New Middle-earth timeline

 

The timeline shows key dates and events during the Fourth Age, the Sixth Age (the AD or Common Era) and the Seventh Age (commencing 2001 CE)

Read New Middle-earth: exploring beyond the mountains
 

The Fourth Age

 1st Century
= c 50 Celeborn removes to Rivendell.
= 64 The Thain's Book, a copy of the Red Book of Westmarch, is taken to Minas Tirith and is subsequently amended and annotated in Gondor.
= c 100 Celeborn passes into the West. Gelydion (Rómendil) is retained by Elessar as Master of Lore.
 
 2nd Century
= 120 The passing of King Elessar. Eldarion succeeds to the throne of the Reunited Kingdom.
= 172 Findegil's copy of the annotated Thain's Book is taken to Great Smials in the Shire.
= 183 Rómendil completes the Parma Taratirion.
= 187 (Quenya) copies of the Parma Taratirion are established at Annúminas and Dol Amroth.
 
 3rd Century
= 227 The passing of King Eldarion. Rómendil leaves the Court.
 
 6th Century
= c 500 The illustrated Commentaries first appear in the North.
= 512 Scholars of Annúminas record the appearance of the Commentaries (cited by Aerlinn).
 
 10th Century
= c 970 Unrest begins throughout the Reunited Kingdom.
= 976 Southron invasion of Eriador during the reign of Arbelleth, thirteenth king of the Reunited Kingdom.
= c 977 The death of Arbelleth and division of the kingdom. Arbalad becomes southern king: a northern throne is established at Annúminas. The civil disruption reawakens interest in the Book of Visions. The Wise of both kingdoms integrate the Parma with their star-lore and calendrical traditions. Amongst the populace the Westron Book of Visions and Commentaries give rise to new systems of divination: lassi ('leaves', ie cards) in the North, serni ('stones') in the South.
 
 13th Century
= 1223 The library of Minas Tirith transfers to Dol Amroth.
= c 1280 Following the loss by fire of the library of Annúminas, Dol Amroth becomes the principal centre of learning in the Two Kingdoms.
 
 15th Century
= c 1420 Birth of Aerlinn of Tol Falas.
= c 1434 At age fourteen, Aerlinn begins his studies at Dol Amroth.
= c 1445 Aerlinn discovers a 'lost' copy of the Commentaries. Recognising it as the link between the 'Wisdom of Life' and the popular 'Lore of Life, Leaf & Stone', Aerlinn works over some forty years to prove his conviction.
= 1485 Aerlinn completes his Notes on the History of the Parma Taratirion & the Commentaries of Rómendil at Dol Amroth.
At some later point the Parma Taratirion, Commentaries and Aerlinn 's Notes became integrated into a single work, together with the unattributed text 'The Lore of Life, Leaf & Stone', which was most likely composed after 1485. A copy of this composite work comprised the 'ancient book' which arrived on Lindisfarne in the seventh century of the Common Era.

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The Sixth Age

 7th Century
= c 660 Around this time the 'ancient book' arrives on Lindisfarne (Holy Island) off the north east coast of England.
= c 680 Herefrid, abbot of Lindisfarne, translates much of the Parma Taratirion and Commentaries into Old English (Anglo Saxon) in the Grey Book of Lindisfarne.
 
 9th Century
= c 870 Witmaer, monk of Lindisfarne, completes Herefrid's translations in the Grey Book. He also translates Aerlinn's Notes in the Green Book of Lindisfarne.
= c 860 Birth of Hundred ('Aelfwine') of Warwick.
= c 882 Hundred obtains the Grey and the Green Books of Lindisfarne, from the monk Witmaer.
= c 892 With the aid of the ylfe, Hundred completes his Boc þaera Hehsighðana.
Some time after this (but before 915), Hundred sails 'into the west', taking with him the Grey and Green Books. The Boc þaera Hehsighðana is left on Scilly, probably with Christian hermits.
 
 19th Century
= c 1835 The 'Tresco MS' is discovered during the building of Tresco Abbey or the excavation of its gardens on the site of the old priory.
= 1883 The Tresco MS is acquired by Rev G Bennett from T A Dorrien Smith, Governor of Scilly.
= c 1885 Bennett translates Hundred's Preface and the first part of Aerlinn's Notes, and also writes brief notes on the manuscript's discovery.
= 1892 Birth of JRR Tolkien.
 
 20th Century
 See a diagram of this period.
= c 1911 Acquisition or discovery by JRRT of the Great Hoard, probably before he starts at Oxford University. Including the 'Ylfic Papers' (a "bundle" of individual yellow leaves, not whole books or anything like that) in a then-unknown tongue, plus the voluminous 'Elven Histories' (Old English).
= 1914 JRRT visits the Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall. He meets certain of the ylfe and trades stories from the Great Hoard, which he has begun translating, for their own Tales. Inspired, JRRT returns to Oxford. Later he entrusts the Ylfic Papers to one of the ylfe before he goes to the Great War.
= 1917 The now-translated Ylfic Papers are returned to JRRT. During his convalescence, he attempts to integrate the translated tales with the oral traditions of the ylfe of Cornwall. Eventually published as The Book of Lost Tales: forerunner to 'The Silmarillion'.
= 1925-30 Now at Leeds University, JRRT turns his attention to the 'Elven Histories' - the start of 'The Silmarillion' proper.
= pre 1930 JRRT acquires the Red Book (almost certainly not part of the Great Hoard). Translated as The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
= 1937 Publication of The Hobbit.
= 1954 Publication of The Lord of the Rings.
= 1968 The Tresco MS and associated material is obtained by Alice Bailey.
= c 1970 First realisation by Alice Bailey that the Tresco MS provides historical verification of the tales translated and published by JRRT.
= 1973 Death of JRR Tolkien.
= 1977 Publication of The Silmarillion.
= 1990 First full translation of the Tresco MS into modern English (completed 1995, Martin Baker, currently unpublished).
= 1992 Archaeological excavations at Sørøya, northern Norway (see New Scientist April 17 1993, page 4).
= 1995 Pottery shards and silver jewellery found at the primary Sørøya site are identified as artefacts from the lost northern kingdom of Arnor (unpublished communication to the author).
= 1996 Launch of Middle-earth Reunion smial (MeRS).
Publication, in Reunion magazine issue 1, of New Middle-earth: Exploring Beyond the Mountains in which details of the Tresco MS are first presented.
= 1998 MeRS wins the Tolkien Society "Smial of the Year 1998" award.
= 1999 First contact with Ellen & Kai Elder, who relate much concerning the provenance of Tolkien's sources.
Launch of the Arda Online at Parish's Garden website.

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The Seventh Age

= 2001 Year one of the Seventh Age.
Relaunch of MeRS as Middle-earth Reunion, the alternative tolkien society. Launch of the alt-tolkien.com website.
Release of The Fellowship of the Ring movie.

 

Sources

This timeline is based on New Midde-earth: exploring beyond the mountains.

The Fourth Age

  1. JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.
  2. Aerlinn's Notes on the History of the Parma Taratirion & the Commentaries of Rómendil.

The Sixth Age

  1. Hundred's Preface to the Book of Visions (Boc þaera Hehsighðana).
  2. Humphrey Carpenter's JRR Tolkien: an autobiography.
  3. Personal correspondence between Martin Baker, Kai and Ellen Elder, published as The Teller of Lost Tales Revisited.

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