of Cleopatra VII) @t[323 BCE..30 BCE]
 - Region: Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, Central Asia, Egypt
 - Key kingdoms: Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucid Empire, Antigonid Macedon, Pergamon
 - Lingua franca: Koine Greek

definitions/ancient-history-terms.md

@@ -7,15 +7,15 @@
 - **BCE**: Before Common Era — equivalent to BC, used in secular academic contexts
 - **CE**: Common Era — equivalent to AD, used in secular academic contexts
 - **Bronze Age**: Period characterized by bronze metallurgy (~3300–1200 BCE in the Near East)
-- **Iron Age**: Period following the Bronze Age, characterized by iron technology (~1200–~500 BCE)
-- **Archaic Period**: Early phase of Greek civilization (~800–480 BCE)
-- **Classical Period**: Height of Greek civilization (~480–323 BCE)
-- **Hellenistic Period**: Post-Alexander era of Greek cultural diffusion (323–30 BCE)
+- **Iron Age**: Period following the Bronze Age, characterized by iron technology (~1200–~500 BCE) @t[~500 BCE]
+- **Archaic Period**: Early phase of Greek civilization (~800–480 BCE) @t[800 BCE..480 BCE]
+- **Classical Period**: Height of Greek civilization (~480–323 BCE) @t[480 BCE..323 BCE]
+- **Hellenistic Period**: Post-Alexander era of Greek cultural diffusion (323–30 BCE) @t[323 BCE..30 BCE]
 
 ## Political Terms
 - **Polis**: Greek city-state, the fundamental political unit of ancient Greece
 - **Satrapy**: Provincial administrative unit of the Persian Empire, governed by a satrap
-- **Principate**: First phase of the Roman Empire (27 BCE–284 CE), maintaining republican facades
+- **Principate**: First phase of the Roman Empire (27 BCE–284 CE), maintaining republican facades @t[=27 BCE]
 - **Dominate**: Later phase of the Roman Empire (284–476 CE), openly autocratic
 - **Foederati**: Barbarian groups settled within the Roman Empire under treaty obligations
 

legal-codes/code-of-hammurabi.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Code of Hammurabi
 
 ## Overview
-The Code of Hammurabi (~1754 BCE) is one of the most complete and well-known ancient legal codes, inscribed on a basalt stele and containing 282 laws governing Babylonian society.
+The Code of Hammurabi (~1754 BCE) is one of the most complete and well-known ancient legal codes, inscribed on a basalt stele and containing 282 laws governing Babylonian society. @t[~1754 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: ~1754 BCE
+- Date: ~1754 BCE @t[~1754 BCE]
 - Issuer: Hammurabi, King of Babylon
 - Language: Akkadian (Babylonian dialect)
 - Medium: Basalt stele, 2.25 m tall

legal-codes/code-of-ur-nammu.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Code of Ur-Nammu
 
 ## Overview
-The Code of Ur-Nammu (~2100–2050 BCE) is the oldest known legal code, predating the Code of Hammurabi by ~300 years. It was issued by Ur-Nammu (or his son Shulgi) of the Third Dynasty of Ur.
+The Code of Ur-Nammu (~2100–2050 BCE) is the oldest known legal code, predating the Code of Hammurabi by ~300 years. It was issued by Ur-Nammu (or his son Shulgi) of the Third Dynasty of Ur. @t[2100 BCE..2050 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: ~2100–2050 BCE
+- Date: ~2100–2050 BCE @t[2100 BCE..2050 BCE]
 - Issuer: Ur-Nammu or Shulgi, Third Dynasty of Ur
 - Language: Sumerian
 - Discovered: Fragments found at Nippur and Ur

legal-codes/twelve-tables.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Twelve Tables
 
 ## Overview
-The Twelve Tables (~451–450 BCE) were the foundation of Roman law, the first written legal code of the Roman Republic. They were created in response to plebeian demands for publicly accessible laws.
+The Twelve Tables (~451–450 BCE) were the foundation of Roman law, the first written legal code of the Roman Republic. They were created in response to plebeian demands for publicly accessible laws. @t[451 BCE..450 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: ~451–450 BCE
+- Date: ~451–450 BCE @t[451 BCE..450 BCE]
 - Issuer: Decemviri (commission of ten men)
 - Language: Archaic Latin
 - Context: Conflict of the Orders between patricians and plebeians
@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ The Twelve Tables (~451–450 BCE) were the foundation of Roman law, the first w
 - Originally inscribed on twelve bronze tablets displayed in the Roman Forum
 - Covered: Court procedure, debt, family law, property, inheritance, torts, public law [^1]
 - Established legal equality (in principle) between patricians and plebeians
-- Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by *Lex Canuleia*, 445 BCE)
+- Prohibited intermarriage between classes (later repealed by *Lex Canuleia*, 445 BCE) @t[=445 BCE]
 
 ## Significance
 - Foundation of all subsequent Roman law (*ius civile*)
 - First written Roman law, ending patrician monopoly on legal interpretation
 - Roman schoolchildren memorized them for centuries
-- Original tablets lost (possibly in the Gallic sack of Rome, 390 BCE) [^2]
+- Original tablets lost (possibly in the Gallic sack of Rome, 390 BCE) @t[=390 BCE] [^2]
 - Survived through quotations in later Roman legal and literary sources
 
 ---

logs/mcp-puppeteer-2026-02-22.log

@@ -62,3 +62,9 @@
 {"level":"info","message":"MCP server started successfully","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 22:41:48.288"}
 {"level":"info","message":"Puppeteer MCP Server closing","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 22:42:15.009"}
 {"level":"info","message":"Puppeteer MCP Server closing","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 22:42:31.260"}
+{"level":"info","message":"Puppeteer MCP Server closing","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 23:05:25.421"}
+{"level":"info","message":"Starting MCP server","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 23:05:29.452"}
+{"level":"info","message":"MCP server started successfully","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 23:05:29.454"}
+{"level":"info","message":"Puppeteer MCP Server closing","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 23:31:50.616"}
+{"level":"info","message":"Starting MCP server","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 23:32:05.027"}
+{"level":"info","message":"MCP server started successfully","service":"mcp-puppeteer","timestamp":"2026-02-22 23:32:05.030"}

religions/ancient-egyptian-religion.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex polytheistic system practiced for over 3,000 years, centered on maintaining *ma'at* (cosmic order) through ritual, temple worship, and funerary practices.
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Period: ~3100 BCE – ~400 CE (suppressed under Christianity)
+- Period: ~3100 BCE – ~400 CE (suppressed under Christianity) @t[3100 BCE..400]
 - Type: Polytheistic with henotheistic tendencies
 - Sacred texts: Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, Book of the Dead
 - Priesthood: Temple-based, pharaoh as chief intermediary with the gods
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex polytheistic system practiced for over 3
 - Mummification: Preservation of the body for the afterlife
 
