Primeval Civilizations

 

Babylon was a small kingdom in Mesopotamia when Hammurabi became its ruler in 1728 BC. Hammurabi provided a strong central government that was fair to all citizens. Babylon society was divided in three classes: the awilu, a free person of the upper class; the mushkenu, a free person of the low state; and the wardu, or slave. Babylonians maintained their systems of canals, dikes, weirs and in mathematics and arithmetical they use Sumerian sexagesimal systems of numbers. They were skilled in metallurgy and in the preparation of paints, cosmetics and perfumes. The system of writing they used was another strong attribute of the Babylonian civilization. Only a small percentage of the populations were scribes in Babylon and they were the only citizens who could read and write. He defeated his rivals in the region, and established a society based on the rule of law. However, in 1531 BC Babylon was destroyed by the Hittites but Babylon re-established itself a century later. In 625 Nabopolassar, founded a new dynasty in Babylon. Nabopolassar attacked Assyria allying himself with the Medes. In 612 Nineveh was captured and destroyed. That was the end of Assyria. Nabopolassar was succeeded by his son Nebuchadnezzar in 605. The successors of Nebuchadnezzar on the throne of Babylon were less effective. Cyrus the Great ruled in Persia in 540 when he turned his attention to Babylon; in October 539 his general entered in the city. Many in Babylon (including the Jews in captivity) welcome the Persians as liberators. Finally, mighty Mesopotamia became a Persian province.

The Chinese built a civilization that has lasted longer than any other in the world. The Chinese Civilization had a military monarchy and they religion had gods from heaven and earth, its economy was based on tea and rice agriculture. In 5000 B.C., Chinese lived in the fertile Huang He river valley. In the 1700s B.C., invaders called the Shang entered their valley. These invaders built the first permanent, organized civilization. Since the Shang takeover, China has mostly been ruled by dynasties. The founder of the Ming dynasty brought China under one rule. Later, his grandson rebuilt the capital and renamed it Beijing. He also built a palace complex called the Forbidden City. The city got this name because only the rulers and a few officials could enter it. In 1664, the Manchus invaded China, creating the Qing dynasty. This lasted until 1911. Their knowledge and research allowed them to develop in medical area and their inventions are still used today such as kites, silk cloth, fireworks, compass, and paper, between others. Nowadays we can see one of their most famous constructions the Great Wall of China.

A civilization started in the Indus Valley more than 4,500 years ago. It lasted around 700 years. There are signs of more than 1,500 ancient cities and towns in the Indus Valley. No one knows why the Indus Valley civilization ended. Around 1500 B.C.E. the Aryans spread their culture to the area. Over time, Aryan and Indus Valley beliefs became the Hindu religion. The Buddhist religion also started in India. New civilizations grew in India. King Asoka ruled from 273 B.C.E. to 232 B.C.E. He became a Buddhist and spread his belief across his kingdom. The ancient Indians developed the number system we use now. We call them Arabic numbers. Indian history is characterized by different ages, like The Bronze Age, where there was an advanced civilization which emerged in Mature Harappan period from 2600 to 1900 B. This was followed by the Iron Age with the vedic civilization which extended over the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witnessed the rise of major polities known as the Mahajanapadas. Most of their territory was conquered by Maurya Empire. This period is known as Golden Age of india where aspects of India like administration, culture and religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) spread to much of Asia.

The civilization of Ancient Egypt dates back to around 3000 BC when the first pharaoh was established as ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around religion. The land was filled with temples. All families had to help with the pyramids. They could work as laborers or bring food for the workers. Building pyramids was hard because there were no cutting tools or machines. Ancient Egypt developed one of the earliest forms of writing, hieroglyphics, but very few people could read and write. Only a certain group of people were allowed to train to be scribes. People believed that pharaohs were related to the gods. Pharaohs were not only important in government, but they were also religious figures Egyptian burial practices reveal information about religious beliefs, including the belief in an afterlife. This required the body to be preserved. We call this process mummification. Only wealthy, important Egyptians were buried in pyramids (preserved or mummified). Egyptians used to fill the tombs with objects which their dead people could use in the afterlife. Its history occurred in a series of stables kingdoms: The old, middle and the new kingdom. Egypt reached the pinnacle of its power during the New Kingdom, in the Ramesside period, after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt civilization is developed along of the Nile River, which played an important role in the success of this civilization; they learned to profit the Nile resources and became an excellent agriculture developing advanced irrigation systems. All the Egyptians’ achievements facilitated the construction of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks.