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Ancient Civilizations |
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When the Nile rose it used to soak the land with life giving and deposited a layer of Silt or soil. People had to cooperate to control the floods. They built dikes, reservoirs, and irrigation ditches to channel the rising river and store water for the dry season. Ancient Egypt had two distinct regions, Upper Egypt in the South and Lower Egypt in the North. Lower Egypt covered the Delta region where the Nile empties into the Mediterranean. A delta is a triangular area of marshland formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of some rivers. The river served as a trade route. They traveled up and down the Nile.
The Pyramid Age- The history of Ancient Egypt is divided into three main periods: The Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.E.-2200 B.C.E) The Middle Kingdom (2050 B.C.E.- 1800 B.C.E.) And the New Kingdom (1550 B.C.E.- 1100 B.C.E.). During these periods� power passed from one dynasty to another but the land remained united.
Old Kingdom- The Pharaohs organized strong central states. Egyptians believed that Pharaoh was a god. Thus the pharaoh had all the power owning and ruling all of the land. The Old Kingdom is sometimes called the Pyramid Age because during this period the Egyptians built pyramids. They were tombs for eternity because the Egyptians believed in afterlife. Everybody worked in building these pyramids and tombs.
Middle Kingdom- Power struggles; crop failures and the cost of the pyramids helped the downfall of the Old Kingdom. After 100 years of disunity new Pharaohs arose to reunite the land. The Nile did not rise that much and corruption and rebellion was very common. The Hyksos occupied the delta region. They dominated the region for more than a century. Finally new Egyptian leaders arose and began the New Kingdom.
New Kingdom- The Pharaohs created a large Empire. It reached the Euphrates River, which brought Egypt into greater contact with the Middle East.
Queen Hatshepsut- Egyptian saw kingship as a male privilege she donned a false beard as a sign of authority.
Ramses II- He won fame for his military victories. He pushed Egyptian rule northward toward Palestine and as far as Syria.
the Egyptians belief in eternal life had a profound effect on their civilization.
Religion- they inherited from their earliest ancestors a variety of religious beliefs and practices. They thought that they ruled this world and in afterlife.
Chief gods and goddesses- The chief god was the sun god. Osiris was the god of the underworld as well as the Nile. He was especially important because he handled when the water came up and made the land fertile.
A Fateful Test- Belief in afterlife affected all Egyptians from highest to lowest. To win eternal life each soul had to pass a test. They believed that afterlife was much more life Earth so they buried the dead with everything they would need for eternity. Mummification is the preservation of the dead. This was a holy thing at first.
Evidence of the Tombs- Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings. The tombs were filled in riches. They are beginning to discover what they actually put into the tombs because they are beginning to strip the tombs for archeological artifacts.
Society- had its own class system. The pharaoh was at the top followed by the priest and priestesses who served the gods and goddesses. Next came the nobles who fought the wars. Then were the artisans/ scribes/merchants who provided the needs for the rich.
The Life the Farmer- Most Egyptians were peasant farmers, many were slaves. Man and women spent their days working the soil and repairing the dikes. When they weren�t doing this, the peasants were expected to serve the Pharaoh. Women spent most of their day raising children and preparing food.
Social Changes- Society grew more as trade and warfare increased. Trade offered new opportunities to the growing working class. Foreign conquest brought more riches.
Women- Egyptian women had a very high status. They could do whatever they wanted including owning and regulating businesses and land. However, they weren�t allowed to be scribes or hold government jobs.
Scribes- they were able to read, and write. They also had skill mathematics, medicine, and engineering. They were the ones who kept the governmental records. Overtime scribes made a demotic or simpler form of writing for everyday use. They also learned to make paper like writing material from papyrus, which was much easier to write on.
The Rosetta Stone- after the end of the New Kingdom Egyptians forgot the meanings of hieroglyphics. It was not until the early 1800�s that someone finally figured them out. The Rosetta stone was a flat black stone with the same message written in Greek, hieroglyphics, and demotic. Jean Champollian found this out.
Medicine- the doctors knew a lot about the human body through the mummification processes. They were very skilled at observing symptoms, illnesses and finding cures. Many medicines that Egyptians used are still used today.
Astronomy- studied the heavens mapping constellations and charting the movements of the planets. With that knowledge they developed a calendar that had 12 months of 30 days in each month and 5 days added at the end of the year.