 ## Atenism
-Pharaoh Akhenaten (~1353–1336 BCE) briefly imposed monotheistic worship of the Aten (sun disk), suppressing other cults. Reversed after his death [^2].
+Pharaoh Akhenaten (~1353–1336 BCE) briefly imposed monotheistic worship of the Aten (sun disk), suppressing other cults. Reversed after his death [^2]. @t[1353 BCE..1336 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Wilkinson, R. *The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt* (2003)

religions/early-christianity.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ Early Christianity emerged in the 1st century CE as a Jewish sect in Roman Judae
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Origin: Roman Judaea, ~30 CE
-- Founder: Jesus of Nazareth (~4 BCE – ~30 CE)
+- Founder: Jesus of Nazareth (~4 BCE – ~30 CE) @t[4 BCE..30]
 - Key figures: Paul of Tarsus, Peter, James
 - Sacred texts: New Testament (written ~50–120 CE)
 - State religion of Rome: 380 CE (Edict of Thessalonica) @t[=380]

religions/greek-religion.md

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 Ancient Greek religion was a polytheistic system centered on the Olympian gods, practiced through public festivals, sacrifices, oracles, and mystery cults from the Archaic through Hellenistic periods. It had no single founding text, no professional priestly class, and no creed — participation in communal ritual was the defining act of piety. [^3]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Period: ~800 BCE – ~400 CE (suppressed under Christianity)
+- Period: ~800 BCE – ~400 CE (suppressed under Christianity) @t[800 BCE..400]
 - Type: Polytheistic
 - Sacred sites: Olympia, Delphi, Eleusis, Delos
 - Key texts: Homer's *Iliad* and *Odyssey*, Hesiod's *Theogony*
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Ancient Greek religion was a polytheistic system centered on the Olympian gods,
 - Animal sacrifice at altars (the central act of public worship; portions burned for the gods, remainder shared by worshippers)
 - Libations: ritual pouring of wine, water, honey, or oil
 - Votive offerings: objects dedicated at sanctuaries in thanks or supplication
-- Panhellenic festivals: Olympic Games (776 BCE–), Pythian Games, Eleusinian Mysteries
+- Panhellenic festivals: Olympic Games (776 BCE–), Pythian Games, Eleusinian Mysteries @t[=776 BCE]
 - Oracle at Delphi: Pythia delivered prophecies from Apollo
 - Mystery cults: Eleusinian Mysteries, Orphic mysteries, Dionysiac rites [^2]
 
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Modern scholarship (Sourvinou-Inwood, 1990) frames Greek religion as fundamental
 The sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi was active from at least the 8th century BCE. The Pythia (priestess) entered a trance state to deliver oracles. Ancient sources described intoxicating vapors rising from a chasm; modern geological research (De Boer, Hale et al., 2001) identified intersecting fault lines beneath the temple emitting ethylene and ethane gases from bituminous limestone, providing a plausible physical basis for the Pythia's altered state. [^5]
 
 ## The Eleusinian Mysteries
-The Mysteries at Eleusis, centered on the myth of Persephone's abduction by Hades and her return, promised initiates a blessed afterlife. They predated the Greek Dark Ages (attested from ~1500 BCE) and continued into the 4th century CE. Initiates drank the *kykeon*, a barley-and-mint preparation. Wasson, Hofmann & Ruck (1978) proposed the kykeon contained ergot-derived psychoactive alkaloids; this hypothesis remains debated, with a 2024 *Scientific Reports* study suggesting ergot alkaloids could have been detoxified to produce a milder psychoactive compound. [^2] [^6]
+The Mysteries at Eleusis, centered on the myth of Persephone's abduction by Hades and her return, promised initiates a blessed afterlife. They predated the Greek Dark Ages (attested from ~1500 BCE) and continued into the 4th century CE. Initiates drank the *kykeon*, a barley-and-mint preparation. Wasson, Hofmann & Ruck (1978) proposed the kykeon contained ergot-derived psychoactive alkaloids; this hypothesis remains debated, with a 2024 *Scientific Reports* study suggesting ergot alkaloids could have been detoxified to produce a milder psychoactive compound. [^2] @t[~1500 BCE] [^6]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Burkert, W. *Greek Religion* (Harvard, 1985)

religions/mesopotamian-religion.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Mesopotamian Religion
 
 ## Overview
-Mesopotamian religion was the polytheistic belief system of Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria, practiced from ~4000 BCE until supplanted by Christianity and Islam. It profoundly influenced later Near Eastern religions.
+Mesopotamian religion was the polytheistic belief system of Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria, practiced from ~4000 BCE until supplanted by Christianity and Islam. It profoundly influenced later Near Eastern religions. @t[~4000 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE
+- Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE @t[4000 BCE..100]
 - Type: Polytheistic
 - Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city
 - Key texts: *Enuma Elish* (creation epic), *Epic of Gilgamesh*, *Descent of Inanna*

religions/roman-religion.md

@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Roman religion was a polytheistic system that evolved from early Italic and Etru
 ## Key Practices
 - Augury: Reading divine will through bird flight, entrails, and omens
 - Vestal Virgins: Six priestesses maintaining the sacred flame of Vesta
-- Imperial cult: Deification of emperors beginning with Julius Caesar (42 BCE)
+- Imperial cult: Deification of emperors beginning with Julius Caesar (42 BCE) @t[=42 BCE]
 - *Religio*: Proper observance of ritual obligations to maintain divine favor [^2]
 
 ## Mystery Cults

religions/zoroastrianism.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, founded by the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra) in ancient Iran. It was the state religion of the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian empires.
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Founded by: Zoroaster (Zarathustra), date debated (~1500–1000 BCE or ~600 BCE)
+- Founded by: Zoroaster (Zarathustra), date debated (~1500–1000 BCE or ~600 BCE) @t[~600 BCE]
 - Region of origin: Eastern Iran or Central Asia
 - Sacred text: *Avesta*, including the *Gathas* (hymns attributed to Zoroaster)
 - Supreme deity: Ahura Mazda ("Wise Lord")
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, founded by t
 - Sacred fire as symbol of truth and righteousness [^1]
 
