1. The Ancient Middle East
The first three thousand years of Western history began in two great river-valleys
Mesopotamia in southwest Asia
Egypt in upper Africa
Agriculture and the first cities were born in these regions
These two regions founded scientific and mathematical knowledge, architectural advancements, legal systems, forms of government, and religious systems
These cultures were also responsible for the world’s first writing systems

2. Mesopotamian Literature
Mesopotamia means “land between the rivers”
Today this region is most of Iraq and parts of Iran, Turkey, and Syria
This area is also known as the Fertile Crescent
It is so named because of the agriculturally rich land
This rich soil is watered by two major rivers
Tigris
Euphrates

3. Sumerians The Sumerians were the first people to inhabit Mesopotamia
These people were nomadic and settled in Sumner between 5000 and 4000 BC
The Sumerians dug canals to irrigate the crops
They used mud to build their houses because there was no stone or timber in the area
They also used the mud for pottery and clay tablets

4. On the tablets, the Sumerians recorded their laws, financial transactions, and literature
The Sumerians lived in city-states- a large town or city and all its surrounding land
These city-states were laid out around great pyramid- like temples called ziggurats
Ziggurats were six or seven stories high, layered like a wedding cake, and each level was brightly painted a different color
A Priest-King lived in each Ziggurat

5. Sumerian Ziggurat

6. Priest-Kings
The Priest-King was believed to be the earthly representation of a local god
Some city-states had populations in the tens of thousands
Most city-states were in sight of each other, however, each one preferred to remain separated
For this reason, the Sumerians never formed a centralized government

7. Egyptian drawing of Priest-King

8. Artistic and Scientific Achievements
The Sumerians were known for their beautiful metalwork and sculpture
They developed a mathematical system with a number base of 60
They also devised a very precise twelve-month calendar based on the cycles of the moon
Their most important invention was the world’s oldest system of writing: Cuneiform
Cuneiform is a type of wedge writing using a stylus, or pointed stick on wet clay tablets

9. Fall of Sumeria
Sometime before 2000 BC, the Sumerians were conquered by a Semitic people who built a capital city on the banks of the Euphrates River
The city was called Babylon which means “gate of the gods”
The people of Babylon became known as Babylonians
Under the Babylonians, the Sumerians lost all identity
The Babylonians took everything that the Sumerians had done , adopted it, translated it into their language (Akkadian), and took credit for all of it

10. Hammurabi
Around 1792 BC, under the reign of Hammurabi, Babylon became the religious and cultural center of western Asia
The Code of Hammurabi was a collection of 282 laws that controlled every aspect of Babylonian life, from building codes to marriage and divorce
The code was based on a concept of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” and breaking any of the laws could result in death

11. Hammurabi Bust

12. The Library of Nineveh
In 900 BC, the Assyrians, a fiercely warlike people, came into Mesopotamia
They built their capital city on the banks of the Tigris and called it Nineveh
They created a magnificent library containing the clay tablets of Sumerian and Babylonian literature
Over time, the library of Nineveh fell into decay and became buried under the earth
In the 19th century, archeologists began to dig up the remains of the library

13. Library of Nineveh

14. Excavated Ruins of the Library

15. The Rebirth of Babylon
In 612 BC, the Assyrians were overthrown and Babylon rose again
Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler who rebuilt Babylon
The city became famous for its Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World
Babylon was also known for a great ziggurat that historians have identified as the biblical Tower of Babel
“Babel” was the Hebrew name for Babylon

16. Tower of Babel

17. The Fall of Babylon
Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great of Persia in 539 BC
It remained a center of trade and culture for several centuries, until a new port was established on the Euphrates
After that, Babylon fell into ruins

18. Egyptian Literature
Ancient Egypt existed for almost three thousand years
Egypt is also named “the gift of the Nile”
The Nile River served the same purpose in Egypt that the Tigris and Euphrates served in Mesopotamia
The Nile provided the water source necessary for fertilizing crops in the middle of the Sahara Desert
It also made Egypt a thriving trade community

19. Papyrus and Paper The Nile also provided Papyrus
Papyrus is a reed that grows along the banks of the Nile River
The Egyptians developed an early form of paper from these reeds
The etymology of the word paper comes from papyrus
Using papyrus, Egyptians kept written records and shared ideas and literature

20. Twenty-Seven Centuries
Egyptian civilization survived for more than twenty- seven centuries under thirty-one dynasties
Dynasties are successive ruling families
The greatest years of the Egyptian civilization are divided into three eras
The Old Kingdom ( BC) – pyramids are constructed; autobiographies and prayers
The Middle Kingdom ( BC)- Egypt expanded political power and economy; hymns and songs
The New Kingdom ( BC)- peak of political power; period known for lyric love poems

21. Social Structure Upper Class
Pharaoh
Priests and Scribes, Merchants, Professionals
Upper Class
Workers, Peasants, Slaves

22. Role of the Pharaoh
The Pharaoh was not only a political leader but also a spiritual leader
He was seen as a god
It was the pharaoh’s destiny to live with the gods after death
The pyramids were built to ease the pharaoh’s journey to the afterlife
They contained the pharaoh’s body and his earthly possessions

23. Literature and the Cult of the Dead
Hieroglyphs- one of the earliest systems of writing created by the Egyptians
A fascination with death pervaded Egyptian culture
The Cult of the Dead were a group of Egyptians who protected the Book of the Dead
The Book of the Dead , considered religious literature, was a “travelers guide” to the afterlife, containing everything that the deceased needed to have or know after death