1. Ancient Egypt Social Structure: pharaohs, kings/queens, slaves
Government and Laws: government officials; all power in the hands of the pharaoh
Religion: polytheistic (belief in many gods and goddesses); believed in afterlife (mummification)
Language: hieroglyphics

2. Ancient Egypt
Art and Literature: gold, jewelry, linen, artwork-paintings, pottery; hieroglyphics; architecture (pyramids, Sphinx)
Economics: farming; trade; gold
Customs and Traditions: funeral rituals; mummification

3. Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia, is in the Middle East and is where the first civilizations were created
It means land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
There were many civilizations that made up this region:
Sumerians
Assyrians
Chaldeans/Babylonians

4. Mesopotamia
Social structure: Priest-kings Farmers and enslaved people were on the bottom, Life centered around the family
Gov’t & Laws: Wrote one of the first legal systems-Hammurabi’s Code, each city-state had a temple and gov’t center called a ziggurat
Religion: Believed forces of nature were alive, Polytheistic: Worshipped over 3,000 gods, Thought people were on Earth to serve gods
Language: Developed written language called cuneiform-Wrote on clay tablets, Schools taught writing to boys who became scribes

5. Mesopotamia
Arts & Lit: Made stone and clay sculptures, Wrote oldest known story-Epic of Gilgamesh
Economics: Farming was very important to life in Sumer (Fertile soil for farming)
Customs & Traditions: Men were the heads of households, Celebrated religious festivals to honor gods-dancing, music, and food

6. Phoenicians
Social structure: Ruled by kings, Middle class (traders, farmers, fishermen), Lower class (slaves, servants)
Gov’t & Laws: Trade was very important and made peace treaties with powerful neighbors, Made-up of small, independent city-states each ruled by a king
Religion: Built temples to honor their many gods tied to nature, Believed in life after death
Language: Developed first known alphabet

7. Phoenicians
Arts & Lit: Borrowed ideas from other groups, Worked with metal, ivory, and glass,
Economics: Depended on the sea for trade, Known for building ships and purple murex dye, Built colonies across the Mediterranean-Carthage in Northern Africa
Customs & Traditions: Made human sacrifices to honor gods, Buried dead in clay urns

8. Indus River Valley
Social structure: Led by priest-kings followed by soldiers, skilled workers (merchants, officials), and farmers
Gov’t & Laws: Ruled by priest-kings, Built fortresses called citadels
Religion: Believed in several gods and goddesses, Plants, trees, and animals were probably important to religion
Language: Wrote on clay tablets or on stone/metal, Developed writing system (Can’t be deciphered)

9. Indus River Valley
Arts & Lit: Made small clay and metal figures, Terra-cotta pottery, and jewelry
Economics: Farming fertile soil was important
Customs & Traditions: Buried dead with belongings (food, clothing, jewelry)

10. Persians
Social structure: Powerful kings held much control. Government workers and religious leaders were also powerful followed by merchants, farmers, and slaves
Gov’t & Laws: Conquered many lands with a strong army, Ruled by a king: Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes were amongst the strongest
Religion: Worshipped many gods at first. Then, a religious leader named Zororoaster told of 2 gods, one good and the other evil

11. Persians
Language: Persian language was written in clay tablets, Military leaders spoke Aramaic- The language of Middle Eastern merchants
Arts & Lit: Built large palaces, Made mosaics, sculptures, and rugs
Economics: Built many miles of roads for trade and travel, Spread the use of coins for money
Customs & Traditions: Fathers held much power in Persian families, Children from lower-class families were taught by parents at home, Wealthy families had servants who cared for parents

12. Assyrians-Mesopotamia
Social Structure: kings; cruel warriors; provinces
Government and Laws: strong, powerful army; officials collected taxes and made sure kings’ laws were followed; bronze and iron weapons
Religion: polytheistic; rise of monotheism
Language: Akkadian; Aramaic

13. Assyrians-Mesopotamia
Art and Literature: one of the world’s first libraries; tablets of hymns, stories, biographies; carvings of art on clay tablets; education (wealthy boys); Hanging Gardens
Economics: trade system of roads; taxes; bronze and iron weapons
Customs and Traditions: arranged marriages; in-depth childbirth and baptism

14. Chaldeans (Babylon)-Mesopotamia
Social Structure: king, warriors
Government and Laws: Nebuchadnezzar (extended as far west as Syria and Palestine); Babylon—own police force and postal system; thick walls; archers guarded walls
Religion: palaces and temples (ziggurat) in center of city (polytheistic)
Language: cuneiform; Aramaic; Akkadian

15. Chaldeans (Babylon)-Mesopotamia
Economics: artisans; pottery, cloth, and baskets trade (caravans)
Art and Literature: “hanging gardens” (one of the 7 wonders of the world); beautiful street with limestone and marble with blue glazed tile walls nearby (built by Nebuchadnezzar); center of science--astronomy
Customs and Traditions: care and feeding of the gods at temples every day—mostly religious ceremonies and festivals

16. Hebrews Occupied the area we know as Israel today.
Social Structure: most were nomadic (wandering herders or traveling merchants); farmers and shephards lived in one-room houses
Government and Laws:(government and laws) Their laws were based off the 10 Commandments.
Religion: They were the first monotheistic civilization. Their religion was called Judaism. We get two other religions from this- Christianity and Islam.
***social justice
***Ten Commandments
Language (Aramaic)

17. Hebrews
Economics: gold, copper, ivory; olives, flax, barley, wheat, grapes
Art and literature: motifs—figures and animals for synagogue and funerals
Customs and Traditions: patriarchal; elaborate marriage ceremonies, burial, practices and funeral rituals