 ## Historical Influence
-- State religion of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE)
+- State religion of the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BCE) @t[550 BCE..330 BCE]
 - Influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (concepts of heaven/hell, angels, final judgment) [^2]
 - Declined after the Arab conquest of Iran (651 CE)
 - Surviving communities: Parsis in India, Zoroastrians in Iran (~100,000–200,000 worldwide)

rulers/alexander-the-great.md

@@ -4,21 +4,21 @@
 # Alexander the Great
 
 ## Overview
-Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BCE), known as Alexander the Great, conquered the Persian Empire and created one of the largest empires in ancient history, spreading Greek culture from Egypt to India.
+Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BCE), known as Alexander the Great, conquered the Persian Empire and created one of the largest empires in ancient history, spreading Greek culture from Egypt to India. @t[356 BCE..323 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Born: 356 BCE, Pella, Macedon
-- Died: 323 BCE, Babylon (age 32)
-- Reign: 336–323 BCE
+- Born: 356 BCE, Pella, Macedon @t[=356 BCE]
+- Died: 323 BCE, Babylon (age 32) @t[=323 BCE]
+- Reign: 336–323 BCE @t[336 BCE..323 BCE]
 - Father: Philip II of Macedon
 - Tutor: Aristotle
 
 ## Major Campaigns
-- Battle of Granicus (334 BCE): First victory against Persia in Anatolia
-- Battle of Issus (333 BCE): Defeated Darius III
-- Siege of Tyre (332 BCE): Seven-month siege of the island city
-- Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE): Decisive defeat of the Persian Empire [^1]
-- Indian campaign (327–325 BCE): Defeated King Porus at the Hydaspes
+- Battle of Granicus (334 BCE): First victory against Persia in Anatolia @t[=334 BCE]
+- Battle of Issus (333 BCE): Defeated Darius III @t[=333 BCE]
+- Siege of Tyre (332 BCE): Seven-month siege of the island city @t[=332 BCE]
+- Battle of Gaugamela (331 BCE): Decisive defeat of the Persian Empire @t[=331 BCE] [^1]
+- Indian campaign (327–325 BCE): Defeated King Porus at the Hydaspes @t[327 BCE..325 BCE]
 
 ## Legacy
 - Founded over 20 cities, most notably Alexandria in Egypt

rulers/ashoka.md

@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
 # Ashoka
 
 ## Overview
-Ashoka (~304–232 BCE), also known as Ashoka the Great, was the third Maurya emperor who, after the bloody conquest of Kalinga, converted to Buddhism and promoted non-violence through rock and pillar edicts across the Indian subcontinent. His name means "without sorrow" in Sanskrit. In his edicts he styled himself *Devanampiya Piyadassi* ("Beloved of the Gods, gracious of mien"). [^3]
+Ashoka (~304–232 BCE), also known as Ashoka the Great, was the third Maurya emperor who, after the bloody conquest of Kalinga, converted to Buddhism and promoted non-violence through rock and pillar edicts across the Indian subcontinent. His name means "without sorrow" in Sanskrit. In his edicts he styled himself *Devanampiya Piyadassi* ("Beloved of the Gods, gracious of mien"). @t[304 BCE..232 BCE] [^3]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Born: ~304 BCE, Pataliputra
-- Died: ~232 BCE
-- Reign: ~268–232 BCE
+- Born: ~304 BCE, Pataliputra @t[~304 BCE]
+- Died: ~232 BCE @t[~232 BCE]
+- Reign: ~268–232 BCE @t[268 BCE..232 BCE]
 - Dynasty: Maurya
 - Religion: Buddhism (after Kalinga War)
 - Father: Bindusara (r. ~297–273 BCE)
@@ -21,13 +21,13 @@ Ashoka (~304–232 BCE), also known as Ashoka the Great, was the third Maurya em
 - Governed using the *Arthashastra* (political treatise attributed to Chanakya, Chandragupta's prime minister) as his administrative framework [^3]
 
 ## The Kalinga War
-- Conquered Kalinga (~262 BCE) with devastating casualties (~100,000 killed, 150,000 deported per his own edicts)
+- Conquered Kalinga (~262 BCE) with devastating casualties (~100,000 killed, 150,000 deported per his own edicts) @t[~262 BCE]
 - The carnage prompted his conversion to Buddhism [^1]
 - His 13th Major Rock Edict records his remorse over the campaign
 
 ## Ashoka's Edicts
 - 33 inscriptions total on pillars, boulders, and cave walls across the empire [^3]
-- Written in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic; the Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription (~260 BCE) is carved in both Greek and Aramaic at Chehel Zina, Afghanistan [^2]
+- Written in Prakrit, Greek, and Aramaic; the Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription (~260 BCE) is carved in both Greek and Aramaic at Chehel Zina, Afghanistan @t[~260 BCE] [^2]
 - Promoted *dhamma* (dharma): Non-violence, religious tolerance, welfare of subjects
 - Established hospitals for humans and animals
 - Sent Buddhist missionaries to Sri Lanka, Central Asia, and the Hellenistic world [^2]

rulers/augustus.md

@@ -2,22 +2,22 @@
 # Augustus
 
 ## Overview
-Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE), born Gaius Octavius, was the first Roman emperor. He transformed Rome from a republic into an empire and inaugurated the Pax Romana. He is considered one of the most effective leaders in Roman history, ruling for over 40 years.
+Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE), born Gaius Octavius, was the first Roman emperor. He transformed Rome from a republic into an empire and inaugurated the Pax Romana. He is considered one of the most effective leaders in Roman history, ruling for over 40 years. @t[63 BCE..14]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Born: 23 September 63 BCE, Rome [^1]
+- Born: 23 September 63 BCE, Rome @t[=63 BCE] [^1]
 - Died: 19 August 14 CE, Nola @t[=0014] [^1]
-- Reign: 27 BCE – 14 CE [^1]
+- Reign: 27 BCE – 14 CE @t[27 BCE..14] [^1]
 - Original name: Gaius Octavius; adopted as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus [^1]
-- Title: Augustus ("the revered one"), granted 27 BCE [^1]
-- Wife: Livia Drusilla (married 38 BCE; marriage lasted until his death) [^3]
+- Title: Augustus ("the revered one"), granted 27 BCE @t[=27 BCE] [^1]
+- Wife: Livia Drusilla (married 38 BCE; marriage lasted until his death) @t[=38 BCE] [^3]
 - Children: Julia the Elder (by Scribonia); no biological sons [^3]
 
 ## Rise to Power
-- Adopted heir of Julius Caesar (44 BCE) [^1]
-- Second Triumvirate with Mark Antony and Lepidus (43 BCE) [^1]
-- Battle of Actium (31 BCE): Defeated Antony and Cleopatra [^1]
-- Senate granted him the title Augustus (27 BCE), marking the start of the Principate [^1]
+- Adopted heir of Julius Caesar (44 BCE) @t[=44 BCE] [^1]
+- Second Triumvirate with Mark Antony and Lepidus (43 BCE) @t[=43 BCE] [^1]
+- Battle of Actium (31 BCE): Defeated Antony and Cleopatra @t[=31 BCE] [^1]
+- Senate granted him the title Augustus (27 BCE), marking the start of the Principate @t[=27 BCE] [^1]
 
