CIVILIZATION: RIVERS IN MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT

Themes

• Civilization?
• examples from Southwest Asia and North Africa
• Lecture pattern and thesis:

Civilization

• What?
  • concept: civis
  • definition =
  • city:
  • culture =
  • various cultural adaptations:
• How?
  • from __________ to __________
    • technology
    • diet
  • urban centers
    • industry
    • writing
• Why?
  • balance of ___________ and __________
  • cultural implications
• When and Where?
• 4000-3500 B.C.E.
• _________-__________ civilizations

North Africa: Egypt

• land of __________ and __________ on the Nile
• Environment:
  • Nile River [Alt Nile]
  • Nile Valley *
  • Lotus and Papyrus [Alt Lotus and Papyrus]
  • climate:
  • vegetation:
• Development (B.C.E.):
  • timeline by _______________
  • 3100 unification
  • 3100-2600 Archaic
  • 2660-2180 Old Kingdom
  • 2080-1640 Middle Kingdom
  • 1570-1075 New Kingdom
  • after 1000: outside domination
• Culture and Worldview
  • agriculture:
  • family: Temple of Hathor; Bes [Alt Hathor; Alt Bes]
  • urbanity: Luxor and Karnak [Alt Karnak]
  • writing: hieroglyphics Rosetta Stone [Alt. Rosetta Stone]
  • pyramids
  • pharoah: Tutankhamen (1347-1338 B.C.E.)
  • tradition and Ma'at *
  • justice:
  • the past:
  • foreigners:
  • Reader chap. 3 Setne Khamwas and Naneferkaptah
• Key concepts:
  • Nile, pyramid, Ma'at
  • regularity, continuity, stability, organization, balance

Southwest Asia: Mesopotamia

• Land of __________ and __________ on the Tigris and Euphrates
• Environment:
  • Mesopotamia =
    • central nervous system
    • strategic crossroads
  • Tigris [Alt Tigris]
  • Kestel [Alt. Kestel]
  • climate and terrain:
• Development:
  • timeline by __________________
    • 3200-2350 Sumerians
    • (c 2340-2100 Semites)
    • 2350-1600 Babylonians
    • 1000-612 Assyrians
    • 600-550 New Babylonians
  • continuity: Nabonidas and Ur-Nammu Ziggurat of Ur
• Culture and Worldview
  • Sumerian god Enki
  • agriculture:
  • Sumerian figurines
  • economics:
  • Beer: Ninkasi
  • urbanity:
  • Ishtar Gate
  • writing: cuneiform [Alt cuneiform]
  • kingship and law: Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.E.)
    • Code of Hammurabi
    • stele
• key concepts
  • Gilgamesh
  • change and diversity
  • order and meaning

Conclusions

Comparisons

• Rivers:
• Monuments:
• Concepts:

Civilization

• Why is there civilization and is it a good thing?
• Reader chap. 3 Reilly essay
• progress?
• the mall

Explore!

• Exploring Ancient World Cultures (timeline with links), part of Exploring Ancient World Cultures
• Abzu Regional Index for Mesopotamia
• Abzu Regional Index for Egypt
• Color Tour of Egypt
• Pilgrimage to Abydos (Part of Jacques-Edouard Berger Foundation World Art Treasures)
• Mesopotamian Medicine (part of Asclepion)
• Women and Gender in Egypt