From Ancient Persia To Contemporary Iran: Selected Historical
Predynastic Era  8000 BC -- The Agricultural Revolution made possible permanent settlements and the creation of complex civilizations. The Iranian plateau became the cradle of one of the oldest civilizations in history.  5000 BC -- The Haji Firuz Tepe Wine Jar, discovered in Iran, is the oldest archaeological finding of wine-making in the world.  3900 BC -- Sialk (near Kashan), the first city on the Iranian plateau, was built.  1500-800 BC -- The Persians and the Medes, two groups of Aryan nomads, migrated to the Iranian plateau from central Asia.  1000 BC -- The Prophet Zoroaster was one of the first prophets to introduce the concepts of: monotheism, duality of good and evil, mankind's free choice between the two alternatives,messianic redemption, resurrection, final judgement, heaven (the word "paradise" comes from Old Persian), hell and the notion of an almighty, kind, loving and forgiving God. He believed man's salvation in life and in the afterlife could only be ensured through Good Thoughts, Good Words and Good Deeds. Many of these concepts had a profound influence on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Persians adopted Zoroastrianism at a time when Greeks and, later, Romans still practiced polytheistic religions. (There is some dispute concerning Zoroaster's exact period.)