Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations Chapter 1 Ancient Near East: The First Civilizations

The First Humans Historians primarily use documents to create their pictures of the past, but no written records exist for pre-history Prehistory relies on archeological & biological findings Earliest human-like creatures (hominids) existed in Africa as early as 3-4 million yrs ago (Australopithecines) 1.5 million yrs ago Homo Erectus (upright human being) appeared Used more varied tools & 1st hominid to leave Africa for Europe & Asia 250,000 yrs ago Homo Sapiens appear 100,000 B.C. – Neanderthals & Homo Sapiens Sapiens (1st anatomically modern human) By 30,000 B.C., Homo Sapiens Sapiens had replaced Neanderthals 10,000 B.C. – H.S.S could be found all over the world

Hunter Gatherers of the Old Stone Age Paleolithic (Greek for “old stone”) Age is the name for the earliest period of human history (2.5 mil – 10,000 BC) Spent most of their time hunting, migrating with the herds of wild animals 500,000 BC – estimated beginning of systematic use of fire Food can be cooked & used for light & warmth The Neolithic Revolution (10,000 BC – 4,000 BC) The last ice age ended 10,000 BC and with it came great change in the living patterns of early man Shift away from hunting-gathering Development of systematic agriculture Taming of animals Once sustainable food sources developed, permanent settlements appear & more complex societies develop

Emergence of Civilization civilization – a complex culture in which large numbers of human beings share a variety of common elements Characteristics of a civilization: An urban focus Distinct religious structure Political & military structures Social structure (usually based on economic power) Development of a system of writing Development of new forms of intellectual & artistic activity Egypt & Mesopotamia were the forerunners of Western civilization but 4 other civilizations developed in other regions around the world 4,000-5,000 yrs ago Indus River Valley, Yellow River (China), Central Asia (modern Turkmenistan) & Supe River Valley (Peru)

Civilization in Mesopotamia Mesopotamia – valley between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Greek for “land between the rivers” The founders of Mesopotamian civilization were the Sumerians ~3000 B.C. – several independent cities had formed; as the cities grew, they held economic & political power over the surrounding countryside (forming city-states) Sumerian cities were walled to protect from invasion, buildings were formed from mud bricks Each city was believed to be owned by a specific god or goddess The ziggurat (stepped temple) dominated the city Sumerian city-states were effectively theocracies As time passed, the priests’ ruling power was shared with a king

Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia ~2340 B.C. – the Akkadian king, Sargon, attacked the Sumerian city-states from the north The Akkadians are referred to as the Semitic people b/c of the languages they spoke (p.9) Sargon conquered all of Mesopotamia and west to the Mediterranean After his death, Semitic lands were conquered by 2100 B.C. Hammurabi’s Empire Babylonian king, Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC) reunited Sumer & Akkad Best known for his code of law (The Code of Hammurabi p10) “Eye for an eye” Religion (p.12) polytheistic, poor outlook of the afterlife

oldest examples of Sumerian writing date to 3000 BC Called cuneiform, used pictograms Only a very few were trained to write since it took so long to master Literature was used for instructional purposes Epic of Gilgamesh Gilgamesh, historic Sumerian ruler 2700 BC Seems to be part historical truth, part legend Very pessimistic work Projects the gods as vengeful and enemies of man Raises questions about man’s mortality Part of the story shares similarities with the biblical story of Noah

Egyptian Civilization Ancient Egypt developed along the same time as Mesopotamian civilization along the Nile River The Nile runs out of central Africa north for 1,000 miles to the Mediterranian Flooding of the Nile was gradual & predictable, making farming and living easier than in Mesopotamia Roughly 75% of the pop of Egypt existed in the Nile Delta Because of the predictability of the annual flooding, Egyptians had a more optimistic outlook on the stability of life

The Old & Middle Kingdoms Basic framework of Egyptian history provided by Manetho, an Egyptian priest of the 3rd cent BC Divided the history of the civilization into four periods Old Kingdom – (3100-2700 BC) Middle Kingdom – (2125-2055 BC) New Kingdom – (1550-1070 BC) Late Period – (1070-30 BC) 3100 BC – Upper and Lower Egypt united under Menes Old Kingdom (3-6 dynasties) age of great prosperity greatest of the pyramids were built pharaohs seen as gods Had absolute rule but had to rule by ma’at (justice & truth) Vizier ran the bureaucracy & nomarchs served as governors

Nomarchs could sometimes amass power that rivaled that of the pharaoh The first Intermediate period resulted from rivalries The Middle Kingdom (dynasties 11-12) Egyptians viewed the Middle Kingdom as a “golden age” of stability The view of pharaoh changed from god-king to a guide/shepherd of the people Period when Egypt begins imperial expansion (Nubia, Near East) Society & Economy Pharaoh – theoretically owned all of Egypt Nobles and Priests – ran the govt & performed religious rituals Merchants & Artisans – traders and craftsmen that sold goods all up & down the Nile Farmers – paid taxes through crops & provided military service & labor for building projects

Culture of Egypt Spiritual Life Pyramids Egyptians had no word for religion b/c it was such a big part of all other aspects of life Sun and land gods were especially revered Re – sun god, pharaoh referred to as “son of Re” Osiris – judge of the dead; Book of the Dead (p. 20) Pyramids 1st pyramid for Djoser (3rd Dyn) Pyramids @ Giza for Snefru, Khafre, Khufu Tomb & symbol of royal power

Egyptian art was functional, not just decoration Art & Writing Egyptian art was functional, not just decoration Wall paintings and statues of gods & pharaohs strictly spiritual in purpose Murals in tombs suppose to guide the soul into the afterlife Writing emerged in Egypt during the 1st or 2nd dynasty Greeks later named it hieroglyphics “priest-carvings” New Kingdom (dynasties 18-20) During this time, Egypt became the most powerful empire of the ancient Near East Reached its height under Amenhotep III (1412-1375 BC) His son Amenhotep IV created religious upheaval when he closed temples and abolished the gods, declaring a monotheistic religion Change d his name to Ahkenaten “servant of Aten” After his death, the old religion reinstated by Tutankhamen Daily Life (p. 23-26)

On the Fringes of Civilization Farming had spread into the Balkan Peninsula by 6500 BC By 4000 BC it had spread to southern France At the same time, Europeans were building megaliths (similar to Stonehenge) a thousand years before the Egyptians were building pyramids Stonehenge itself was built 2100-1900 BC The 80 standing stones were 4 ton each & were transported 135 miles to the construction site The term Indo-European refers to people who shared a parent tongue (Greek, Latin, Persian, Sanskrit & Germanic) First Indo-Europeans based around modern Iran or Afgahnistan Those that settled in Asia Minor formed the first Hittite kingdom Hittite Empire formed around 1400 BC First Indo-Europeans to use iron, fought with Egypt until Ramses II worked out a treaty By 1190, Hittite power ended; but good example of assimilating aspects of other cultures into their own