Introduction and Timeline: The Ancient Near East and Ancient Egypt
The Eastern Mediterranean is often referred to as the “Cradle of Civilization” because so many features of what we consider to be part of “civilization” have their origins there. We will be looking at the Ancient Near East (Mesopotamia) and Ancient Egypt in the next two chapters. Both experienced near-simultaneous developments of
- the city-state – large centralized cities with social stratification and ritual centers (temples, large funerary complexes, etc.)
- a pantheon (many) of gods – and a system of human-god relations. Many of these gods personify aspects of nature such as storms, the waters and planets
- a system of writing
We don’t know of any direct connections that might explain these shared features, although we know that some military and diplomatic contact existed between the regions. Some of the political systems you will read about were theocracies (the leaders were also priests) while others were ruled by the military. In Egypt, we see the development of family dynasties who rule for extended periods of time.
The following video gives you a sense of the parallel development of cultures throughout the world from 5000-3000 B.C.E.