Mathematics- they used geometry to survey the land. They also used it to calculate the exact size and location of each block to be placed on the temple.
Literature and Arts- teaches up about Egyptian values and attitudes.
Painting and Sculpture- the arts of ancient Egypt included Statues, wall paintings and carving on temples.
The First Cities- Sumerian cities were usually rectangular with a wall around it. The largest building was the Ziggurat. They were pyramid-shaped temples that had a large staircase up the side. Rulers lived in big houses, but the average people lived in small houses in thin alleys. People were usually grouped by craft.
Economic Life- Traders sailed to distant lands and traveled through the desert to faraway lands. This brought riches to Sumer.
Government- Sumer was made up of small independent city-states which often fought with each other for control. Fierce war leaders took charge and soon these leaders became hereditary rulers. He was responsible for keeping up the wall, irrigation system, wars, and laws. As it became more complex, he appointed scribes to collect taxes and keep records. They, like the Egyptians wrote in picture symbols called cuneiform.
Social Classes- The Sumerian cities had a form of hierarchy, or system of ranks. At the top were the leading officials and high priests. Next came the small middle class of merchants, artisans, and lesser priests and scribes. At the bottom were the peasant farmers. Some owned land, but most worked on government land.
Women- In the beginning, women were goddesses, but when war-leaders took charge, men kings took their places on statues. Women enjoyed special powers and duties, like being in charge of palace workshops. Women became more as housewives and dependent on men. However, they still kept their legal rights of owning land and conducting businesses.
Sumarian Religion- Like most ancient people, Sumerians were polytheistic. They believed that gods and goddesses behaved like ordinary people. Each city-state had its own special god or goddess to whom people prayed and offered sacrifices. Like the Egyptians, they also believed in afterlife. They also believe a person descended to underworld and there was no release. Epic of Gilgamesh- it�s a myth and legend. It offers a glimpse into the Sumerian civilization. A character described the underworld. He said that once you go in you can�t come out there�s no turning back.
The first writing- Sumerians invented Cuneiform from the Latin word cuneus meaning wedge. As the years went on they started using cuneiform more and more. They also used it for different things.
Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders
In the ancient Middle East bloody warfare and advanced culture went hand in hand.
Ruling a large Empire- powerful leaders created large well organized empires bringing in peace and prosperity to the region.
The first Empire builder- in about 2300 B.C.E. Sargon the great ruler of Akkad invaded and conquered all the city-states of Sumer. After he died other invaders swept through the valley between the rivers and ruined the Empire. However in time the City-States revived and power struggles resumed. Soon after they reunited the whole Fertile Crescent.
Hammurabi- King of Babylon brought most of the Mesopotamia under his control. He put together a set of laws. He wanted people to know the legal principles his government to follow.
Crime and Punishment- Hammurabi code was the first major collection of laws in History. It listed criminal laws, dealing with murder and theft, and also dealt with Civil Laws, which dealt with private rights and matters. � An eye for an eye� was the way they dealt with things then for example if a person died in a house, which was not constructed properly than, the constructer would die.
Laws for women- women had a lot of rights. In Hammurabi code the women was expected to stay home however the men had to support his wife. The Babylonians believed that an orderly household headed by a strong father was necessary for a stable empire.
Other accomplishments- Hammurabi took other steps to unite his empire. He improved irrigation and an organized a well-trained army.
Persian Empire- They controlled the territory from Asia Minor to India including Turkey and Iraq. They were tolerant of the people they conquered. They respected the religious traditions of the many different groups in the Empire.
Uniting many peoples- Darius united the whole Persian Empire in 522 B.C.E. He set up a government that became a model for later rulers. He divided the Persian Empire into provinces each headed by a governor called Satraps. Each province had to pay taxes based on its resources and wealth. Darius drew up a code of Laws.
The Hebrews were at the crossroads of the ancient world. They also believed that god made a flood to punish the wicked in the world. The Jews started off near Ur, and then migrated to Palestine. A famine forced them into Egypt were they were enslaved. Moses took them out of slavery, and they wandered in the Sinai Peninsula for 40 years. After his death, they conquered the Palestine. Their king, Solomon, built a beautiful temple and palace. After his death the kingdom split, and each, in turn, fell onto the hands of the enemies. The Jews were Monotheistic, or believed in one god. The Jewish history and religion were together. The Jews had a code of laws, which also enforced justice. Some laws were meant to protect women, however in other cases, the man was in control.
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