 ## Achievements
 - Pax Romana: Inaugurated ~200 years of relative peace [^2]
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ Augustus (63 BCE – 14 CE), born Gaius Octavius, was the first Roman emperor. H
 - Established the imperial succession system; adopted stepson Tiberius as heir [^3]
 - Month of August named after him [^1]
 - Appointed *pontifex maximus*, becoming both secular and religious head of the empire [^4]
-- Revived traditional Roman religion: restored temples, reintroduced festivals (Lupercalia, Ludi Saeculares in 17 BCE) [^4]
+- Revived traditional Roman religion: restored temples, reintroduced festivals (Lupercalia, Ludi Saeculares in 17 BCE) @t[=17 BCE] [^4]
 - Social and moral reforms: *Lex Julia* legislation incentivized marriage and childbearing, penalized adultery as a civil crime [^4]
-- Established the Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace), dedicated 9 BCE [^4]
+- Established the Ara Pacis Augustae (Altar of Augustan Peace), dedicated 9 BCE @t[=9 BCE] [^4]
 
 ## Succession
 Augustus was succeeded by his adopted stepson Tiberius (14–37 CE), founding the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Subsequent emperors — Caligula, Claudius, and Nero — were all descendants or adoptees within this line. [^3]

rulers/cyrus-the-great.md

@@ -4,18 +4,18 @@
 # Cyrus the Great
 
 ## Overview
-Cyrus II of Persia (~600–530 BCE), known as Cyrus the Great, founded the Achaemenid Persian Empire and is celebrated for his tolerance toward conquered peoples.
+Cyrus II of Persia (~600–530 BCE), known as Cyrus the Great, founded the Achaemenid Persian Empire and is celebrated for his tolerance toward conquered peoples. @t[600 BCE..530 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Born: ~600 BCE, Anshan (modern Iran)
-- Died: ~530 BCE (in battle against the Massagetae)
-- Reign: ~559–530 BCE
+- Born: ~600 BCE, Anshan (modern Iran) @t[~600 BCE]
+- Died: ~530 BCE (in battle against the Massagetae) @t[~530 BCE]
+- Reign: ~559–530 BCE @t[559 BCE..530 BCE]
 - Title: King of Kings, King of Anshan, King of Persia, King of Babylon
 
 ## Conquests
-- Defeated the Medes under Astyages (~550 BCE)
-- Conquered Lydia and captured Croesus (~547 BCE)
-- Conquered Babylon (539 BCE) — reportedly entered without a battle [^1]
+- Defeated the Medes under Astyages (~550 BCE) @t[~550 BCE]
+- Conquered Lydia and captured Croesus (~547 BCE) @t[~547 BCE]
+- Conquered Babylon (539 BCE) — reportedly entered without a battle @t[=539 BCE] [^1]
 - Freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity, allowing return to Jerusalem
 
 ## Legacy

rulers/hammurabi.md

@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
 # Hammurabi
 
 ## Overview
-Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty who transformed Babylon from a minor city-state into the dominant power in Mesopotamia. He is best known for the Code of Hammurabi.
+Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty who transformed Babylon from a minor city-state into the dominant power in Mesopotamia. He is best known for the Code of Hammurabi. @t[1792 BCE..1750 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Reign: ~1792–1750 BCE
+- Reign: ~1792–1750 BCE @t[1792 BCE..1750 BCE]
 - Title: King of Babylon
 - Capital: Babylon
 - Dynasty: First Dynasty of Babylon (Amorite)
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Hammurabi (~1792–1750 BCE) was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty
 ## Achievements
 - Inherited a small kingdom (Babylon, Kish, Sippar, Borsippa) and expanded it through military campaigns and diplomacy [^3]
 - Conquered city-states of Larsa, Eshnunna, and Mari; ousted Ishme-Dagan I of Assyria [^3]
-- Issued the Code of Hammurabi (~1754 BCE): 282 laws inscribed on a diorite stele [^1]
+- Issued the Code of Hammurabi (~1754 BCE): 282 laws inscribed on a diorite stele @t[~1754 BCE] [^1]
 - Improved irrigation systems and infrastructure
 - Established Marduk as the supreme deity of Babylon
 

rulers/julius-caesar.md

@@ -4,24 +4,24 @@
 # Julius Caesar
 
 ## Overview
-Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) was a Roman general, statesman, and dictator whose conquest of Gaul and crossing of the Rubicon precipitated the end of the Roman Republic.
+Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) was a Roman general, statesman, and dictator whose conquest of Gaul and crossing of the Rubicon precipitated the end of the Roman Republic. @t[100 BCE..44 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Born: 100 BCE, Rome
-- Died: 15 March 44 BCE, Rome (assassinated)
-- Offices: Consul (59 BCE), Dictator perpetuo (44 BCE)
-- Military: Conquered Gaul (58–50 BCE)
+- Born: 100 BCE, Rome @t[=100 BCE]
+- Died: 15 March 44 BCE, Rome (assassinated) @t[=44 BCE]
+- Offices: Consul (59 BCE), Dictator perpetuo (44 BCE) @t[=59 BCE]
+- Military: Conquered Gaul (58–50 BCE) @t[58 BCE..50 BCE]
 
 ## Major Events
-- Gallic Wars (58–50 BCE): Conquered Gaul, invaded Britain [^1]
-- First Triumvirate: Alliance with Pompey and Crassus (60 BCE)
-- Crossing the Rubicon (49 BCE): Triggered civil war against Pompey
-- Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE): Defeated Pompey
-- Appointed dictator perpetuo (February 44 BCE)
-- Assassinated on the Ides of March (15 March 44 BCE) by Brutus, Cassius, and other senators [^2]
+- Gallic Wars (58–50 BCE): Conquered Gaul, invaded Britain @t[58 BCE..50 BCE] [^1]
+- First Triumvirate: Alliance with Pompey and Crassus (60 BCE) @t[=60 BCE]
+- Crossing the Rubicon (49 BCE): Triggered civil war against Pompey @t[=49 BCE]
+- Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE): Defeated Pompey @t[=48 BCE]
+- Appointed dictator perpetuo (February 44 BCE) @t[=44 BCE]
+- Assassinated on the Ides of March (15 March 44 BCE) by Brutus, Cassius, and other senators @t[=44 BCE] [^2]
 
