<P> Middle - earth is the north continent of Earth ( Arda ) in an imaginary period of the Earth 's past ( Tolkien placed the end of the Third Age at about 6,000 years before his own time ) , in the sense of a `` secondary or sub-creational reality '' . Its general position is reminiscent of Europe , with the environs of the Shire intended to be reminiscent of England ( more specifically , the West Midlands , with Hobbiton set at the same latitude as Oxford ) . </P>
<P> Middle - earth is the north continent of Earth ( Arda ) in an imaginary period of the Earth 's past ( Tolkien placed the end of the Third Age at about 6,000 years before his own time ) , in the sense of a `` secondary or sub-creational reality '' . Its general position is reminiscent of Europe , with the environs of the Shire intended to be reminiscent of England ( more specifically , the West Midlands , with Hobbiton set at the same latitude as Oxford ) . </P>
when did the events of the hobbit take place
when did the events of the hobbit take place
Tolkien placed the end of the Third Age at about 6,000 years before his own time
Tolkien placed the end of the Third Age at about 6,000 years before his own time