Introduction to Ancient Civilizations

1. Introduction to Ancient Civilizations Mr. D’Orazio, PA @ 71

4. Mesopotamian Civilization 3100 BCE – 539 BCE • Mesopotamia ~ “Between the Rivers” in Greek. • Series of civilizations that lived between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers around present-day Iraq. • The area around these rivers is known as the “Fertile Crescent”

6. Mesopotamia – Important People Sargon (2300 -2215 BCE) • King of Akkad who first united the various settlements in Mesopotamia under one government. • Among the first rulers to create a unified, multi-ethnic empire.

7. Mesopotamia – Important People Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE) • King of Babylon who wrote one of the first written codes of law in history – The Code of Hammurabi. • His laws were among the first that protected the weak from abuse by the strong.

8. Mesopotamia – Important People Ashurbanipal (685 -627 BCE) • King of Assyria who was known as a lover of learning. • His library at Nineveh housed thousands of written documents on tablets. • The library is now at the British Museum, London.

9. Mesopotamia – Important People Nebuchadnezzar II (634-562 BCE) • Last of the great Babylonian kings. • Primarily known as a military leader. • His Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

10. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions The Wheel • Invented in Mesopotamia about 5000 years ago. • Originally three pieces of wood tied together with leather and wooden rods. • It made transportation and farming easier and quicker.

11. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions Development of Writing • A kind of symbol writing called Cuneiform developed from picture writing. • A series of wedge shapes in soft clay that were hardened into tablets. • First used for making lists, cuneiform became used for letters, records, contracts, legal documents and eventually literature.

12. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions Mathematics • Used a number system based on 60 and developed the concept of zero. • Today’s 360-degree circle and 60-minute hour come from Mesopotamia. • They also knew basic geometry and had an approximate value for pi (π)

13. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions Astronomy • Early astronomy developed from the observations of Babylonian priests. • They believed the movement of the stars could forecast (predict) events on Earth.

14. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions Cities • After the development of agriculture, villages developed along the Tigris-Euphrates rivers. • These later became city-states, which had an urban center, surrounding villages, and farmland. • The most famous cities included Ur, Uruk, Nineveh and Babylon

15. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions Architecture • Each city erected a temple to their particular god. • The largest were stepped structures called Ziggurats made of mud brick. • Structures similar to the ziggurat can be seen in pyramids in Egypt and temples in Central America.

16. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions Kingship • Early city-states developed government based around a king. • The king was believed to be appointed by the gods. The gods also give the king his power. • Kings served as military leaders, magistrates, administrators and servants to the local god.

17. Mesopotamia – Important Contributions Written codes of law • Early kings needed written laws to ensure justice and equal protection. • Hammurabi’s code is among the best preserved of these early law codes. • Laws dealt with contracts, wills, business dealings, and crime and punishment

19. Egyptian Civilization 3100 BCE – 30 BCE • Egypt – Greek word • Egyptians called their land Kemet – “Black land”” • Series of kingdoms that developed along the Nile River Valley in present-day Egypt. • Egypt flourished by managing the waters of the Nile through flooding and irrigation.

21. Egypt – Important People Khufu (2589–2566 BCE) • Early Egyptian pharaoh (king) • Mostly known for construction of the Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx at Giza

22. Egypt – Important People Hatshepsut (1508–1458 BCE) • One of the few women to become pharaoh of Egypt • She is usually depicted in mens clothes. • Her 22-year reign was marked by growth in trade and massive building projects.

23. Egypt – Important People Thutmose III (1481–1425 BCE) • Became pharaoh on the death of his stepmother Hatshepsut. • He was ancient Egypt’s greatest military leader • Egypt’s empire stretched from Syria to present-day Sudan.

24. Egypt – Important People Tutankhamun (1341–1323 BCE) • Became pharaoh at nine and died at eighteen. • The discovery of his tomb in 1922 made ancient Egyptian culture extremely popular. • Probably the most famous pharaoh in the world.

25. Egypt – Important People Rameses II (1303 – 1203 BCE) • Also known as Rameses the Great. • Most powerful and successful pharaoh in Egyptian history. • Mentioned in the Biblical story of the Exodus.

26. Egypt – Important Contributions Heiroglyphics • Heiroglyphs – Greek for “Sacred Carvings.” • They were a form of picture writing developed, in part, from earlier Mesopotamian script. • Contained over 700 symbols for sounds, letters and words.

27. Egypt – Important Contributions Papyrus • Papyrus was a reed that grew along the banks of the Nile. • Egyptians wove strands of papyrus to make a writing material similar to paper. • The word “paper” comes from papyrus.

28. Egypt – Important Contributions Calendars • The Egyptians developed a 365-day year divided into 12 months. • Such calendars enabled Egyptians to date their own written history.

29. Egypt – Important Contributions Large-Scale Irrigation • Egyptians depended on the floodwaters of the Nile to provide enough water for their crops. • They developed huge irrigation projects to deposit water and silt from the Nile into Egyptian farms and fields.