 ## Legacy
-- Julian calendar reform (46 BCE)
+- Julian calendar reform (46 BCE) @t[=46 BCE]
 - Granted citizenship to many provincials
 - His adopted heir Octavian became Augustus, first Roman emperor
 - Month of July named after him

rulers/pericles.md

@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@
 Pericles (Greek: Περικλῆς, "surrounded by glory"; ~495–429 BCE) was an Athenian statesman and general who led Athens during its Golden Age, championing democracy, arts, and the construction of the Parthenon. Thucydides, his contemporary, acclaimed him "the first citizen of Athens." [^2]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Born: ~495 BCE, Athens
-- Died: 429 BCE, Athens (plague)
-- Role: Strategos (general), elected repeatedly ~443–429 BCE
+- Born: ~495 BCE, Athens @t[~495 BCE]
+- Died: 429 BCE, Athens (plague) @t[=429 BCE]
+- Role: Strategos (general), elected repeatedly ~443–429 BCE @t[443 BCE..429 BCE]
 - Political alignment: Democratic faction
 - Family: Son of Xanthippus (general, hero of the Persian Wars) and Agariste (niece of Cleisthenes; Alcmaeonidae clan) [^1]
 
@@ -15,21 +15,21 @@ Pericles (Greek: Περικλῆς, "surrounded by glory"; ~495–429 BCE) was a
 - Descended from the aristocratic Alcmaeonidae family through his mother Agariste [^1]
 - Music teacher: Damon of Oa (though Aristotle names Pythoclides); Damon was later ostracized partly due to his association with Pericles [^1]
 - Intellectual mentor: Anaxagoras, the philosopher, who shaped Pericles' rationalist outlook [^1]
-- As a young man (~472 BCE), funded the production of Aeschylus's *The Persae* as choregos [^1]
+- As a young man (~472 BCE), funded the production of Aeschylus's *The Persae* as choregos @t[~472 BCE] [^1]
 
 ## Rise to Power
-- Aligned with Ephialtes to curtail the powers of the Areopagus (~462–461 BCE), marking the start of radical Athenian democracy [^2]
-- Led the prosecution of Cimon in 463 BCE; Cimon was ostracized in 461 BCE, clearing the path for Pericles' dominance [^2]
-- After Ephialtes' assassination (461 BCE), became the preeminent leader of Athens
-- The period of his leadership (~461–429 BCE) is known as the "Age of Pericles" [^2]
+- Aligned with Ephialtes to curtail the powers of the Areopagus (~462–461 BCE), marking the start of radical Athenian democracy @t[462 BCE..461 BCE] [^2]
+- Led the prosecution of Cimon in 463 BCE; Cimon was ostracized in 461 BCE, clearing the path for Pericles' dominance @t[=463 BCE] [^2]
+- After Ephialtes' assassination (461 BCE), became the preeminent leader of Athens @t[=461 BCE]
+- The period of his leadership (~461–429 BCE) is known as the "Age of Pericles" @t[461 BCE..429 BCE] [^2]
 
 ## Achievements
 - Expanded Athenian democracy: Introduced pay for jury service, opening participation to poorer citizens [^1]
-- Citizenship law (451 BCE): Restricted Athenian citizenship to those born of two Athenian citizen parents [^1]
-- Commissioned the Parthenon and other Acropolis buildings (~447–432 BCE) [^1]
+- Citizenship law (451 BCE): Restricted Athenian citizenship to those born of two Athenian citizen parents @t[=451 BCE] [^1]
+- Commissioned the Parthenon and other Acropolis buildings (~447–432 BCE) @t[447 BCE..432 BCE] [^1]
 - Led the Delian League, transforming it into an Athenian empire [^2]
 - Funded free theater access for all citizens, reinforcing cultural and civic participation [^1]
-- Funeral Oration (431 BCE): Celebrated Athenian democracy and values [^2]
+- Funeral Oration (431 BCE): Celebrated Athenian democracy and values @t[=431 BCE] [^2]
 
 ## Personal Life
 - Companion: Aspasia of Miletus, an intellectual and rhetorician; could not legally marry her under his own citizenship law [^1]
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Pericles (Greek: Περικλῆς, "surrounded by glory"; ~495–429 BCE) was a
 
 ## Peloponnesian War
 - His defensive strategy against Sparta (retreating behind the Long Walls) led to overcrowding in Athens [^2]
-- Plague of Athens (430–426 BCE) killed ~25% of the population, including Pericles himself in 429 BCE [^2]
+- Plague of Athens (430–426 BCE) killed ~25% of the population, including Pericles himself in 429 BCE @t[430 BCE..426 BCE] [^2]
 - Was tried and fined by the Athenians during the war, then re-elected strategos shortly before his death [^2]
 
 ---

rulers/qin-shi-huang.md

@@ -4,29 +4,29 @@
 # Qin Shi Huang
 
 ## Overview
-Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BCE) was the first emperor of a unified China, founding the Qin dynasty and establishing centralized imperial governance that would endure for over two millennia.
+Qin Shi Huang (259–210 BCE) was the first emperor of a unified China, founding the Qin dynasty and establishing centralized imperial governance that would endure for over two millennia. @t[259 BCE..210 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Born: 259 BCE, State of Zhao
-- Died: 210 BCE (age 49)
-- Reign as emperor: 221–210 BCE
+- Born: 259 BCE, State of Zhao @t[=259 BCE]
+- Died: 210 BCE (age 49) @t[=210 BCE]
+- Reign as emperor: 221–210 BCE @t[221 BCE..210 BCE]
 - Original name: Ying Zheng
 - Dynasty: Qin
 
 ## Achievements
-- Unified the Warring States into a single empire (221 BCE) [^1]
+- Unified the Warring States into a single empire (221 BCE) @t[=221 BCE] [^1]
 - Standardized weights, measures, currency, and writing across China
 - Began construction of the Great Wall by linking existing fortifications
 - Built an extensive road and canal network
 - Terracotta Army: ~8,000 life-sized warrior figures guarding his mausoleum, discovered 1974 [^2]
 
 ## Controversies
-- Burning of books and burying of scholars (~213–212 BCE)
+- Burning of books and burying of scholars (~213–212 BCE) @t[213 BCE..212 BCE]
 - Harsh Legalist governance
 - Massive forced labor for construction projects
 
