Download In the Beginning… III Unit 1 Cradles of Civilization As man had

IN THE BEGINNING… III
UNIT 1
CRADLES OF CIVILIZATION
As man had gained control and shaped the world around him, he also began settling down and establishing towns and
cities which would lead to civilizations. These first civilizations would develop in the rich soil regions of river valleys in
Africa and Asia
The first River-Valley Civilization’s locations:
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Tigris and Euphrates (Iraq)
Nile (Egypt)
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Indus (Pakistan)
Yellow (China)
MESOPOTAMIA: LAND OF CONQUERORS
The first recorded civilizations (Sumerians, Akkadians and Babylonians) developed in the rich soils of the Fertile
Crescent that extended from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea.
Mesopotamia “the land between the rivers” – part of the Fertile Crescent and the location of the first civilizations
Sumerians – created the first Mesopotamian civilization and established many of history’s “firsts”
- formed city-states throughout Mesopotamia near the Persian Gulf with dynastic rule (rule by succession
of rulers who belong to the same family)
- created cuneiform as the first form of writing with the Epic of Gilgamesh being the first known written
story about kings, adventure and the gods (polytheistic)
- created the wheel for easy transportation, the potters wheel for making pottery, and an irrigation network
of canals and dams to harsh the power of the rivers
- invented a number system based on 60 and sun-dials to keep time (60 minutes in an hour)
Akkadians – created the first empire in history
Babylonians – their empire rose out of the conquered Akkadian empire and helped establish a capital at Babylon
relying on bureaucratic rule and regular taxation making their government more efficient and stable
Hammurabi’s Code – one of the first set of laws that listed 282 written laws that emphasized the “eye for
an eye” rule that were written for view of the public providing consistency and stability
ANCIENT EGYPT – CIVILIZATION ON THE NILE
The flooding of the Nile each summer helped to make Egypt one of the most fertile places in the ancient world by
depositing large amounts of silt (black soil) on the banks of the Nile. At the beginning of Egyptian history, Egypt is
broken up into an Upper and Lower Kingdom
Upper Kingdom – area near or around the city of Thebes and above the Nile delta
Lower Kingdom – area near or around the Nile delta
- around 3000 B.C., King Menes invaded and conquered the Lower Kingdom uniting the two for the first time
leading to the first of more than 30 dynasties in Egypt for the next 3,000 years with rulers known as pharaohs
The long succession of rulers was not always smooth, but there are three eras of strength and stability:
Old Kingdom – (2700 B.C. – 2200 B.C.) – birth of Egypt as a splendid and spectacular kingdom whose rulers had
absolute power
Great Pyramids of Giza (2600-2550 B.C.) – built by Pharaoh Khufu, his son (Sphinx built), and grandson
mummification – the process of preserving the body through drying methods and the removal of internal organs
- the internal organs would be stored in jars and placed in the tombs with the bodies
hieroglyphs (sacred text) – pictorial characters used frequently in religious contexts usually on temple walls
- the Old Kingdom fell due to a severe drought of the Nile causing unrest and instability
Middle Kingdom – (2060 B.C. – 1785 B.C.) – Pharaoh goes from being a god-king to a protector of the people and
expand the empire to the south (Nubia) and west (Fertile Crescent)
- ends with the invasion of the Hykos that overwhelms the Egyptians with horse-drawn chariots and bronze
weapons as well as changes in the Nile
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New Kingdom – (1570 B.C. – 1085 B.C.) – begins with the overthrow of the Hyko as Egyptians learn from their invaders
and use that knowledge against them to retake Egypt
- pharaohs sent military expeditions out into the Fertile Crescent and Nubia once more and brought back
large sums of wealth used to make great temples
- idea of monotheism (believe in one god) arises from Pharaoh Akhenaton who worshiped only the sun
god whose son King Tutankhamen restores polytheism
Ramses II – (1279 B.C. - 1213 B.C.) – the last great pharaoh who helped protect Egypt’s expanded borders
from invaders
- after his reign, many of the conquered people began adopting Egyptian ways and weapons to break away
from Egypt thus beginning the decline of the New Kingdom
ADVENT OF THE IRON AGE
Around 1300B.C., ancient people discovered the ability to increase the temperature of fire, they were able to finally smelt
iron into a useful metal that was stronger than bronze with the Hittites who battled with the Egyptians being the first
people to use iron.
Phoenicians (1200-800B.C.) – developed a phonic alphabet (instead of symbols) that became the ancestor of virtually
all-modern alphabets in the Western world
- dominated Mediterranean trade through maritime (naval trade) trade, spreading out from the Palestinian
coastal areas taking their goods and alphabet to North Africa and Europe where the alphabet was adopted
- after their homeland was overrun by the Assyrians, they relocate to the North African city of Carthage
Israelites (Hebrews) (1200-700B.C.) – moved to Egypt due to drought in Mesopotamia for generations but left in an
exodus (mass migration) led by Moses and twelve tribes that conquered and settled Palestine establishing Israel
by 1000 B.C.
- over time the 12 tribes dissolved into a monarchy led by great kings such as King David and King Solomon
- noted in history not only for their great military influences but also for their religious influences founding
Judaism that influenced Christianity and Islam with their history recorded mainly in Hebrew Scriptures
(Christians’ Old Testament)
Assyrians (1000-612B.C.) – established an empire that covered much of the Middle East after the fall of the Hittites
- very brutal and militaristic empire using new iron weapons, cavalry, and horse-drawn chariots to destroy
their enemies
- established one of the first libraries, but collapsed from internal conflict and a rebellion from Babylon
New Babylonian Empire (605-550B.C.) – reestablished by Nebuchadnezzar after the fall of the Assyrians who also
captured Israel displacing the Jews known as the “Babylonian captivity” forcing the Jews to preserve the religion
without a nation of their own
Persian Empire (553-330B.C.) – one of the largest empires of the Ancient World that stretched from Asia Minor
(modern-day Turkey) to India and Egypt at its height
- formed under Cyrus the Great who was a more compassionate ruler than the Assyrians allowing conquered
people to still practice their religion and keep government offices controled by a satrap (Persian governor)
that now answered to Persia
- established a very efficient communication system using horses that allowed messages and reports to be sent
quickly across the large empire and allowed the empire to hear and respond quickly to trouble
Darius – grandson of Cyrus who creates a profession, standing army known as the Immortals made of ten
thousand elite infantry (foot soldiers) and cavalry (soldiers on horseback) forces
As the ancient civilizations of the Egyptians and Persians continued to flourish, they would continually clash attempting
to expand their empires and eventually be overshadowed by the growing powers of the Greeks and Romans to the west.
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