Transcript First Civilizations: Africa and Asia

First Civilizations: Africa and Asia
Ancient Egypt/Sumerian Civilization
• Old Kingdom (2700 B.C.-2200 B.C. )also
known as Pyramid Age
• Middle Kingdom (2050 B.C.-1800 B.C)
Hyksos conquer Egypt
• New Kingdom (1550 B.C.-1100 B.C.)
Egypt gains power and then begins to
decline*
Early Egyptian Rule
Egyptians believe in:
Life after death
Pharaohs were viewed as gods
Caste system:
- Pharaohs>High Priests and Priestesses>
Nobles>Craftspeople and Merchants>
Peasant farmers> Slaves*
Important Egyptian Term
Hieroglyphics- used to keep records of Egyptian
culture for thousands of years
Mummification- process of preserving the dead
Delta- triangle area formed by deposits of silt at the
mouth of a river
Satrap- governor of a province of the Persian empire
Ziggurat- pyramid shaped temple built by the
sumerians*
More terms and facts
Papyrus- reed used to make paper-like
material
Sumer was made up of independent city-states
The Epic of Gilgamesh is a poem recounting
the adventures of a Sumerian hero
The Code of Hammurabi was the first major
collection of laws*
More facts about Egypt
Egyptian society relied on the Nile River for
much of its natural resources
Most Egyptians were farmers
The Phoenicians were responsible for
spreading much of Middle Eastern
civilization*
Important People
Tutankhamon (King Tut)- pharaoh who died young
and was made famous when his tomb was
discovered
Amon-Re- Egyptian sun god
Hammurabi- ruler who published a code of laws to
help unite his empire
Hatshepsut- Egyptian queen who declared herself
pharaoh
Ramses II- pharaoh who spread Egyptian rule
northward as far as Syria*
More Important People
Osiris- god of the Nile and ruler of the
underworld
Moses- led enslaved Hebrews out of Egypt
Zoroaster- Persian thinker who rejected the
old gods and taught that a single god ruled
the world
Isis- wife of Osiris*
Even More Important People
Sumerians- credited with creating the wheel
Lydians- developed the first coined money
Hittites- the first to work with iron
Phoenicians- developed the first alphabet
Babylonians- they created the first written
code of laws*
All done !!