diff --git a/src/matrix/room/timeline/persistence/GapWriter.js b/src/matrix/room/timeline/persistence/GapWriter.js
index 9d22407a..bcd3f6ea 100644
--- a/src/matrix/room/timeline/persistence/GapWriter.js
+++ b/src/matrix/room/timeline/persistence/GapWriter.js
@@ -10,28 +10,18 @@ export default class GapWriter {
     }
     // events is in reverse-chronological order (last event comes at index 0) if backwards
     async _findOverlappingEvents(fragmentEntry, events, txn) {
-        const {direction} = fragmentEntry;
-        // make it in chronological order, so findFirstOrLastOccurringEventId can
-        // use it's supposed optimization if event ids sorting order correlates with timeline chronology.
-        // premature optimization?
-        if (direction.isBackward) {
-            events = events.slice().reverse();
-        }
         const eventIds = events.map(e => e.event_id);
-        const findLast = direction.isBackward;
         let nonOverlappingEvents = events;
         let neighbourFragmentEntry;
-        const neighbourEventId = await txn.timelineEvents.findFirstOrLastOccurringEventId(this._roomId, eventIds, findLast);
+        const neighbourEventId = await txn.timelineEvents.findFirstOccurringEventId(this._roomId, eventIds);
         if (neighbourEventId) {
             console.log("_findOverlappingEvents neighbourEventId", neighbourEventId);
             // trim overlapping events
             const neighbourEventIndex = events.findIndex(e => e.event_id === neighbourEventId);
-            const start = direction.isBackward ? neighbourEventIndex + 1 : 0;
-            const end = direction.isBackward ? events.length : neighbourEventIndex;
-            nonOverlappingEvents = events.slice(start, end);
+            nonOverlappingEvents = events.slice(0, neighbourEventIndex);
             // get neighbour fragment to link it up later on
             const neighbourEvent = await txn.timelineEvents.getByEventId(this._roomId, neighbourEventId);
-            console.log("neighbourEvent", {neighbourEvent, start, end, nonOverlappingEvents, events, neighbourEventIndex});
+            console.log("neighbourEvent", {neighbourEvent, nonOverlappingEvents, events, neighbourEventIndex});
             const neighbourFragment = await txn.timelineFragments.get(this._roomId, neighbourEvent.fragmentId);
             neighbourFragmentEntry = fragmentEntry.createNeighbourEntry(neighbourFragment);
         }
diff --git a/src/matrix/storage/idb/stores/TimelineEventStore.js b/src/matrix/storage/idb/stores/TimelineEventStore.js
index ac4ada9a..7c333245 100644
--- a/src/matrix/storage/idb/stores/TimelineEventStore.js
+++ b/src/matrix/storage/idb/stores/TimelineEventStore.js
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ export default class TimelineEventStore {
         return events;
     }
 
-    /** Finds the first (or last if `findLast=true`) eventId that occurs in the store, if any.
+    /** Finds the first eventId that occurs in the store, if any.
      *  For optimal performance, `eventIds` should be in chronological order.
      *
      *  The order in which results are returned might be different than `eventIds`.
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ export default class TimelineEventStore {
     // In that case we could avoid running over all eventIds, as the reported order by findExistingKeys
     // would match the order of eventIds. That's why findLast is also passed as backwards to keysExist.
     // also passing them in chronological order makes sense as that's how we'll receive them almost always.
-    async findFirstOrLastOccurringEventId(roomId, eventIds, findLast = false) {
+    async findFirstOccurringEventId(roomId, eventIds) {
         const byEventId = this._timelineStore.index("byEventId");
         const keys = eventIds.map(eventId => [roomId, eventId]);
         const results = new Array(keys.length);
@@ -175,9 +175,7 @@ export default class TimelineEventStore {
 
         // find first result that is found and has no undefined results before it
         function firstFoundAndPrecedingResolved() {
-            let inc = findLast ? -1 : 1;
-            let start = findLast ? results.length - 1 : 0;
-            for(let i = start; i >= 0 && i < results.length; i += inc) {
+            for(let i = 0; i < results.length; ++i) {
                 if (results[i] === undefined) {
                     return;
                 } else if(results[i] === true) {
@@ -186,7 +184,7 @@ export default class TimelineEventStore {
             }
         }
 
-        await byEventId.findExistingKeys(keys, findLast, (key, found) => {
+        await byEventId.findExistingKeys(keys, false, (key, found) => {
             const index = keys.indexOf(key);
             results[index] = found;
             firstFoundKey = firstFoundAndPrecedingResolved();