Here is the complete Timeline of Arda in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth canon - from Arda's creation to the last known events of the Fourth Age.

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Timeline

Before the creation of the Sun, few dates can be given, and the dates that are are given in Valinorean Years, which are about a decade in length.

Before the creation of Eä

Creation of Arda

VY 500: Many Ainur enter Arda and become the Valar and Maiar; shaping of Arda begins; creation of the elder stars by Varda.

VY 1980: The First War: Melkor assaults his brethren, and Arda's "symmetry is marred".

Tulkas arrives, the last of the Valar to descend into Arda. Melkor runs from him and hides in the Outer Void.

Endured 5 ages, or 15,000 years approx.

c. 30000: Years of the Sun

From this time on years are of normal length. Events from Valinor during the Years of the Sun cannot be accurately dated.

First Age— approximately 590 years long

Second Age

— 3441 years long

Third Age

— 3021 years long Note on Shire Reckoning: Year 1601 of the Third Age, in which the Shire was founded, is year 1 of the Shire Reckoning. Thus, Third Age years can be converted into their Shire equivalents by deducting 1600.

Fourth Age

— length unknown

In the reckoning of Gondor, the Fourth Age began on March 25, 3021. Since most of the following events were dated according to the Shire Reckoning, their years in the Fourth Age cannot be stated with certainty. Some events may have occurred in the following year of the Fourth Age.

Recreation of Arda

Dagor Dagorath (prophesized)

— length unknown

Beginning unknown

?- Morgoth discovers how to break The Door of Night.

? - Morgoth turns the sun and moon into dragonborn, all becomes dark.

? - Earendil descends and meets with Tulkas, Manwë, Eönwë and Turin Turambar

? - The Final Battle of Dagor Dagorath begins on the fields of Valinor

? - Opposites forces fight, Tulkas wrestles with Morgoth

? - Turin destroys Morgoth, Final Death of Morgoth

? - The three Silmarils are recovered from Morgoth, Feanor breaks them, and recreates the Two Trees (new replacement of light)

? - Pelori Mountains are beveled

? - Battle will end and will result in the recreation of Arda, Elves will awaken.

? - Second Music of the Ainur

Major Battles

Before the Sun and Moon

First Age

See also Battles of Beleriand.

Second Age

Third Age

Fourth Age

No major battle was recorded. Only minor battles of the Reunited Kingdom versus hostile Haradrim and Easterling Tribes were mentioned.

The End of Arda

Chronological Table of the Quest to destroy the Ring

The Lord of the Rings is unusual among Tolkien's works in that a large part of it is not written in Chronological Order. This chronology aligns the chapters by date.

|- |3019 |Mar. 5 |Flotsam and Jetsam |Flotsam and Jetsam The Voice of Saruman

|The Black Gate Opens





Other Chronologies and Lines of Descent

Notes

1Silmariën was definitely the eldest child of Tar-Elendil, and her birthdate is given several times as SA 521. In the Tale of Years, the entry of Silmariën's birthdate is given as SA 548, a date that goes back to the first drafts of that text (see Silmariën's article for details).

2In the Tale of years, it says in SA 2251 "Tar-Atanamir takes the sceptre", however, Atanamir died in SA 2221. SA 2221 is itself an emendation of SA 2251, and the former (SA 2221) appears in the later tables, while the latter (SA 2251) in the earlier tables: therefore SA 2251 (properly SA 2221) should have read "Death of Tar-Atanamir. Tar-Ancalimon takes the sceptre."

3In one table (probably an earlier draft) of the Kings of Gondor, Castamir's birthdate is given at TA 1159, however this is clearly impossible: Eldacar was born in SA 1255, and they are in the same generation, so SA 1259 is more correct.

4The date of Sam's birth in the genealogies is SR 1380 (equivalent to TA 2980), however the Tale of Years gives it as TA 2983, which is incorrect; in SR 1476, Sam is said to have been ninety-six years old, so TA 2980 is more correct than SA 2983.

5 Lalia (b. SR 1283) only appears in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Pearl is the older sister of Pippin. See Took clan.