30. Egypt – Important Contributions Mathematics • Egyptians developed geometry to determine land boundaries and build pyramids. • They developed ways to measure area, volume, weight, and length.

31. Egypt – Important Contributions Architecture • Starting in the 4th century BCE, temples and pyramids towered over Egypt. • They were designed as tombs and storehouses for the gods. • They are great feats of engineering, even by today’s standards.

32. Egypt – Important Contributions Shipbuilding • Egyptians first built canoes and barges made of papyrus reeds. • By 3000 BCE, they had invented sails and begun to build ships out of wooden planks.

33. Egypt – Important Contributions Public Administration • Egyptian government ran smoothly thanks to the work of hundreds of clerks and civil servants known as scribes. • They assisted tax collectors in keeping records of what everyone owed. • The scribes would then distribute the money to various government projects, keeping accurate records of how the funds were spent.

34. Egypt – Important Contributions Religion and the Afterlife • Egyptian religion emphasized life after death. • They developed the process of mummification to preserve the body for the afterlife. • Organs were kept in special jars, which Egyptians believed protected them for eternity.

36. Greek Civilization 800 BCE – 140 BCE • A group of competing city-states crowded in present-day Greece and among the islands of the Aegean Sea. • Their language, art, architecture, philosophy, science, literature and culture spread across the Mediterranean and beyond.

38. Greece – Important Political/Military leaders Solon (638-558 BCE) • Helped lay the foundations for Athens’ democracy • Cleisthenes (570-508 BCE) • Known as the father of Athenian Democracy

39. Greece – Important Political/Military leaders Leonidas (540?-480 BCE) • King of Sparta who bravely led 300 Spartans against the Persians at Thermoplyae in 480 BCE. • Themistocles (524-459 BCE) • Athenian politician and general responsible for the Athenian navy. • Led the Greeks at Salamis in 480 BCE. • Miltiades (550-489 BCE) • Olympic charioteer and Athenian general against the Persians at Marathon in 490 BCE.

40. Greece – Important Political/Military leaders • Pericles (495-429 BCE) • Athenian statesman and general who led Athens during her Golden Age. • Commissioned most of the buildings on the Acropolis, including the Parthenon. • Expanded Athenian power across the Mediterranean.

41. Greece – Important Political/Military leaders • Alcibiades (450-404 BCE) • Athenian general during the second half of the Peloponnesian War against Sparta. • Proposed a disastrous invasion of Sicily that practically destroyed Athenian power overnight. • Changed allegiances several times, from Athens to Sparta to Persia and back to Athens.

42. Greece – Important Political/Military leaders • Alexander III (356-323 BCE) • Macedonian king known as Alexander the Great. • Built one of the largest empires in the ancient world by the age of 30. • Tutored by Aristotle, Alexander worked to spread Greek knowledge and culture from North Africa to Central Asia. • The years between Alexander’s reign and the rise of Rome are known as the Hellenistic Age, when Greece became the cultural standard for the known world.

44. Greece – Important Leaders in Philosophy Aristotle (384-322 BCE) - Student of Plato who wrote on a wide range of subjects: philosophy, science, government, ethics, logic, etc. • Socrates (470-399 BCE) • Among the most influential Western philosophers. • His ideas were mostly written down by his student Plato. Plato (428-347 BCE) - Student of Socrates who expanded on his work in philosophy, ethics, and government .

45. Greece – Important Leaders in Science/Medicine Eratosthenes – Mathematics, geography Pythagoras - mathematics Euclid – Mathematics, particularly Geometry Hippocrates - Medicine Archimedes – Science, mathematics

46. Greece – Important Leaders in Arts/Literature Homer - Poetry Aeschylus - Tragedy Euripides - Tragedy Sophocles - Tragedy Aristophanes - Comedy Herodotus - History Thucydides - History

47. Greece – Important Contributions Language • Greek developed from Phoenician and other langauges of the Mediterranean. • For centuries, Greek was the language of culture and learning in the Eastern world. • About 30% of words in English come either directly or indirectly from Greek, particularly scientific, academic, and mathematical terms.

48. Greece – Important Contributions Mythology and Literature • The Greek religion was the basis for the Greek myths and legends, the first great works in Western literature. • The Greeks perfected lyric and epic poetry – poetry that told stories. • The greatest epic poems were the Iliad and the Odyssey, both written by Homer.

49. Greece – Important Contributions Theater • Some of the first plays were performed in Greece. • Thousands would gather in large outdoor theaters to watch performances of tragedies and comedies. • The greatest plays competed in an annual competition in Athens honoring the god Dionysus.

50. Greece – Important Contributions Sculpture and Pottery • The Greeks created many beautiful works of art. • Greek sculpture began to attempt to show the human body in an accurate way. • Greek pottery was both beautiful and informational, painted with stories from mythology.