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The worlds first civilization was developed in 3300 B.C., in a region known as Sumer. It passed through present day Turkey through Iraq into the Persian Gulf. This Civilization is known as Ancient Mesopotamia.
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Cuneiform is the earliest form of writing. it was formed by the Sumerians. In Latin, it means wedge, because the scribes wrote by making wedge shaped marks on clay tablets.
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Sumerian scholars studied the skies and recorded the movements of stars and planets. the also developed a number system based on the number 6, which divided an hour into 60 minutes, a day into 24 hours, and a circle into 360 degrees.
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The Egyptians created a form of writing called hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics have been studied by using the Rosetta Stone. They also made a paper like writing material from papyrus.
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The Old Kingdom in Egypt formed. This region lied near the fertile lands of the Nile Valley. Pharaohs organized a strong state. Pharaohs held a lot of power and played large parts of government and religion.
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Huge pyramids were built in Egypt during the Old Kingdom. They were built as tombs for pharaoh. They were built at a place known as Giza.
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Beginning around 2500 B.C., armies of conquering people invaded Mesopotamia and swept across the Sumerian city states, overwhelming them.
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The Epic of Gilgamesh was a Mesopotamian narrative poem, and it was also the first poem told orally in Sumer. It describes the destruction that the great flood caused to the world.
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According to the Torah, a man named Abraham and his family lived near Mesopotamia. Around 2000 B.C., they migrated to Canaan. Abraham was known as the father of the Israelites.
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After the Old kingdom collapsed, more than a century passed in which there was disunity in Egypt. Eventually, new pharaohs reunited the land creating a new era, The Middle Kingdom.
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The Assyrians first rose to power when the Akkadian Empire fell. They lived in Northern Mesopotamia Near the start of the two rivers. This empire rose and fell many times during this time.
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Hammurabi became king of Babylon in 1790 and brought much of Mesopotamia under control of him empire.
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Hammurabi created set of laws known as Hammurabi's code. Punishments were very cruel if someone would break these laws. People could even be put to death, if their crime caused someone else to die.
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Foreign invaders known as the Hyksos occupied the region of the Nile delta. Although they took over the government of Egypt, there was little conflict between the new leaders and the Egyptian people.
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After more than 100 years of the Hyksos ruling Egypt, new leaders arose and formed the New Kingdom.
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During the New Kingdom, the first female ruler of Egypt took charge. Her name was Hatshepsut, and she took on all the rights that a pharaoh had.
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Hatshepsut's stepson becomes pharaoh once he reached adulthood.
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At the New Kingdom's height around 1450 B.C., the Egyptian empire reached as far north as Syria and the Euphrates River.
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Around 1400 B.C., the Hittites are pushed out of Asia Minor and into Mesopotamia.
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The Hittites brought a major advancement to Mesopotamia with them. They knew how to extract iron from its ore. Because of this, their tools and weapons were much stronger.
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King Tut became pharaoh when he was 9 years old, after the death of Akhenaton. He restored many old religious practices. His tomb is the only tomb to be discovered intact.
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Moses, an Israelite, renewed God's covenant with the rest of the israelite believers. Then, a famine forced them out of Israel and into Egypt.
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After Moses and the Israelites get to Egypt, they are enslaved. God freed them and led them to the promised land. After their 40 year journey to Canaan, Moses died.
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By 1000 B.C., the Israelites had established their kingdom. The Torah tells of the twelve separate tribes of Israel.
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David, Father of Solomon, was the second king of Israel. He was strong and wise king, and united the twelve tribes of Israel.
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Solomon followed David as king of Israel. He undertook the task of turning the city of Israel into the impressive capital. He also built an impressive temple dedicated to God.
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Solomon's projects brought up high taxes and forced labor which caused revolts after he died. The kingdom split into Israel in the north and Judah in the south
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The Israelites remained independent for 200 years, but they fell into the hands of more powerful people.
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Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the great temple that Solomon and his people built, and he forced many of the people in which he defeated into exile in Babylon. This period of exile was referred to as the Babylonian Captivity; it lasted 50 years.
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The Persian ruler, name Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon. He then freed the israelites.
