Third Age

The Third Age is a period of time in Middle-earth lasting for about 3021 years. It is characterized by Isildur losing the One Ring and his descendants losing their throne, Sauron re-rising to power after his defeat at the end of the Second Age, the rediscovery of the Ring, the Fellowship of the Ring, the War of the Ring, and, finally, the destruction of the Ring and Sauron. The Third Age officially ends two years afterward, with the departure of Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel, and Bilbo and Frodo Baggins to Valinor, but some people say it ends on the day of Sauron's defeat.

Events of the Third Age are chronicled in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.