Early Western Civilization Timeline

• Paleolithic = Old Stone Age

*Nomadic hunter/gather life style
-Small groups no larger than 30 individuals
*Domestication of animals: dogs, sheep, goats, cows
*Cave paintings reveal early expression of daily life/religious beginnings
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Image via www.guardian.co.uk

• Neolithic Age = New Stone Age *Stone Tools

• During early Mesopotamian civilization, early Egyptian civilization begins to form in the fertile valley of the Nile.
  

• Location: Sumer
• Created a system of Cuneiform - a system of symbol writing in which pictures for objects and marks for numbers were engraved on clay tablets *huts evolved into 12 independent city-states

• Essential forms of Egyptian civilization take shape *Royal power reaches its height
• Pharaoh - Egyptians believed them to be both man and god, an absolute ruler who maintained irrigation system, justice, and expressed the will of heaven. *Enormous expenditure of resources on pyramids leads to Old Kingdoms decline.

• Rival families compete for throne (Game of Thrones) *Civil war and failure to maintain irrigation system send Egypt into downturn

• Covers years 2100 -1750 B.C.E.
• Mesopotamia - region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
• Irrigation of Tigris and Euphrates plays important role in agricultural development
• Dark side of early civilization - Disease, slavery
• Sumerians - located in southern Mesopotamia

• Strong kings reassert Pharaonic rule *cultural and economic life revive *Egyptian control extends to include Nubia *Profitable trade with Crete, Syria, and Palestine

• Nobles regain power *Nubians break away
• Hyksos invade Egypt with bronze tools and horses - acclimated into Egyptian culture

• Egyptians look to the past and begin to rebuild by the example of their ancestors

• Among first to use iron weapons
• At its peak in 1300 B.C.E., challenged Egypt for Syria & Palestine *Capital eventually sacked and burned to the ground -Replaced by smaller kingdoms

• One of the first to use an Alphabet
• Elite tradesmen - sail Mediterranean *Known for their purple dye -Called the "purple people" by Greeks *Established Tyre, Sidon, and Carthage - (813 B.C.E.) *Famous for their papyrus *Very artistic
• King Solomon used Phoenician artisans to build his temple

• Nubians assimilate with Egyptians and make mini-pyramids

• Capital is Nineveh
• Jonah is sent to Nineveh, doesn't want to , eaten by whale
• Nineveh destroyed by Babylonians in 612 B.C.E
• Very warlike / violent - specialize in siege warfare

• Capital: Babylon 200 square miles
• Ziggurat 665ft tall with a solid gold altar on top
• Famous for Hanging Gardens
• Pleasure gardens 75ft up in the air
• Hollow pillars with water screws worked by slaves
• One of the first cities to have suburbs
• Well versed in astronomy
• distinguished between planets and stars
• Created Geometry - minutes & seconds

• Story of Daniel begins
• Hebrew scripture begins to be created in an effort to preserve culture and past

• Zoroastrianism ( Dualism) - belief of a Good entity and Evil entity at work in life. Good Vs. Evil. Ahuramazda Vs. Ahriman respectively

• Royal road 1,600 miles from Susa - Sardis
  -Fresh ponies every 16 miles
  -Royal postal service - "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"

• Located in Palestine *One of the first cities to build a wall around the city *2,000 people approximately, 8 acres

• Located in Turkey - 25 acres, apprx. 10,000 people *Didn't have streets. Travelled over rooftops.
• More sophisticated than early Jericho

• Location: Sumer, Southern Mesopotamia
• Population: apprx. 50,000 around 2900 B.C.E. *Large wall 5 miles long *Lunar Calendar based off phases on the moon. *Polytheistic( belief in multiple gods) I. Key gods: *Enlil ~ god of storms *Anu ~ god of the sky

• Capital of Assyria

• Major Phoenician coastal city

• Phoenician city that would come to be Rome's greatest enemy.

