Ancient Civilizations: Egypt and Mesopotamia

Egypt Geography Early Government 550 miles long, 15 miles on both sides of Nile Nile floods once a year leaving rich soil Early Government Needed to control flooding and for irrigation Build dams, reservoirs, and canals Eventually formed two kingdoms Upper and Lower Egypt 3100 BC Menes united the two He was first Pharaoh

Egyptian Life Absolute Monarchy/ Theocracy Class System Lower classes Pharaoh was the gods’ representative on Earth Made laws, built canals and public buildings, set taxes, Assisted by nobles and priests in a bureaucracy Class System Nobles, Priests Lower classes Peasants and slaves Could not participate in government Religion Polytheistic Preserved bodies with mummification Pharaohs in Pyramids

Contributions of Egypt Architecture and Engineering Pyramids, temples with columns Art Cheerful and colorful frescoes, huge statues, gold jewelry, pottery Hieroglyphic writing Began as pictographs First “paper” called papyrus Translated with Rosetta stone which has Hieroglyphic and Greek writing on it Science 365 day year Set bones, prescribed drugs, understood much about the body because of mummification

Mesopotamia The “land between the rivers” Also known as the Fertile Crescent Located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

People of Mesopotamia Sumerians Organization Contributions Independent city-states around 3500 BC ruled by a king often warred with each other Contributions Cuneiform writing Used a reed stylus on clay to make wedge shaped symbols System of numbers based on 60 We use this today with telling time Architecture Sumerians built pyramid like temples called Ziggurats

Babylonians King Hammurabi Took over Sumer around 1900 BC became Babylonian Empire Contributions: Code of Hammurabi One of the earliest written law codes “Eye for an eye” punishment Lower class/women punished more severely than upper class/ men (unequal) Astronomy Believed stars affected their lives BUT learned to predict eclipses and recognize planets Religious literature Epic of Gilgamesh: one of the earliest creation stories Describes creation of man and woman and building an ark before a great flood

Hebrews History Contributions 1400 BC Semitic speaking people from Arabian Desert settled in Palestine Driven out of their land by Assyrians, exiled to Babylon (Persians later allowed them back to Palestine) Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt, received Ten Commandments from God Jewish Diaspora, driven from their homeland in exile Contributions Monotheism Old Testament High moral principles Ten Commandments “what is hateful unto thee do not do unto others” Covenant of Abraham “father” of Judaism Made a covenant (agreement) with God Hebrew will worship no other God Hebrews are God’s chosen people

Phoenicians 1200 BC, Semitic Speaking people from North of Palestine Skilled shipbuilders and navigators Traded throughout Mediterranean and to Europe and Africa Contributions “Missionaries of Civilization” Brought Mediterranean culture and products to less advanced regions Traded Purple Dye made from crushed snail shells Alphabet Based on sound with 22 letters; Phonetic Alphabet Eventually becomes the alphabet we use

Assyrians 800 BC, Semitic Speaking People from Northern Mesopotamia First to have iron weapons siege towers, and battering rams Used terror and cruelty Took over from Tigris to Egypt Contributions Library at Nineveh Remains of documents have given us much information about ancient Middle East Military roads to move troops quickly