This is a timeline or chronology of Yoruba history. It contains notable or important cultural, historical and political events in Yorubaland, its constituent kingdoms and its immediate region as it relates to the Yoruba people of West Africa. Many of the dates, especially those from the periods before written history are approximates, and are always indicated when shown. Do not add events that are not notable to this timeline.

12th millennium BC Year Image Event 12,000 Approximate time when the Iho Eleru man lived in present-day Yorubaland. Its remains would be discovered much later in 1965 alongside half a million stone tools near the village of Isarun as the only known Pleistocene era (Ice age) sample of a hominin fossil ever discovered in western Africa, 11.7–16.3ka years old.Harvati et al, 'The Later Stone Age Calvaria from Iwo Eleru, Nigeria: Morphology and Chronology', p. 5.

4th millennium BC Year Image Event 3250 BC By this period, the Proto-Yoruboid peoples had emerged as a distinct group out of a previously undifferentiated Volta-Congo group after the end of the 'big dry' in 3500 BC.

3rd millennium BC Year Date Event 2600 BC Radiocarbon dating of excavated charcoal samples obtained from layers between 1.90 and 2.01 meters deep at the Oke Eri grove in southern Yorubaland confirms the presence of human habitation and activity from an African late Stone Age (Bronze Age) population inhabiting the rain forest zone of south-central Yorubaland dating to this period.

1st millennium BC Year Date Event 1000s BC The Proto-Yoruboid peoples had demographically spread southwards and westwards from their Urheimat, a location suspected to be around the southwestern wedge of the Niger-Benue confluence. They establish several small-scale 'house societies' or clans throughout the forests, swamps and open grasslands of the region. 500 BC (Approx.) The ancient settlement of Ufẹ (Ifẹ) was founded in this time period or earlier. It started out as a group of tiny hamlets or 'house societies' in a swampy depression surrounded by hills in the heart of the Nigerian lowland forests like its contemporary societies across Yorubaland emerging at about the same period. Ife would however grow to become the Yoruba premier city and one of Africa's most impactful states through the spreading of its systems of monarchy, society, culture and religion by way of kingdom founding migrations, forming societal nuclei throughout the regions between the lower Niger and Volta rivers. 300 BC Human remains ("Itaakpa man") and other archeological evidence from the Itaakpa rock shelter and other associated sites; Abuke, Oluwaju and Addo, west of present-day Ife-Ijumu shows the presence of people and settlement in northeastern Yorubaland by this period. Materials recovered include; Pottery, Charred palm kernels, and Microlith tools. It is one of only four archaeological site in Nigeria (alongside Iho Eleru: [12,000 BC], Daima I: [550 BC - 50 CE] and Rop: [25 BC]) to have ever produced late stone age era human remains.2

Centuries: 1st century AD2nd century AD3rd century AD4th century AD5th century AD6th century AD7th century AD8th century AD - 9th century AD - 10th century AD - 11th century AD - 12th century AD - 13th century AD - 14th century AD - 15th century AD - 16th century AD - 17th century AD - 18th century AD - 19th century AD - 20th century AD - 21st century AD

2nd century AD Year Image Event 132 AD Extensive Iron smelting in northeastern Yorubaland. Archaeological work at the Oluwaju rockshelter produces large quantities of iron-working related debris (tuyeres, iron slag, arrowheads, tools etc.) and other evidence of extensive bloomery type smelting dating to the period of 1840BP ± 125 years , at a depth of 35cm. Further in situ materials recovered from the site show that iron related work likely began much earlier into the first millennium BCE based on samples excavated from deeper depths (83cm).

3rd century AD Year Image Event250 ADBy around AD 250, linguistic evidence indicates that Proto-Yoruboid had differentiated into at least three daughter languages: proto-Igala, proto-Itsekiri, and proto-Yoruba. Proto-Yoruba subsequently developed into the contemporary Yoruba language varieties.

7th century AD Year Image Event 600 AD Ọbas emerge as the title for leaders presiding over the bigger sociopolitical group formations taking shape in central and northeastern Yorubaland as mega-houses. The roots of these newer polities lay in the earlier 'house-societies' or clans that had dominated society since at least the 4th-5th century BCE. In parts of the hilly Ekiti, Ijẹsha and Yagba regions, Ọwa (‘house leaders’) was in co-use. In the southeast, Ọlọja (‘community leader’) was the dominant terminology used for the emerging heads, while in the west, Olu (‘highest ranking’) was also commonly used. 656 AD The sacred historical site and early community of Ọrun Ọba Ado was established. There, both locally produced Ifẹ HLHA Glass as well as foreign sourced soda-lime glass have been found occurring, demonstrating that Ifẹ may have been part of far reaching/extensive trade networks by this time period.

