Unit 9

Early civilisations

Oxford University Press Espaa S.A., 2012

OBJECTIVES
1- Describe the conditions which gave rise to the appearance of the first civilisations
and identify the main economic, social and political features which distinguished them
from previous agricultural communities.
2 Recognise Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilisations as the first ones in history to

organise themselves into large states.

3 Identify the stages in the history of Mesopotamia and Egypt.
4 Understand the similarities and differences between the political, economic, social,
cultural and religious structures of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

5 Value the importance of the discovery of writing.

6 Recognise the characteristics of Mesopotamian and Egyptian science.
7 Relate the mummification and construction of the large burial sites in Egypt with the
belief in life after death.
8 Learn about the features of Mesopotamian and Egyptian art.
9 Use the basic tools of historical research, such as maps, texts, images, drawings and
photographs.

CONCEPTS
The birth of the first civilisations.
Mesopotamia: natural environment and history.
Life and culture in Mesopotamia.
Egypt: natural environment and history.
Life and culture in Egypt.

What do we know?

THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST CIVILISATIONS

AROUND 6000 BC Settlements on the banks of great rivers (Nile, Euphrates
and Tigris)
Overflowing of rivers fertile soil abundant harvests Population growth
New social groups different status in society
Exchanging of products trade, transport developed
System of government, public administration to organise and distribute crops
Government kings and priests related to gods
Taxes armies, monuments
Writing appeared around 3500 BC Beginning of History

MESOPOTAMIA: NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND HISTORY

THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
MESOPOTAMIA The land between the rivers (Tigris and Euphrates)
Strategic location
Divided into : Upper (Source of rivers) and Lower
Mesopotamia (south)
Fertile land People settled there and founded city states.
Different regions in Mesopotamia
Assyria (mountains of the north) Assyrians
Akkad (centre, between the two rivers) Akkadians
Sumer (South, along the rivers) Sumerians

MESOPOTAMIA: NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND HISTORY

THE HISTORY OF MESOPOTAMIA Different nations ruled over time
Sumerians
- Around 3500 BC
- Irrigated crops (canals and dykes)
- Invented writing
Akkadians
- Sargon I conquered Sumer
- Important cities: Lagash and Ur.
Babylonians 1950 BC Nomadic tribes conquered Mesopotamia
- Unification of Mesopotamia Babylonian Empire (Hammurabi)
Assyrians Ashurbanipal
Neo-Babylonian Empire 625 BC Nebuchadnezzar II
Persians and Greeks
- 539 BC Conquest of Babylon by the Persian king Cyrus II
- 331 BC Greek conquest Alexander the Great

Mesopotamia

Name three Mesopotamian kingdoms.

Why did Mesopotamian civilisation emerge in this region?

LIFE AND CULTURE IN MESOPOTAMIA

Society divided in closed groups (not flexible)
ECONOMY

Irrigated arable crops (cereals and vegetables)

Livestock: cows, sheep, goats, asses.
Craftwork clay pots, wool, leatherwork (saddles, shields)
Trade commercial exchanges with other regions (to get stone, wood, metals)

SOCIETY organised into cities

King: all-powerful (militar, political, religious power, supreme judge)
not considered a god
Ruling caste priests, army generals, rich merchants and artisans, landowners

Other free people farmers, herdsmen, small merchants and artisans

Slaves (property of other people)
Women had certain freedom (possess property, become scribes)
But the law was harsher with them if they committed a crime.

Life and culture in Mesopotamia

Where did Mesopotamian people live?

What activities are the Mesopotamian people in the image doing?

Mesopotamian society

Which social groups appear in each level of the painting?

What do you think life was like for each of these social groups?

LIFE AND CULTURE IN MESOPOTAMIA

RELIGION
Main gods An (sky, father of gods), Enlil (air and storms), Enki (wisdom), Ishtar (love)

Life after death

Magic and divination priests could predict and interpret messages from gods
ARTS AND SCIENCES
Clay tablets (cuneiform writing) were kept in libraries.

Epic poems Epic of Gilgamesh

Code of Hammurabi
Advances in mathematics, astronomy and medicine.
ARCHITECTURE AND ART

Main buildings Palaces, Temples (dedicated to different gods), ziggurat

SCULPTURE
Statues idealised images of gods and rulers (Gudea of Lagash)
Reliefs (carved on steles) importance was indicated by size.

Main purpose propaganda

EGYPT
THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Located in a large desert along the River Nile

Nile overflowed once a year fertilising the surrounding land

Nile worshipped like a god; main transport route
Ancient Egypt was divided into: Lower Egypt (north) flat, marshy area
Upper Egypt (south) flooded by the River Nile

HISTORY
Lower and Upper Egypt were independent until they were unified by King Menes (3100 BC)
Periods:
The Old Kingdom
The Middle Kingdom
The New Kingdom
The Late Period

Ancient Egypt

Why was the Nile so important for Ancient Egyptians?

What were the differences between Upper and Lower Egypt?

PERIODS IN THE HISTORY OF EGYPT

THE OLD KINGDOM (2700-2200 BC)
Period of greatest splendour
Imperial capital at Memphis
THE MIDDLE KINGDOM (2052 BC-1786 BC)
Territorial expansion

Capital at Thebes
Hyksos invasion in 1786 BC territory occupied and capital transferred to Avaris
THE NEW KINGDOM
Founded in 1567 BC
Enormous prosperity
Capital at Thebes
Pharaohs: Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Ramesses II, Ramesses III
THE LATE PERIOD (1085 BC- 30 BC)
Period of decline desintegrated into small independent states

Invaded by Ethiopians, Assyrians and Persians

332 BC Alexander the Great conquered Egypt
After Cleopatra Fell under Roman rule

Ancient Egyptian history

What did the Ancient Egyptians use pyramids for?

In which period of Ancient Egyptian history were the Giza pyramids built?

LIFE AND CULTURE IN EGYPT

ECONOMY
agriculture: mainly cereals, but also vines, lentils, peas, etc
Livestock: mainly cows, but also sheep, goats, pigs, etc
Craftwork: pottery, metalwork, jewellery, clothes
Trade with Mesopotamia, Greece, etc.

SOCIETY
Pharaoh: king and god absolute power
Ruling caste priests, vizier, important public servants (governors, scribes, etc)
Other free people soldiers, craftworkers, farmers, foreigners
Slaves worked in the mines, domestic service.
Women greater freedom than in other civilisations same legal rights as men
RELIGION
Polytheism
Life after death mummification of the dead

ARTS AND SCIENCE

Written texts religious, literary, scientific and technical
Written on papyrus
Advances in Maths and Mediciine

LIFE AND CULTURE IN EGYPT

ARCHITECTURE
Colossal size of the constructions
Temples Karnak and Luxor
Rock temples carved out of rock Abu Simbel temples
Types of Egyptian tombs: mastabas, pyramids, hypogea
SCULPTURE
Religious and funerary purposes
Pharaoh depicted idealised
Static figures
Reliefs produce in wood and stone
PAINTING
Used to worship the gods and for decoration

Tempera and fresco techniques

Subjects: gods and humans

Life and culture in Ancient Egypt

What activities are the people in the image doing?

Which different social groups can you see in the image?

Women in Ancient Egypt

What rights did Ancient Egyptian women have?

Which social group do you think the women in the image belonged to?

Architecture and art

Which parts of the temple can you see in this image?

What was the function of each of these parts?