Who told you, and who sent you?
| History of Arda | ||
|---|---|---|
| Music of the Ainur | ||
| Timeline of Arda | ||
| Days before days | ||
| Years of the Trees | ||
| Years of the Sun | ||
| Ages of the Children of Ilúvatar | ||
| First Age (Y.T. 1050 - Y.S. 590) | ||
| Second Age (S.A. 1 - 3441) | ||
| Third Age (T.A. 1 - 3021) | ||
| Fourth Age (Fo.A. 1 - ?) | ||
| Later Ages (up to present day) | ||
| Dagor Dagorath | ||
| Second Music of the Ainur | ||
| See also: Round World version of the legendarium | ||
The Third Age came to its end in the War of the Ring; but the Fourth Age was not held to have begun until Master Elrond departed, and the time was come for the dominion of Men and the decline of all other ‘speaking-peoples’ in Middle-earth.
The Third Age, often abbreviated to T.A., began after the first downfall of Sauron, when he was defeated by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men following the downfall of Númenor.
This age was characterized by the rise and decline of the exiled Númenorean kingdoms, in contrast to the slow recovery of Sauron's power. In the meantime the Elves, Dwarves and other peoples did little new; also known as the Fading Years, the Age marked the waning of the Elves.
It lasted for 3021 years, only ending after the defeat of Sauron had finally and utterly been achieved by destroying his Ruling Ring. With the One Ring gone, the power of three rings waned and the realms that had been preserved by them began to fade. These events prompted many of the Eldar remaining in Middle-earth to sail for the Uttermost West, and so much memory and beauty were lost to Middle-earth for ever. After the Last Riding of the Keepers of the Rings, the Fourth Age began.
Major events of the Third Age
| Military[note 1] | Political | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st millennium |
| ||
| 2nd millennium | |||
| 3rd millennium |
|
| |
| 4th millennium |
|
|
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ Only wars and isolated battles are mentioned as events; for battles being part of larger campaigns, look the campaigns' respective articles
References
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, Appendix B: The Tale of Years (Chronology of the Westlands), p. 1082