World History:
Connections to Today
CHAPTER 2
First Civilizations: Africa and Asia (3200
B.C. – 500 B.C.)
Copyright, 2001 © Prentice Hall
CHAPTER 2
First Civilizations: Africa and Asia (3200 B.C. – 500 B.C.)
SECTION 1
Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
SECTION 2
Egyptian Civilization
SECTION 3
City-States of Ancient Sumer
SECTION 4
Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders
SECTION 5
The World of the Hebrews
Chapter 2
SECTION 1
Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
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Egyptian civilization arose along the fertile banks of the Nile River in
northeastern Africa.
Egyptian civilization is divided into three main periods:
(1) During the Old Kingdom, Egyptian pharaohs organized a strong,
centralized state and built majestic pyramids.
(2) During the Middle Kingdom, trade and warfare brought Egypt
into contact with other civilizations.
(3) During the New Kingdom, powerful and ambitious pharaohs
created a large empire that spread Egyptian influence and ideas
throughout the eastern Mediterranean and other parts of Africa.
Chapter 2, Section 1
SECTION 2
Egyptian Civilization
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•
Egyptians worshipped many gods and goddesses. They also
believed in life after death and developed special skills for
preserving the bodies of the dead.
Egyptian society was organized into classes, with the pharaoh, who
was considered both god and king, at the top of the structure and
farmers and slaves at the bottom.
The Egyptians made important advances in the fields of
mathematics, medicine, astronomy, and engineering.
Chapter 2, Section 2
SECTION 3
City-States of Ancient Sumer
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Sumer, the oldest civilization of the Middle East, developed in
Mesopotamia, an area of rich, fertile land between the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers.
Sumer was made up of many city-states, each of which had its
distinct social hierarchy, with the ruling family, leading officials, and
priests at the top and peasant farmers and slaves at the bottom.
The Sumerians invented the earliest form of writing, known as
cuneiform, and made great advances in mathematics and
astronomy.
Chapter 2, Section 3
SECTION 4
Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders
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Mesopotamia’s location at a geographical crossroads opened it to a
succession of invaders, including the Babylonians, the Assyrians,
and the Persians, who built great empires.
Hammurabi, king of Babylonia, published the Code of Hammurabi,
the world’s first major collection of laws.
Warfare and trade in Mesopotamia helped to spread ideas and
technology, including Hammurabi’s Code of laws, ironworking, and
the Phoenician alphabet, around the Mediterranean.
Chapter 2, Section 4
SECTION 5
The World of the Hebrews
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•
By 1000 B.C., the Hebrews had set up the kingdom of Israel in the
Fertile Crescent of Mesopotamia.
The Hebrews developed the religion of Judaism, based on worship
of one God, whose laws are set down in the Ten Commandments
and the Torah.
Chapter 2, Section 5