UNIT 9EARLY CIVILISATIONS

CIVILISATION is the set of ideas, sciences, arts, customs, beliefs,…, that characterise a human group, such as a people or nation.

1. THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST CIVILISATIONS

Around 6000 BC (Neolithic Age in Europe), various groups settled on the banks of the great rivers (Nile, Tigris and Euphrates).

These rivers sometimes overflowed and flooded the valleys. It left silt that fertilised the soil

Abundant harvests Population growth.

There was sufficient food New skills: Gold and silver smithing. Pottery.

New social groups. Agricultural products were exchanged Trade and

transport developed. A system of government and public administration was

created to organise the city and to distribute the harvest. The government was formed by kings and priests. Governments demanded that people paid taxes to

construct monuments and finance the army. Writing appeared in Mesopotamia and Egypt (around

3500 BC) to meet the needs of administration and commerce. It is the beginning of History.

Econ

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and

socia

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Polit

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hang

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WRITING IN MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT In Mesopotamia, people wrote on clay tablets that were then

left to dry. They wrote with a sharp reed. This kind of writing is known as cuneiform, because the signs they wrote were composed of wedges (cuñas)

In Egypt, people usually wrote on papyrus, using brushes and ink, or on stone, using a hammer and chisel. The writing, called hieroglyphics, represented word through pictures of figures, animals…

NAME OF WRITING

IT IS WRITTEN ON

TOOLS USED TO WRITE

MESOPOTAMIA Cuneiform Clay tablets A sharp reed

EGYPT Hieroglyphics

Papyrus or stone

Brushes and inkHammer and

chisel

MESOPOTAMIA1. The natural environment:Mesopotamia means ‘land between two rivers’: Tigris and Euphrates. It was an urban civilisation situated between the Persian Gulf, the Syrian Desert, the Taurus Mountains and the Zagros Mountains

Upper Mesopotamia

Lower Mesopotami

a

TIMELINE OF MESOPOTAMIA

SUMERIANS

AKKADIANS

BABYLONIANS ASSYRIANS

2. THE EVOLUTION OF MESOPOTAMIASUMERIANS(3500-2500

BC)AKKADIANS(2500-2100

BC)BABYLONIANS

(1950-1250 BC)

ASSYRIANS(9TH CENT.-625

BC)NEO-

BABYLONIANS(625-539 BC)

PERSIANS AND GREEKS

2. THE EVOLUTION OF MESOPOTAMIASUMERIANS(3500-2500

BC)

They lived in lower Mesopotamia. They invented writing. They were organised in city states (Ur, Lagash). They built canals to control the river floods.

AKKADIANS(2500-2100

BC)

They were from Akkad, in the centre of Mesopotamia. They conquered the Sumerians. The most important king was Sargon I.

BABYLONIANS(1950-1250

BC)

Nomadic tribes conquered Mesopotamia. Babylon is the most important city state, in the centre of Mesopotamia. They unified it and founded the first Babylonian Empire. The main king was Hammurabi.

ASSYRIANS(9TH CENT.-625

BC)

After several invasions, the Assyrians conquered Mesopotamia. They were from the Upper Mesopotamia. The main king: Ashurbanipal.

NEO-BABYLONIANS(625-539 BC)

The Babylonians conquered the Assyrians and created the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The main king was Nebuchadnezzar II.

PERSIANS AND GREEKS

In 539 BC Cyrus II conquered Babylon and Mesopotamia became a province in the Persian Empire. In 331 BC, they were conquered by the Greeks, with Alexander the Great.

HAMMURABI’S CODE Hammurabi’s code is

one of the earliest law codes we know about. It was engraved on a rock in Mesopotamia around 1800 BC. It is based on the law of retaliation (‘an eye for an eye), which established that the punishment should match the crime.

3. LIFE AND CULTURE IN MESOPOTAMIA People carried out various economic

activities.

Society was divided into different closed groups. (They couldn’t move from one group to another).

3.1. THE ECONOMY Agriculture: Crops were irrigated by river water

thanks to a system of canals and dykes. The staple diet: Cereals and vegetables.

Livestock: Cows, sheep, goats and asses. Craftwork: Ceramics, making clothes,

leatherwork. Trade: Really important. They imported

products (stone, wood, metals) and exported wool and cereals.

3.2. SOCIETY The levels of society are:

The king: Was all-powerful, but was not considered a god.

The ruling caste: Priests, important public servants, important merchants, artisans and landowners.

Other free people: farmers, herdsmen, merchants and artisans.

Slaves.

3.2. SOCIETY

Society was organised into cities with defensive walls. Houses were built around an inner courtyard.

Women could participate in society, but laws were harsher for them

3.3. RELIGION

They were polytheistic.

They believed in life after death. They combined their religious beliefs

with magic and divination.

AN GOD OF THE SKYENLIL GOD OF THE AIR AND STORMS

ENKI GOD OF WISDOM

ISHTAR GODDESS OF LOVE

3.5 ARCHITECTURE AND ART Ziggurat:

Sculpture:

EGYPT1. The natural environment:

Egypt is located in a large desert crossed by the River Nile, which flows from Lake Victoria to the Mediterranean Sea.In Ancient Times, the Nile overflowed its banks once a year, fertilising the surrounded land.The Egyptians worshipped the Nile like a god, because it was the source of life. It was also the main transport route.

Ancient Egypt was divided into two areas:

Lower Egypt (the delta).

Upper Egypt (the Nile River Valley)

Around 3100 BC these two kingdoms were unified by King MenesIt was the beginning of the Historic Egypt and the first dynasties of pharaohs appeared.

2. THE HISTORY OF EGYPT

THE OLD KINGDOM

(2700-2200 BC)

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

(2052-1786 BC)

THE NEW KINGDOM

(1567-1085)THE LATE

PERIOD (1085-30 BC)

THE OLD KINGDOM

(2700-2200 BC)

The period of greatest splendour in Egypt. Pyramids were built during this period. The capital was Memphis.

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

(2052-1786 BC)

It began after the Intermediate Period (2200-2052 BC). The capital moved to Thebes and the kingdom’s territory increased.The period ended with the invasion of the Hyksos.

THE NEW KINGDOM

(1567-1085)

The capital was Thebes. (Pharaohs: Akhenaten, Tutankhamun,...)

THE LATE PERIOD (1085-

30 BC)

It was a period of decline: Egypt disintegrated into small independent states and was invaded by Assyrians, Persians,...In 332 BC Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and later it was ruled by Rome.

3. ECONOMY

The economy was based on agriculture (mainly cereals and linen) and livestock (Cows).

They also produced crafts (pottery, metalwork and jewellery) and traded with Mesopotamia, Greece,...

4. SOCIETY Egyptian society was divided into different

groups, strictly separated: The pharaoh and his family: He was considered

to be both king and god and he held absolute power.

The ruling caste: Less powerful than the pharaoh: Priests, vizier, important public servants.

Other free people: Soldiers, craftsmen, farmers, foreigners.

The slaves: In the mines and in domestic duties.