1. Chapter 1 The Origins of Western Civilization in the
Ancient Near East,
3000–1200 B.C.E.

2. Learning Objectives: Questions to Consider
What were the social, economic, and cultural consequences of the adoption of agriculture?
How did geography influence the development of civilization in Mesopotamia and Egypt?
What part did religion play in the lives of the ancient Sumerians?
How did the ancient Egyptians view the concept of life after death?
In what ways were the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations different from the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt?

3. Before History, 2,000,000-3000 B.C.E. The Old Stone Age
Getting to Know the Old Stone Age
Material Culture and Archaeology
Anthropology
Early Human Populations
Homo habilis (2 million years ago)
Homo erectus (1 million years ago)
Homo sapiens (450,000 B.C.E.)
Sub-species: Neanderthal (350,000 B.C.E.)
Hunting and gathering
Homo sapiens sapiens

4. Before History, 2,000,000-3000 B.C.E. The Origins of Religion
The Belief in Supernatural Powers
Influence Through Ritual
Fertility Rituals and the Possibility of Matriarchal Societies
Burial Rituals
Cave Painting

5. Before History, 2,000,000-3000 B.C.E. The Neolithic Revolution
The Neolithic Age in the Near East (8000 B.C.E.)
The Rise of Pastoralism
Animal domestication
The Rise of Agriculture
Independent Developments and Cultural Assimilation
The Consequences of Settled Lifestyles
Diversification and Differentiation

6. Before History, 2,000, B.C.E.
The Emergence of Near Eastern Civilization
The Fertile Crescent: from the Nile through the Levant and Mesopotamia
The Criteria of Civilization
Cities and Centralization
The Concentration of Wealth and Resources
Technological Advances
Writing and History
The Bronze Age, B.C.E.

7. Mesopotamian Civilization, 3000–1200 B.C.E.
The Rise of Sumeria
Sumerian Writing
Cuneiform
Myths and Legends
The Role of Geography
Anatolia and the Rivers
Polytheists and Unpredictable Anthropomorphic Gods
Divination and Pessimism

8. Mesopotamian Civilization, 3000–1200 B.C.E.
Sumerian Government and Society
City-states
Ziggurats
Hierarchical Structure
Economic Activity
Barter
Gender in a Patriarchal Society
Dowry
Daily Life

9. Mesopotamian Civilization, 3000–1200 B.C.E.
Semitic and Indo-European Peoples
Sargon (2350 B.C.E.) and the Akkadians
Administering an Empire: Conciliation and Domination
Hammurabi (r B.C.E.) and the Babylonians
Standardization in Weights (Talents)
Mathematics, Astronomy, and Astrology
The Indo-Europeans from the Steppes: Aryans, Hittites, and Kassites

10. Mesopotamian Civilization, 3000–1200 B.C.E.
The Code of Hammurabi
Classes: Nobles, Free Persons, and Slaves
Gender Relations and Marriage
Crime and Punishment
Punishment by Death (Impalement) and Mutilation
The Importance of Status and Retaliation

11. Egyptian Civilization, 3000–1200 B.C.E.
The Gift of the Nile
The Land of Egypt and Its Geography
The Unification of Egypt, 3000 B.C.E.
Pharaohs and Dynasties
Hieroglyphics and Scribes
Administration by Nomes
Early Egyptian Religion
The Goddess Ma’at

12. Egyptian Civilization, 3000–1200 B.C.E.
Egyptian Government and Society
Crime and Punishment
Egyptian Society and Its Hierarchy
Pharaoh, Wives, Concubines, and Children
Nobles and Priests
Specialized Workers
Lower Status Laborers
Slaves
Daily Life in Egypt
The Importance of Family

13. Egyptian Civilization, 3000–1200 B.C.E.
The Old Kingdom, B.C.E.
The Nature of the Pyramids
The Rise of the Nobles
The Middle Kingdom, B.C.E.
Osiris and the Afterlife
Mummification and the Book of the Dead
The Hyksos Invasion, 1730 B.C.E.

14. Egyptian Civilization, 3000–1200 B.C.E.
The New Kingdom, B.C.E.
Protecting Egypt
Building an Army with Natives and Mercenaries
The Rule of Hatshepsut, Female Pharaoh (r B.C.E.)
Egyptian Empire
The Religious Revolution of Akhenaton (r B.C.E.) and the Aton
Successors: Tut-ankh-amon (r B.C.E.) and Ramses II (r B.C.E.)

15. Lost Civilizations of the Bronze Age
Ebla and Canaan
Thriving Trade and Cities, ca B.C.E.
The Minoans of Crete
Palace Complexes , 2000 B.C.E.
Trade, Religion, and Views of the World
Cult Objects
The Myth of the Minotaur
The Fall, 1400 B.C.E.

16. Lost Civilizations of the Bronze Age
The Mycenaeans of Greece, ca B.C.E.
Origins
Minoan Influences
Society
Trade

17. Lost Civilizations of the Bronze Age
The Sea Peoples and the End of the Bronze Age, 1200 B.C.E.
The Invasion of the Sea Peoples
Evidence from the Iliad
Troy and the Trojan War
The Defeat of the Sea Peoples
Egyptian Victory under Ramses III (r B.C.E.)
The End of the Bronze Age
The Invasion of the Dorians, 1150 B.C.E.
Mycenaean Flight and Resettlement in Ionia