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Early Civilizations of the Near East

What is civilization"?. The easy answer: a complex culture in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements."Urban centersReligious structurePolitical and military structuresClass structureWritingArtistic and intellectual activity. Mesopotamia. Means, land between two ri

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Early Civilizations of the Near East

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    1. Early Civilizations of the Near East

    2. What is “civilization”? The easy answer: “a complex culture in which large numbers of people share a variety of common elements.” Urban centers Religious structure Political and military structures Class structure Writing Artistic and intellectual activity

    3. Mesopotamia Means, “land between two rivers” (referring to the Tigris and Euphrates). Area also known as the Fertile Crescent. Perfect area for the cultivation of agriculture due to the rich soil in the river valleys, hence the name above. Civilization had advanced by 3000 B.C.E. and included several independent city-states—Sumerians the most important.

    5. The Sumerians First to develop a system of writing. City-states of Sumeria included Sumer, Eridu, Ur, Uruk, Umma, and Lagash. Buildings and walls were constructed of mud brick. Temple complexes known as ziggurats.

    8. Writing Early system of writing in Sumeria called cuneiform. Used to record official business of the government. Tax records and laws Record things of religious importance. Myths and genealogy.

    10. Hammurabi’s Code Hammurabi ruled Sumeria from 1792-1750 B.C.E. from Babylon. Compiled code of 282 laws (not the first, but the most complete). What can we discern about society from these laws?

    11. Sumerian Religion Much of our knowledge of religion comes from The Epic of Gilgamesh. Pantheistic or polytheistic An (god of the sky), Enki (god of the earth), e.g. Creation of civilization, rather than humanity. Ancient kings portrayed as god-men rather than mere mortals. Great flood (Utnapishtim builds a huge boat in a similar fashion to Noah). Afterlife, or Netherworld.

    13. Egypt Egyptian culture was/is influenced by geography. Nile River, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea Egypt divided geographically into Upper and Lower Egypt. North = Lower; South = Upper Area south of Egypt referred to as Nubia (modern-day Sudan and Ethiopia).

    16. Egyptian History Ancient Egypt is divided into three basic periods. Old Kingdom (3100 B.C.E. – 2055 B.C.E.) Middle Kingdom (2055 B.C.E. – 1550 B.C.E.) New Kingdom (1550 B.C.E. – 30 B.C.E.) Sources of history were originally writings of the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans. Modern people could not read ancient hieroglyphics until the mid-nineteenth century.

    17. Egyptian Writing

    18. Hieroglyphics

    19. Egyptian Religion Pantheistic/polytheistic Belief in magic spells and an afterlife as seen in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Pharaoh ruled as a god. Mummification ritual largely a religious act, but also indicative of class status in Egyptian society. Humans and sacred animals were mummified.

    21. Pyramids Constructed during the Old Kingdom period as part of a temple complex. Largest—Great Pyramid of Giza—was constructed in 2540 B.C.E. by Khufu. Acted as the pharaoh’s tomb and a symbol of royal power. Mysteries associated with pyramids: how were they built?; astronomical accuracy.

    23. Old Kingdom (3100 B.C.E. – 2055 B.C.E.) Either Narmer or Menes unites Upper and Lower Egypt, 3100 B.C.E. Pharaohs ruled Egypt as god-kings with an iron fist. Bureaucracy developed out of royal family. Egypt divided into provinces.

    24. Middle Kingdom (2055 B.C.E. – 1550 B.C.E) Middle Kingdom marked by a period of peace and prosperity. Pharaohs ruled as shepherds—building public works for people and protecting society. Period ends in with chaos and conquest.

    25. New Kingdom (1550 B.C.E. – 30 B.C.E) Time between Old and New Kingdoms, Egypt was ruled by the Hyksos people. From these people, Egyptians learned to use horse-drawn carts and chariots. Used the technology to overcome their conquerors. New Kingdom marked by period of wealth and expansion.

    27. Akhenaten’s Religious Change Amenhotep IV (c. 1364-1347 B.C.E.) introduced worship of a sun god—Aten. Changed his own name to Akhenaten. Turned Egypt into a monotheistic society, briefly. Temples of other gods were closed. Ancient capital moved out of Thebes. Loss of territory in Syria and Palestine.

    29. Family Life in Ancient Egypt Monogamy was generally the rule unless the first wife bore no children. Adultery was not tolerated. Divorce possible with alimony to wife. Patriarchal society, but women were respected as keepers of the household (though not rulers). A few female pharaohs too. Women owned property and could inherit.

    32. End of Egyptian Hegemony What is hegemony? Egyptian hegemony of NW Africa will end in 1085 B.C.E. when the area is controlled by various conquerors until 1922 C.E. Libyans and Nubians. Persians Greeks Romans Arab Muslims Ottoman Turks French and British

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