• Conquered most of Mesopotamia and built the world's first empire. *Conquered Sumerians most notably *Daughter, Enheduanna - world's first known poet

• Possibly came from Ur, led by Yahweh to Palestine
• Origin of monotheism perhaps
• Has a son Isacc - father of Jacob and Esau
• Jacob father of Joseph and 11 other sons

• Babylonian King
• Location: Mesopotamia *Brings Akkad and Sumer under his control *Hammurabi's Code

• Egyptians drive out Hykos and begin empire building.
• Location: Egypt

• Reigns during the New Kingdom of Egypt
• Tries to implement monotheism - Aton - sun god !{width: 350px; height: 425px;}

• Led Jews out of egypt and back to Palestine into the hills

• Extends the Egyptian empire
• Conquers Nubia in the south and Palestine ( Hebrews brought into slavery)
• Fought in the Battle of Kadesh (1269 B.C.E.) against expanding Hittites

• Israel's first king

• Built Jerusalem
• Killed Goliath

• Son of David
• Built the great temple in honor of God *Opposition to tax policies and favoritism towards Judah split kingdom after his death.

• Carried away 27,290 captives from Israel after defeating the Northern Kingdom

• Conquered Israel & Judah

• Reigned at the height of Chaldean empire

• Recognized religious traditions of Jews
• Allowed Jews to return home
• Just asked for taxes and obedience

• Cyrus the Great allows Hebrews to return to Palestine

• 1.8 million soliders- mercenaries and slaves mostly

• Result of Agricultural Surplus
• Allowed for: *Crafts such as pottery and weaving. *Political centralization *Religious hierarchies *Military technology *Long distance trade and travel

• Cows used as currency *Increased interest over time *Replaced by gold, silver, precious metals later

• Narmer/ Menes of Upper Egypt conquers the Nile Delta and Lower Egypt

• Sargon built the world's first empire - stretched from Persian Gulf to Mediterranean Sea *Stationed garrisons and governors

• Location: Ur, Sumer, Southern Mesopotamia *man made temple/mountain for worship *earliest examples of cuneiform found here

• Written law - "Eye for an Eye, Tooth for a Tooth." *Code of conduct, and testament to Hammurabi's reign *Demonstrated necessity for law and order as people began to come together in large groups

• Battle between Egypt (Ramesses II) and the Hittites
• 5,000 - 6,000 chariots

• Phoenicians and Hebrews begin to make a stir

• Kingdom split into Northern israel and Southern Judah

• Conquered by Babylonians / Assyrians
• Isaiah predicts predicts downfall

• Conquered by Chaldeans
• Temple is destroyed

• Allow Hebrews to return home to Palestine

• Ma'at = justice, law, right, truth - code of conduct
• Amon - Sun god
• Ra - Sky god
• Horus - falcon headed god
• Osiris - god of death
• Isis - Osiris wife
• Anubis - jackal headed god

• Pyramids in construction
  *Fish and Beer labor - oh yeah
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  Image via www.Kunsthistorie.com

• Mummies - ancient remains of pharaohs or important individuals mummified to preserve bodies. Believed spirits inhabited tombs, so they buried them with their material possessions

• Writing system used by Egyptians found in tombs and pyramids

• Written to guide a deceased person safely between this world, and the afterlife.
• Deceased individuals proclaimed before Osiris that had not done wrong.

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Image via Penn Museum object B17694 image 22097

• One of the earliest surviving works of literature *Deals with profound theme of human protest against death *Gilgamesh seeks immortality *Depicts Mesopotamian mood of pessimism and despair associated with death

• Scripture - Torah - defining elements of what it meant to be Jewish
• Monotheism - refined slowly - Yahweh - only one God. -Very unique for its time
• Sovereign and Transcendent God - God of everything
• Covenant - Jewish people had a special relationship with God
• Law intertwined with religion
• Prophetic Tradition - individuals who spoke to people in power, in particularly of corruption and social conscience
• New concept of History: linear - began at creation
• Dead Sea Scrolls !{width: 400px; height: 275px;} Image via www.news.nationalgeographic.com