* Antiquity: The period of time from the beginning of written records to the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
* Middle Ages: The period of time from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the Renaissance.
* Early Modern period: The period of time from the Renaissance to the French Revolution.
* Late Modern period: The period of time from the French Revolution to the present.
Other major periods in history have been named after specific events, such as the Cold War or the Industrial Revolution.