1 / 33

The Beginnings of Civilization: Exploring Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Western Civilization

Dive into the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, and discover the defining features of Western civilization. Learn about the rise of kingdoms, empires, and conquests, as well as the food-producing revolution and the development of writing. Explore the cultural continuities and encounters with other civilizations, and uncover the fascinating epic myths of Gilgamesh and Isis & Osiris. Witness the collapse of ancient empires and the transformation of history.

goldiee
Download Presentation

The Beginnings of Civilization: Exploring Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Western Civilization

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Beginnings of Civilization, 10,000-1150 B.C.E. • Defining Civilization, Defining Western Civilization • Mesopotamia: Kingdoms, Empires, and Conquests • Egypt: The Empire of the Nile

  2. Defining Civilization, Defining Western Civilization • The Food-Producing Revolution • Paleolithic Age, 200,000-100,000 years ago • Homo sapiens • Cave art • Hunter-gatherers • Domestication

  3. Defining Civilization, Defining Western Civilization • First food-Producing Communities • Levantine Corridor (Fertile Crescent) • Abu Hureya • Zagros Mountains • Anatolia • Çatal Hüyük • Obsidian trade

  4. Defining Civilization, Defining Western Civilization • Transformations in Europe • Agricultural communities – 6000 B.C.E. • Farming communities – 2500 B.C.E. • Technological shifts • Metallurgy and Plow • Megaliths

  5. Mesopotamia: Kingdoms, Empires, and Conquests • Sumerian Kingdoms • 13-35 major cities by 2500 B.C.E. • Uruk • 50,000 people/redistributive economies • Religion and political life intertwined • End of Sumerian city-states 2340 B.C.E.

  6. Mesopotamia: Kingdoms, Empires, and Conquests • Akkadian Empire of Sargon the Great • Sargon, 2340-2305 B.C.E. • Standing army • Composite bow • Anarchy – 2250 B.C.E.

  7. Mesopotamia: Kingdoms, Empires, and Conquests • Ur III Dynasty and Rise of Assyria • Ur-Nammu, 2112-2095 B.C.E. • Administrative bureaucracy

  8. Mesopotamia: Kingdoms, Empires, and Conquests • Assyria and Babylonia • Assyria • Ashur • Trading network • Babylon • Hammurabi, 1792-1750 B.C.E.

  9. Mesopotamia: Kingdoms, Empires, and Conquests • Cultural Continuities: Transmission of Mesopotamian Cultures • Mesopotamian World View • Religion - Polytheistic/Ziggurat • Science - Divination/Deduction • Development of Writing - Cuneiform • “Epic of Gilgamesh” • “Law Code of Hammurabi”

  10. Egypt – The Empire of the Nile • Egypt’s Rise to Empire • The Old Kingdom • Unification, 3500-3000 B.C.E. • Kings • Pyramids • Hieroglyphics

  11. Egypt – The Empire of the Nile • The Middle Kingdom, 2040-1720 B.C.E. • Mentuhotep II, r. 2060-2010 B.C.E.

  12. Egypt – The Empire of the Nile • Encounters with Other Civilizations • Nubia (Sudan) • Gold and ivory • Canaan • Hyksos dynasty, 1650-1540 B.C.E.

  13. Egypt – The Empire of the Nile • The New Kingdom: The Egyptian Empire in the Bronze Age • King Ahmose I, r. 1550-1525 B.C.E. • Pharaoh • Thutmose I, r. 1504-1492 B.C.E. • Thutmose II, r. 1491-1479 B.C.E. • “God’s Wife of Amun” • Hatshepsut

  14. Mesopotamian & Egyptian Epic/Myths • Gilgamesh (Mesopotamia) & Isis & Osiris: As Leaders/Exemplars • Role of Gods, humans, semi-divine beings (see introduction, pp. xxxvii and after) • Gilgamesh--1/3rd man, 2/3rds god--father Lugalbanda, mother--Ninsun, goddess • Gender roles: men and women, divine/mortal beings • Humans and nature: • Relationship of gods to nature: nature functions to feed/sustain the gods • Relationship of humans to nature: humans work, produce food and goods to sustain gods • Role of magic, supernatural: to interpret dreams, omens, through which the gods speak • Humans and gods: gods control forces which determine human fate • Central role of immortality in stories • Role in History and Literature: • Gilgamesh -cuneiform tablets, found in ruins of royal library of Ninevah (near Mosul, Iraq), from Assyrian Empire ruled by King Ashurbanipal • Written in Akkadian—Babylonian • Gradual transformation of story: “Surpassing All Kings…” to “He Who Saw the Deep” • Isis and Osiris: earliest versions dates from 2500 BCE, • inscriptions on Palermo Stone, Pyramid texts (also inscribed on sarcophagi & pyramids for use of pharaoh only) • Central importance of Isis/Osiris festivals in Egypt, rituals • Connection to Greek & Roman mythology, cults

  15. Egypt – The Empire of the Nile • The New Kingdom: The Egyptian Empire in the Bronze Age • Amarna Period • Monotheism • 1150 B.C.E. collapse

More Related