8th century AD Year Image Event 700 AD Thirteen mega-houses had formed in Ifẹ, the largest of which was Idita Iranje The initial thirteen mega-houses then entered into a confederal political agreement with rotational leadership as the first mini-state in Yorubaland. Some of the thirteen clan rulers included; Ọbaluru, Ọba ijio, Ọbawinrin, Ọbalẹjugbẹ and Ọbameri, among others, under the leadership of personalities like Ọranfẹ (Ọramfẹ) followed by Obatala. In this Pre-Oduduwa period, the crowns worn by these Obas were called Oro. They were simple head pieces made of straw, and were the precursors to the more complex, intricately decorated and heavily beaded Ade of Yorubaland, and later on, the Edo. The Ide Oro is still worn by high ranking chiefs in modern day Ife. 800 AD ~ The current Yoruba language dialectal clusters had become differentiated into three of its current five groupings with the exception of northwestern and southwestern Yoruba which seem not to have developed yet at this time period. They had also become the largest integrated cultural group in West Africa south of the Niger river in terms of population size and geographic spread.

9th century AD Year Image Event 800 AD Ifẹ transforms into a powerful forest city-state, accompanied by the commencement of an artistic era. The city begins experiencing an artistic production boom transforming Ifẹ into a major center of innovation. The Idena "gatekeeper" and Ore (Ọlọfẹfura) figures carved out of solid granite at the entrance of the Ore grove (Igbo Ore) associated with Oke Ora in Ile-Ifẹ are created. The figures are shown standing upright with interlocked fingers, a bare torso, a large wrapper girded by a tasseled sash around his lower body, beaded bracelets and globular beads strung into a circular neck adornment. The Idena statue offers some insight into the clothing customs, religion, and culture of people who lived in central Yorubaland around the year 800. 840 AD Archaeological findings and excavations from round mounds in Old Oyo or Ọyọ-ile, the area which would later on become the capital city of the Oyo Empire confirms the presence of human activity and settlement in northwestern Yorubaland by this period. 870 AD The defensive earthworks (embankments) of Sungbo's Eredo in the area of the Ijẹbu country in south-central Yorubaland was built. With a length of 165 km and a height of between 5m and 20m in the deepest parts with vertical sided walls, building it involved moving an estimated 3.5 million m³ of earth. It has been suggested that the Eredo was constructed in phases, with the eastern section built first as a defensive fortification by an earlier Yoruba population called the Udoko, and the western section built later by Obanta of the Ijẹbu period. It is considered the single largest earthen structure ever built in Africa, and with LiDAR survey now considered the largest earthen enclosure in the world. 890 AD Thermoluminescence dating of the Esiẹ soapstone statues places them in this period. The Esiẹ figurines, numbering more than 1,000 are the largest collection of carved stone statues in Africa. The figures bear strong resemblance with those from the Ifẹ's early formative period and may have been made by an early Ifẹ-linked group of with an organized society called the 'Ọba cultural complex'.

10th century AD Year Image Event 900 AD~ The concept of divine kingship i.e The Ọba being a God-King, member of the Orisha, and an embodiment of a divinity became the standard in Ifẹ from where it would become the template of governance and social order throughout the entire region. The Yoruba religious practice of Ifá also became standardized in Ifẹ around this time although it had been developing gradually with its nexus of practise based in locations across central Yorubaland since Ifẹ's early formative period (500-800 AD). Ifẹ would continue to maintain this ritual primacy for many centuries afterwards. Ifẹ begins the indigenous production of glass, a technology previously thought unknown in sub-Saharan Africa and develops a product trade monopoly. Circulation of Ife beads began sometime around 900CE and archaeological excavations at the site of Igbo Olokun yielded more than 13,000 glass beads and several kilograms of crucibles, production debris and vitrified residue dating from at least the 11th century. Chemical analysis of the Ifẹ or Yoruba glass revealed a unique chemical signature completely different from other known glass types from around the world. Colorants including manganese, iron, cobalt, and copper were intentionally added to produce a range of colors, including shades of dichroic blue-green (Ṣẹgi, Akori or "Coris"), colorless, multicolored, dark grey/black and red-yellow (Iyùn). These glass beads from Ile-Ifẹ Have been found at the archaeological sites of; Kissi, Diouboye, Gao, Essouk, Kumbi Saleh and in Kanem on the Lake Chad, showing Ifẹ's participation as a primary production centre in a greater West African trade network which had made it very wealthy.900s AD Oduduwa, a leader from the community of Oke Ora (Ọra's hill) to Ifẹ's east takes control of kingship in the Ifẹ valley, ushering in Ifẹ's 'late formative period' also known as the Oduduwa Era or second dynasty, which was marked by political, religious and economic consolidation. Ifẹ's main economic base shifted from agrarian to craft specialist. Ifẹ developed into a market town/trading hub of considerable importance with a broad network of tributary territories. Its simultaneous emergence as a southern terminal node of a Trans-Saharan trade network which was the early source of copper imports into West Africa, as well as its central location right in the middle of the bulge of the so-called ‘Nigerian lowland forests’ ecoregion east of the relatively drier Dahomey Gap, allowed it to occupy a central position in regional trade.

11th century AD