1. Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and surrounding areas

2. Focusing on Eastern Mediterranean.
The Nile River
The Tigris and Euprates
The Fertile Crescent
Today called “the Near East”

3. Ancient Egypt - 3 major eras
The Old Kingdom
2700 BC BC
The Middle Kingdom
2050 BC BC
The New Kingdom
1550 BC BC
Pharaohs were the Egyptian rulers. Dynastic Absolute Monarchy with aspects of Theocracy

4. Decline of the New Kingdom
Hatshepsut was the only female pharaoh from 1503 BC BC
Ramses II (r.1290 BC BC) seen as last effective ruler
Egypt would fall to Persians and later Greeks

5. Egyptian Religion Religion - polytheistic
Highly developed death rites and belief in afterlife
Practiced mummification

6. Egyptian Society Most Egyptians were farmers
Educated class mostly priests
Slaves in later times were the Jews
During New Kingdom craftsmen and merchants more prevalent
Women had an active role in society

7. Egyptian Knowledge
Egyptian language employed Heiroglypics carved in stone
Developed simpler ways of communication with papyrus and demotic script

8. Modern Egypt
Primarily Muslim Arab State with Coptic Christian minority
Currently undergoing popular revolution
Seen as the Crossroads of the Arab World
Produces most Arab print, audio, and film media
Cairo is largest city in Africa

9. Ancient Mesopotamia
Developed along the twin rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates
Small collection of city states gave way to empires

10. Sumer c BC
Small cities in southern mesopotamia have sucessfully employed agricultural techniques like irrigation to grow.
Built cities out of mud bricks
Amassed wealth through trade

11. Sumerian Knowledge Used cuneiform, starting originally as pictographs.
Over time evolving into distinct writing system
Built ziggurats to their gods

12. “Sumeria” Today

13. The First Empires The Assyrian Empire The Babylonian Empire
Would trade dominance in Fertile Crescent
Assyrians would conquer all by 652 BC
Hammurabi gave us his famous code c BC

14. The Israelites
Unique because of Monotheism and rejection of other gods
Originally nomads that settled in the region between Egypt and Mesopotamia
1000 BC set up kingdom of Israel.
Conquered by Assyrians in 722 BC followed by the Babylonians in 586 BC

15. The Persians
539 BC Babylon Falls to Cyrus the Great. Persia conquers most of “civilized” world
Able to rule diverse peoples and lands with the use of “satraps”