 ## Legacy
-The Qin dynasty collapsed shortly after his death (206 BCE), but his unification model was adopted by the succeeding Han dynasty.
+The Qin dynasty collapsed shortly after his death (206 BCE), but his unification model was adopted by the succeeding Han dynasty. @t[=206 BCE]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Sima Qian, *Records of the Grand Historian* (*Shiji*)

rulers/ramesses-ii.md

@@ -2,20 +2,20 @@
 # Ramesses II
 
 ## Overview
-Ramesses II (~1303–1213 BCE), also known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and one of the most powerful and celebrated rulers of ancient Egypt. His Egyptian regnal name was Usermaatre Setepenre; in ancient Greek sources he is called Ozymandias, derived from the first part of that name. [^3]
+Ramesses II (~1303–1213 BCE), also known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and one of the most powerful and celebrated rulers of ancient Egypt. His Egyptian regnal name was Usermaatre Setepenre; in ancient Greek sources he is called Ozymandias, derived from the first part of that name. @t[1303 BCE..1213 BCE] [^3]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Born: ~1303 BCE
-- Reign: ~1279–1213 BCE (66 years, one of the longest in Egyptian history)
+- Born: ~1303 BCE @t[~1303 BCE]
+- Reign: ~1279–1213 BCE (66 years, one of the longest in Egyptian history) @t[1279 BCE..1213 BCE]
 - Dynasty: 19th Dynasty, New Kingdom
 - Capital: Pi-Ramesses (Nile Delta)
-- Died: ~1213 BCE, age ~90
+- Died: ~1213 BCE, age ~90 @t[~1213 BCE]
 - Principal wife: Nefertari (Nefertari Meritmut)
 - Tomb: KV7, Valley of the Kings
 
 ## Major Events
-- Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE): Fought the Hittites under Muwatalli II; indecisive but claimed as victory [^1]
-- Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE): Signed peace with Hittite king Hattusili III; sealed by a diplomatic marriage to a Hittite princess
+- Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE): Fought the Hittites under Muwatalli II; indecisive but claimed as victory @t[~1274 BCE] [^1]
+- Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE): Signed peace with Hittite king Hattusili III; sealed by a diplomatic marriage to a Hittite princess @t[~1259 BCE]
 - Led at least 15 military campaigns in the Levant, reasserting Egyptian control over Canaan and Phoenicia [^3]
 - Led multiple campaigns into Nubia, commemorated in inscriptions at Beit el-Wali and Gerf Hussein [^3]
 - Built Abu Simbel temples in Nubia

rulers/sargon-of-akkad.md

@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 # Sargon of Akkad
 
 ## Overview
-Sargon of Akkad (~2334–2279 BCE) founded the Akkadian Empire, the first empire in recorded history. His rise from humble origins to ruler of all Mesopotamia became legendary.
+Sargon of Akkad (~2334–2279 BCE) founded the Akkadian Empire, the first empire in recorded history. His rise from humble origins to ruler of all Mesopotamia became legendary. @t[2334 BCE..2279 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Reign: ~2334–2279 BCE
+- Reign: ~2334–2279 BCE @t[2334 BCE..2279 BCE]
 - Title: King of Akkad, King of Kish, King of the Four Quarters
 - Capital: Akkad (location undiscovered)
 - Empire: United Sumerian and Akkadian city-states

technologies/bronze-working.md

@@ -4,19 +4,19 @@
 # Bronze Working
 
 ## Overview
-Bronze working — the alloying of copper with tin — defined the Bronze Age (~3300–1200 BCE) and enabled advances in weaponry, tools, and art across Eurasia.
+Bronze working — the alloying of copper with tin — defined the Bronze Age (~3300–1200 BCE) and enabled advances in weaponry, tools, and art across Eurasia. @t[3300 BCE..1200 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Period: ~3300–1200 BCE (Bronze Age)
+- Period: ~3300–1200 BCE (Bronze Age) @t[3300 BCE..1200 BCE]
 - Composition: ~88% copper, ~12% tin
-- Earliest bronze: Mesopotamia and the Caucasus, ~3300 BCE
+- Earliest bronze: Mesopotamia and the Caucasus, ~3300 BCE @t[~3300 BCE]
 - Spread to: Egypt, Indus Valley, China, Europe
 
 ## Development
 - Copper smelting preceded bronze by ~2,000 years (Chalcolithic period)
 - Tin was scarce; long-distance trade networks developed to source it (Cornwall, Afghanistan, Southeast Asia) [^1]
 - Lost-wax casting technique enabled complex shapes
-- Chinese bronze casting (Shang dynasty, ~1600 BCE) achieved exceptional sophistication [^2]
+- Chinese bronze casting (Shang dynasty, ~1600 BCE) achieved exceptional sophistication @t[~1600 BCE] [^2]
 
 ## Impact
 - Superior weapons: Swords, spearheads, armor

technologies/iron-smelting.md

@@ -4,19 +4,19 @@
 # Iron Smelting
 
 ## Overview
-The development of iron smelting technology (~1200 BCE onward) ushered in the Iron Age, making metal tools and weapons accessible beyond elite classes and transforming agriculture, warfare, and society.
+The development of iron smelting technology (~1200 BCE onward) ushered in the Iron Age, making metal tools and weapons accessible beyond elite classes and transforming agriculture, warfare, and society. @t[~1200 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Transition period: ~1200–800 BCE (varies by region)
-- Earliest iron smelting: Anatolia (Hittites), ~1500 BCE (limited use)
-- Widespread adoption: After the Bronze Age Collapse (~1200 BCE)
+- Transition period: ~1200–800 BCE (varies by region) @t[1200 BCE..800 BCE]
+- Earliest iron smelting: Anatolia (Hittites), ~1500 BCE (limited use) @t[~1500 BCE]
+- Widespread adoption: After the Bronze Age Collapse (~1200 BCE) @t[~1200 BCE]
 - Key innovation: Carburization (adding carbon to create steel)
 
 ## Development
 - Meteoric iron used before smelting was developed
 - Hittites may have been early innovators, though evidence is debated [^1]
 - Iron became widespread after the Bronze Age Collapse disrupted tin trade routes
-- Chinese independently developed cast iron by ~500 BCE (bloomery iron in the West until medieval period) [^2]
+- Chinese independently developed cast iron by ~500 BCE (bloomery iron in the West until medieval period) @t[~500 BCE] [^2]
 
 ## Impact
 - Democratized access to metal tools (iron ore is abundant, unlike tin)

technologies/roman-aqueducts.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 Roman aqueducts were engineering marvels that transported water over long distances using gravity, supplying cities with fresh water for drinking, bathing, and sanitation. Rome alone had 11 aqueducts delivering ~1 million cubic meters daily.
 
