Tolkien's final First Age timeline

[Huinesoron]

As Arvegil says, the good news for the Late Timeline is that it's explicitly using Tolkien's latest (written) thoughts. So until a new text appears, this Timeline has place 9258 years between the crossing of the Misty Mountains and the end of the First Age.

Version 5 of the timeline is now ongoing; I've highlighted all the dates which will need changing. The fundamental problem is that the only source for most of the Aman years is the Annals, which are so much older than the rest of the sources that it's not even funny.

I think the timeline down to the Noldor reaching Aman is solid (it's basically all from one source). That means there are a firm 8495 SY between the Noldor landing in Valinor and Fingolfin landing in Middle-earth. That time has to be broken up to reflect:

1. The 367 VY (= 3670 or 3516 or 52 848 SY) of the Annals of Aman.
2. The same timespan in the Grey Annals, which references the three ages of Melkor's chaining.
3. The various comments on the lineage of Finwe in the Shibboleth and Finwe and Miriel.
4. The fact that, somehow and for some reason, the Noldor only had two generations of children in that time.

At least it's exactly 59 Valian Years... that makes it look like a little thought went into it. I'm going to have to go back and look at the text on Elvish aging, see if I can pull out any useful hints about them aging slower in Aman.

EDIT: I've also edited the stuff on the Dwarves in, though I don't think it's added any new dates.

hS