Western Western River River

CivilizationCivilizationss

The “Fertile The “Fertile Crescent”Crescent”

Narrow region Narrow region of good of good farmland farmland along the along the Tigris, Tigris, Euphrates, Euphrates, and Nile and Nile Rivers of the Rivers of the Middle EastMiddle East

““The Crossroads of The Crossroads of Civilization”Civilization”

EgyptEgypt CitiesCities

GovernmentGovernment Pharaoh (king)Pharaoh (king) Was worshipped as Was worshipped as

a god (religious role)a god (religious role) Ruled with absolute Ruled with absolute

power (political role)power (political role) Had a vizier (chief Had a vizier (chief

advisor) who ran advisor) who ran day-to-day day-to-day governmentgovernment

ReligionReligionPolytheistic Polytheistic

(multiple (multiple deities)deities)

Ra, the chief Ra, the chief god in the god in the Egyptian Egyptian religion, was religion, was the god of the the god of the sunsun

The Book of the The Book of the DeadDead

Technical text Technical text which describes which describes the ritual process the ritual process of mummification; of mummification; may be one of the may be one of the earliest scientific earliest scientific medical manuals in medical manuals in history (although it history (although it does contain magic does contain magic spells!)spells!)

Egyptians believed that after Egyptians believed that after death, one’s soul was judged death, one’s soul was judged – “good” souls went to the – “good” souls went to the

Happy Fields of Food – “bad” Happy Fields of Food – “bad” souls were fed to a giant souls were fed to a giant

crocodilecrocodile

AkhenatonAkhenaton 1353 – 1336 BC?1353 – 1336 BC? Born Amenhotep IVBorn Amenhotep IV Wife was NefertitiWife was Nefertiti After his death, he After his death, he

was reviled and was reviled and many likenesses of many likenesses of him were him were destroyed destroyed throughout Egyptthroughout Egypt

Akhenaton believed in a Akhenaton believed in a single god (monotheism) single god (monotheism)

named Atonnamed Aton

Jobs & Social Jobs & Social ClassesClasses

The PyramidsThe Pyramids

The Pyramids were tombs and The Pyramids were tombs and portals to the afterlife for portals to the afterlife for

Egyptian pharaohsEgyptian pharaohs

The SphinxThe Sphinx

TutankhamunTutankhamun 1333 – 1324 BC1333 – 1324 BC Not really Not really

important as a important as a pharaohpharaoh

Importance lies in Importance lies in the discovery in the discovery in 1922 of his 1922 of his unlooted tombunlooted tomb

Died at 19Died at 19 Murdered?Murdered?

““King Tut”King Tut”

Public WorksPublic Works The Egyptians built a The Egyptians built a

complex system for complex system for harnessing the harnessing the annual flooding of the annual flooding of the Nile River to irrigate Nile River to irrigate their farmlandtheir farmland

They also undertook They also undertook numerous numerous construction projects construction projects of massive scaleof massive scale

Writing = Writing = HieroglyphicsHieroglyphics

Ancient Ancient Mesopotamian Mesopotamian

CivilizationsCivilizations

Mesopotamia = Mesopotamia = “between the rivers”“between the rivers”

Mesopotamian city-Mesopotamian city-statesstates

Each city was an Each city was an independent countryindependent country

Each had its own kingEach had its own king City-states sometimes City-states sometimes

cooperated, cooperated, sometimes fought sometimes fought each othereach other

Had common culture Had common culture and religious beliefsand religious beliefs

Hammurabi, King of Hammurabi, King of BabylonBabylon

1795 – 1750 BC (?)1795 – 1750 BC (?) Also built an empire Also built an empire

that controlled all that controlled all of Mesopotamiaof Mesopotamia

Ruled by force of Ruled by force of law – required that law – required that all 300 laws be all 300 laws be posted for all posted for all citizens to see and citizens to see and knowknow

Brought justiceBrought justice

The Code of Hammurabi = the The Code of Hammurabi = the world’s first standardized set of world’s first standardized set of

written lawswritten laws

Criminal law vs. Civil Criminal law vs. Civil lawlaw

Criminal LawCriminal Law Deals with offenses Deals with offenses

against others, against others, such as robbery, such as robbery, assault, and assault, and murdermurder

Usually lead to Usually lead to physical physical punishmentspunishments

Civil LawCivil Law Deals with private Deals with private

rights and matters, rights and matters, such as contracts, such as contracts, inheritance, taxes, inheritance, taxes, marriage, and marriage, and divorcedivorce

Usually lead to Usually lead to financial financial punishmentspunishments

Ishtar & Ba’alIshtar & Ba’al

ZoroasterZoroaster600 BC?600 BC?Persian prophetPersian prophet““Illuminated” by Illuminated” by

the one god the one god Ahura MazdaAhura Mazda

Wrote the holy Wrote the holy texts texts Zend-Zend-Avesta & The Avesta & The GathasGathas

ZoroastrianismZoroastrianismOne good god – Ahura MazdaOne good god – Ahura MazdaOne evil “tempter of men” – AhrimanOne evil “tempter of men” – AhrimanAfter Ahura Mazda destroys Ahriman, After Ahura Mazda destroys Ahriman,

there will be a Judgment Day where there will be a Judgment Day where all souls will be weighed on the good all souls will be weighed on the good and bad committed in their livesand bad committed in their lives

Would later be a strong influence on Would later be a strong influence on the development of Christianitythe development of Christianity

Jobs & Social Jobs & Social ClassesClasses

Kings and priests Kings and priests were at the top of were at the top of the social ladder, the social ladder, followed by people followed by people of means and of means and propertyproperty

At the bottom of At the bottom of the social scale the social scale were farmers and were farmers and slavesslaves

Nebuchadnezzar II, Nebuchadnezzar II, King of BabylonKing of Babylon

630 – 562 BC630 – 562 BC Babylonian king of Babylonian king of

the Biblethe Bible Depicted as cruelDepicted as cruel Conquered the Conquered the

Israelites and took Israelites and took them into slavery them into slavery in Babylonin Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of The Hanging Gardens of BabylonBabylon

The Epic of GilgameshThe Epic of Gilgamesh Epic poemEpic poem Tells of the Tells of the

Sumerian hero-king Sumerian hero-king Gilgamesh and his Gilgamesh and his friendship with the friendship with the savage man Enkidusavage man Enkidu

After Enkidu’s death, After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh seeks Gilgamesh seeks immortalityimmortality

Also tells a story of a Also tells a story of a great flood, similar to great flood, similar to the Bible’s Noah storythe Bible’s Noah story

Ziggurat = a pyramid Ziggurat = a pyramid templetemple

Cuneiform = Sumerian Cuneiform = Sumerian writing systemwriting system