 ## Key Facts
-- First Roman aqueduct: Aqua Appia (312 BCE)
+- First Roman aqueduct: Aqua Appia (312 BCE) @t[=312 BCE]
 - Total aqueducts serving Rome: 11 (by 226 CE)
 - Combined length: ~500 km (mostly underground)
 - Daily water delivery to Rome: ~1 million cubic meters [^1]
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ Roman aqueducts were engineering marvels that transported water over long distan
 - Settling tanks and distribution castella regulated flow
 
 ## Notable Aqueducts
-- Aqua Appia (312 BCE): First aqueduct, built by Appius Claudius Caecus
-- Aqua Marcia (144 BCE): Longest at ~91 km
-- Pont du Gard (France, ~19 BCE): Three-tiered bridge, 49 m high [^2]
+- Aqua Appia (312 BCE): First aqueduct, built by Appius Claudius Caecus @t[=312 BCE]
+- Aqua Marcia (144 BCE): Longest at ~91 km @t[=144 BCE]
+- Pont du Gard (France, ~19 BCE): Three-tiered bridge, 49 m high @t[~19 BCE] [^2]
 - Aqueduct of Segovia (Spain, ~1st century CE): Still standing
 
 ---

technologies/roman-roads.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ The Roman road network was one of the greatest engineering achievements of the a
 
 ## Key Facts
 - Total network: ~400,000 km (80,000 km paved)
-- First major road: Via Appia (312 BCE), Rome to Capua
+- First major road: Via Appia (312 BCE), Rome to Capua @t[=312 BCE]
 - Construction: Layered system of gravel, sand, and paving stones
 - Maintained by: State and local authorities
 
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ The Roman road network was one of the greatest engineering achievements of the a
 - Milestones (*miliaria*) every Roman mile (~1.48 km)
 
 ## Major Roads
-- Via Appia (312 BCE): "Queen of Roads," Rome to Brindisi
-- Via Egnatia (~146 BCE): Connected Adriatic to Byzantium
+- Via Appia (312 BCE): "Queen of Roads," Rome to Brindisi @t[=312 BCE]
+- Via Egnatia (~146 BCE): Connected Adriatic to Byzantium @t[~146 BCE]
 - Via Augusta: Spain
 - Stane Street, Watling Street: Roman Britain [^2]
 

test-bce-tags.md

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<!-- factbase:test02 -->
+# BCE Tag Test 2
+
+- Format J: space BCE @t[=31 BCE]
+- Format K: space BCE 4-digit @t[=0031 BCE]
+- Format L: space BC @t[=31 BC]
+- Format M: dash BCE @t[=31-BCE]
+- Format N: BCE prefix @t[=BCE31]
+- Format O: BCE prefix padded @t[=BCE0031]
+- Format P: range with BCE @t[=490 BCE..479 BCE]
+- Format Q: just text year @t[=31BCE]

trade-routes/amber-road.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 The Amber Road was an ancient trade route connecting the Baltic Sea coast to the Mediterranean, primarily transporting amber from northern Europe to the civilizations of Greece, Rome, and Egypt.
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Period: ~3000 BCE – Roman era
+- Period: ~3000 BCE – Roman era @t[=000 BCE]
 - Key good: Baltic amber (fossilized tree resin)
 - Northern terminus: Baltic coast (modern Poland, Lithuania)
 - Southern terminus: Adriatic (Aquileia), Greece, Egypt
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ The Amber Road was an ancient trade route connecting the Baltic Sea coast to the
 - Connected to Mediterranean trade networks at the Adriatic [^1]
 
 ## Significance
-- Baltic amber found in Mycenaean shaft graves (~1600 BCE) and Egyptian tombs
+- Baltic amber found in Mycenaean shaft graves (~1600 BCE) and Egyptian tombs @t[~1600 BCE]
 - Romans valued amber highly; Nero sent an expedition to the Baltic
 - Facilitated cultural exchange between northern and southern Europe [^2]
 

trade-routes/incense-route.md

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ The Incense Route was a network of trade paths connecting the Arabian Peninsula
 ## Key Players
 - Nabataeans: Controlled the northern segment from Petra; grew wealthy as middlemen
 - Kingdom of Saba (Sheba): Controlled production in southern Arabia
-- Romans: Attempted to conquer Arabia Felix under Aelius Gallus (25 BCE) but failed [^2]
+- Romans: Attempted to conquer Arabia Felix under Aelius Gallus (25 BCE) but failed @t[=25 BCE] [^2]
 
 ## Decline
 Declined after the Romans discovered monsoon wind patterns enabling direct sea trade with India (~1st century CE), bypassing overland routes.

trade-routes/silk-road.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 The Silk Road was a network of overland trade routes connecting China to the Mediterranean world, facilitating the exchange of goods, ideas, religions, and technologies for over 1,500 years.
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Period: ~130 BCE – ~1450 CE (ancient period focus: ~130 BCE – ~400 CE)
+- Period: ~130 BCE – ~1450 CE (ancient period focus: ~130 BCE – ~400 CE) @t[130 BCE..1450]
 - Length: ~6,400 km (main route)
 - Named by: Ferdinand von Richthofen (1877)
 - Key goods: Silk, spices, gold, glass, horses, precious stones
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ The Silk Road was a network of overland trade routes connecting China to the Med
 - Diseases also spread, possibly including plague [^2]
 
 ## Key Periods
-- Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE): Zhang Qian's missions opened the route (~130 BCE)
+- Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE): Zhang Qian's missions opened the route (~130 BCE) @t[206 BCE..220]
 - Kushan Empire (1st–3rd century CE): Facilitated trade across Central Asia
 - Roman demand for Chinese silk drove trade westward
 

treaties/peace-of-nicias.md

@@ -4,12 +4,12 @@
 # Peace of Nicias
 
 ## Overview
-The Peace of Nicias (421 BCE) was a treaty intended to end the first phase of the Peloponnesian War (the Archidamian War) between Athens and Sparta. It was supposed to last 50 years but effectively collapsed within a few years.
+The Peace of Nicias (421 BCE) was a treaty intended to end the first phase of the Peloponnesian War (the Archidamian War) between Athens and Sparta. It was supposed to last 50 years but effectively collapsed within a few years. @t[=421 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: 421 BCE
+- Date: 421 BCE @t[=421 BCE]
 - Parties: Athens and Sparta (and their respective allies)
-- Context: Ended the Archidamian War (431–421 BCE), first phase of the Peloponnesian War
+- Context: Ended the Archidamian War (431–421 BCE), first phase of the Peloponnesian War @t[431 BCE..421 BCE]
 - Duration: Nominally 50 years; effectively ~6 years
 
 ## Terms
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ The Peace of Nicias (421 BCE) was a treaty intended to end the first phase of th
 - Key Spartan allies (Corinth, Boeotia) refused to sign
 - Neither side fully implemented the terms
 - Alcibiades undermined the peace by forming an anti-Spartan alliance
-- The Sicilian Expedition (415–413 BCE) effectively ended any pretense of peace [^2]
+- The Sicilian Expedition (415–413 BCE) effectively ended any pretense of peace @t[415 BCE..413 BCE] [^2]
 
 ---
 [^1]: Thucydides, *History of the Peloponnesian War* 5.18–19

treaties/treaty-of-apamea.md

@@ -4,12 +4,12 @@
 # Treaty of Apamea
 
 ## Overview
-The Treaty of Apamea (188 BCE) was imposed by Rome on the Seleucid Empire after the Roman-Seleucid War, effectively ending Seleucid power in Anatolia and establishing Roman dominance in the eastern Mediterranean.
+The Treaty of Apamea (188 BCE) was imposed by Rome on the Seleucid Empire after the Roman-Seleucid War, effectively ending Seleucid power in Anatolia and establishing Roman dominance in the eastern Mediterranean. @t[=188 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: 188 BCE
+- Date: 188 BCE @t[=188 BCE]
 - Parties: Roman Republic and Seleucid Empire (Antiochus III)
-- Context: Followed the Battle of Magnesia (190 BCE)
+- Context: Followed the Battle of Magnesia (190 BCE) @t[=190 BCE]
 
 ## Terms
 - Seleucids withdrew from all territory west of the Taurus Mountains

treaties/treaty-of-kadesh.md

@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
 # Treaty of Kadesh
 
 ## Overview
-The Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE) between Egypt and the Hittite Empire is the earliest known international peace treaty. It ended decades of conflict between the two great Bronze Age powers. The name "Treaty of Kadesh" is informal — the treaty text itself does not mention the Battle of Kadesh.
+The Treaty of Kadesh (~1259 BCE) between Egypt and the Hittite Empire is the earliest known international peace treaty. It ended decades of conflict between the two great Bronze Age powers. The name "Treaty of Kadesh" is informal — the treaty text itself does not mention the Battle of Kadesh. @t[~1259 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Date: ~1259 BCE (some scholars cite 1258 BCE)
+- Date: ~1259 BCE (some scholars cite 1258 BCE) @t[~1259 BCE]
 - Parties: Egypt (Ramesses II) and Hittite Empire (Hattusili III)
-- Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE), approximately 15 years later
+- Context: Followed the Battle of Kadesh (~1274 BCE), approximately 15 years later @t[~1274 BCE]
 - Languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic and Akkadian cuneiform
 - Original medium: Silver tablets (now lost); surviving versions are copies
 

writing-systems/cuneiform.md

@@ -4,18 +4,18 @@
 # Cuneiform
 
 ## Overview
-Cuneiform is the earliest known writing system, developed in Sumer ~3400 BCE. Written by pressing a reed stylus into wet clay tablets, it was used for over 3,000 years across multiple languages and civilizations.
+Cuneiform is the earliest known writing system, developed in Sumer ~3400 BCE. Written by pressing a reed stylus into wet clay tablets, it was used for over 3,000 years across multiple languages and civilizations. @t[~3400 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Origin: Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, ~3400 BCE
+- Origin: Sumer, southern Mesopotamia, ~3400 BCE @t[~3400 BCE]
 - Medium: Clay tablets impressed with a wedge-shaped reed stylus
 - Name: From Latin *cuneus* ("wedge")
 - Languages written: Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Elamite, Urartian, Old Persian
 - Deciphered by: Henry Rawlinson, Edward Hincks, and others (~1840s–1850s) via the Behistun Inscription [^1]
 
 ## Development
-- Began as pictographic/logographic system for accounting (~3400 BCE)
-- Evolved into syllabic writing by ~2600 BCE
+- Began as pictographic/logographic system for accounting (~3400 BCE) @t[~3400 BCE]
+- Evolved into syllabic writing by ~2600 BCE @t[~2600 BCE]
 - ~600–1,000 signs in use at various periods
 - Last known cuneiform tablet: 75 CE (astronomical text from Babylon) [^2]
 

writing-systems/egyptian-hieroglyphics.md

@@ -7,20 +7,20 @@
 Egyptian hieroglyphics were the formal writing system of ancient Egypt, used for ~3,500 years on monuments, temples, and tombs. Deciphered by Jean-François Champollion in 1822 using the Rosetta Stone.
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Origin: ~3200 BCE (earliest examples from Abydos)
-- Period of use: ~3200 BCE – ~400 CE
+- Origin: ~3200 BCE (earliest examples from Abydos) @t[~3200 BCE]
+- Period of use: ~3200 BCE – ~400 CE @t[3200 BCE..400]
 - Number of signs: ~700 in classical usage (expanded to ~5,000 in Ptolemaic period)
 - Deciphered by: Jean-François Champollion (1822) using the Rosetta Stone [^1]
 
 ## System
 - Combination of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements
 - Written left-to-right, right-to-left, or top-to-bottom (direction indicated by which way figures face)
-- Hieratic: Cursive form for everyday use (~2600 BCE onward)
-- Demotic: Later cursive form (~650 BCE onward)
+- Hieratic: Cursive form for everyday use (~2600 BCE onward) @t[~2600 BCE]
+- Demotic: Later cursive form (~650 BCE onward) @t[~650 BCE]
 
 ## Key Artifacts
-- Rosetta Stone (196 BCE): Trilingual decree (hieroglyphic, Demotic, Greek) that enabled decipherment [^2]
-- Narmer Palette (~3100 BCE): Among the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions
+- Rosetta Stone (196 BCE): Trilingual decree (hieroglyphic, Demotic, Greek) that enabled decipherment @t[=196 BCE] [^2]
+- Narmer Palette (~3100 BCE): Among the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions @t[~3100 BCE]
 - Book of the Dead: Funerary texts with hieroglyphic illustrations
 
 ---

writing-systems/phoenician-alphabet.md

@@ -4,17 +4,17 @@
 # Phoenician Alphabet
 
 ## Overview
-The Phoenician alphabet (~1050 BCE) was the first widely-used phonetic alphabet, consisting of 22 consonant letters. It is the ancestor of virtually all modern alphabets including Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew.
+The Phoenician alphabet (~1050 BCE) was the first widely-used phonetic alphabet, consisting of 22 consonant letters. It is the ancestor of virtually all modern alphabets including Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew. @t[~1050 BCE]
 
 ## Key Facts
-- Origin: Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), ~1050 BCE
+- Origin: Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), ~1050 BCE @t[~1050 BCE]
 - Type: Abjad (consonantal alphabet, no vowels)
 - Number of letters: 22
 - Direction: Right to left
-- Derived from: Proto-Sinaitic/Proto-Canaanite script (~1800 BCE) [^1]
+- Derived from: Proto-Sinaitic/Proto-Canaanite script (~1800 BCE) @t[~1800 BCE] [^1]
 
 ## Descendants
-- Greek alphabet (~800 BCE): Added vowels, adapted letter forms
+- Greek alphabet (~800 BCE): Added vowels, adapted letter forms @t[~800 BCE]
 - Aramaic alphabet: Ancestor of Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and many Asian scripts
 - Latin alphabet (via Greek and Etruscan): Used by most of the modern world
 - South Arabian script: Ancestor of Ethiopic (Ge'ez) [^2]