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Period: 10,000 BCE to 500 BCE
Mesopotamia: Early Mesopotamians
Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Hittites, Phoenicians, Sumerians, Akkadians are the early people of Mesopotamia -
7000 BCE
Mesopotamia- Geography
Mesopotamia lay between two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. The farming wasn't wasn't easy there because the region received little rain and when it rained heavily it flooded. When it didn't rain the crops dried up so the farmers created irrigation, a process they used to spread water to an area of land. The process helped and they had extra food. They also created division of labor because fewer people needed to farm. Division of labor is when there are different jobs for people to do. -
3500 BCE
Nubia- Ancient Kush
Ancient Kush, now known as Nubia, was at the south of Egypt. Egypt gained control of Kush because they were scared that Kush would invade them. Kush was an Egyptian territory for about 450 years. The Kushites slowly started to adapt to Egyptian culture. Later the Kushites got their territory back and became independent. -
3300 BCE
Ancient Egypt- Achievements
The Egyptians invented hieroglyphics, a writing system used in Egypt. They also made papyrus, a long-lasting paper-like material made of reeds. The Rosetta Stone was a slab that help decipher hieroglyphics. The Egyptians created temples that had sphinxes, imaginary creatures with lion bodies and heads of humans or other animals. There would also be an obelisk, a tall, four-sided pillar that is pointed at the top. They also excelled at art and there are wonderful examples in King Tut's tomb. -
3100 BCE
Ancient Egypt- Geography and Life
Ancient Egypt was divided into 2 parts: Upper & Lower Egypt. Southern Egypt was Upper Egypt because of the Nile River's flow. The Nile River flows from south to north. Most of Egypt was a desert because it received little rain so the Egyptians were happy when the Nile River flooded because it coated the land around it with silt so the area was good for farming. In 3100 BC, a man named Menes wanted to unify Lower and Upper Egypt and was successful. His crown was red & white, a symbol of unity. -
Period: 3100 BCE to 350 BCE
Ancient Egypt and Kush
Ancient Egypt had a huge impact on history and they created and achieved many things. They are known for their pyramids, pharaohs, and their success in conquering other places, They had a big empire and it lasted for a very long time. Eventually Kush also raised to power after Egypt conquered it. -
2700 BCE
Ancient Egypt: The Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom was when the Egyptians continued their political system that their pharaoh was both a king and god. The Egyptians believed that their land belonged to their gods and their pharaoh were sent from the gods to manage Egypt so he had power over the land and people of Egypt but he had a lot of responsibilities. The social structure had the pharaoh at the top, the nobles beneath him, then the scribes and craftspeople, then the slaves, farmers, & servants. -
2300 BCE
Ancient India- Geography
India is a subcontinent, smaller than a continent but a big area. India is cut off by the Himalayas from the west but people found their way through them. Most of India has a hot climate but there are monsoons. The Harappan Civilization is the civilization that was in the Indus River Valley. Ruins of cities Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were the main sources of information about the civilization. Eventually, the Aryans attacked and gained control. We know about them from their writings in Sanskrit. -
2050 BCE
Ancient Egypt: The Middle and New Kingdoms
The Middle Kingdom was ruled by Mentuhotep II. He gained control because he defeated all his rivals when they tried to gain control of Egypt. The Middle Kingdom lasted until 1750 BC. The Hyksos invaded in mid-1700 BC. In the mid-1500 BC, Ahmose of Thebes drove the Hyksos out. After, he declared himself Egypt's king and he started the New Kingdom. The Egyptians tried to take control of possible invasion routes to Egypt and in the process started their own empire. -
2000 BCE
Sumer-City-states and Empires
In Ancient Sumer, there were urban areas and rural areas. Urban areas were normally city-states. City-states have a city in the middle and countryside around it. City-states often fought each other for more farmland. -
2000 BCE
Ancient India- Origins of Hinduism
The Aryan system divided their people in groups. The system was called the Caste System. The groups were the priests, rulers, craftspeople and traders, and workers and slaves. There was another caste called the untouchables and could only have unpleasant jobs. They could only marry and spend time with people in their own caste. A blending of ideas about religion slowly changed into a religion called Hinduism. They believed in reincarnation and what you turned into was based on your karma. -
1800 BCE
Sumer- Achievements
The Sumerians created many things.They created cuneiform, the first system of writing, and they used it to keep business records and later for law, grammar, math and types of literature. They also developed the wheel and plow, and they also excelled in math and created the system of our current calendar. They were also good at the arts and architecture. -
1792 BCE
Fertile Crescent: Later People
Babylon was known for its king Hammurabi. He was an excellent war leader and was also known for his set of laws called Hammurabi's Code. The Hittites were excellent iron workers and knew how to steer chariots. The Assyrians were fierce warriors and used iron weapons. They had a strong army and every soldier knew what to do. The Chaldeans made Babylon into a beautiful city and a center of astronomy. The Phoenicians lived in Phoenicia and they were excellent traders and created our alphabet. -
563 BCE
Ancient India- Origins of Buddhism
Siddharta Gautama, a prince who grew up in luxury, started to have questions about life after seeing people suffer. When he was 30 he left his family to look for answers. He meditated and fasted, meaning he went without food and focused his mind on religious ideas. He meditated under a tree for 7 weeks and reached enlightenment. He was referred as the Buddha from that point on. He created rules about life and invented the Four Noble Truths. If you followed these, you would be in Nirvana. -
320 BCE
Ancient India- Indian Empires
Cadragupta Maurya was ruler of the top part of India & founded the Mauryan Empire that lasted 150 years. His complex government included a network of spies & a huge army of 600,000 soldiers. The farmers had to pay a heavy tax in order for the army's protection. Later, he decided to become a Jainist monk so he had to give up his throne so he gave it to his son. Asoka, Cadragupta's grandson expanded the rule over most of India but turned into a Buddhist after. After the Gupta Dynasty was created. -
100
Ancient India- Indian Achievements
The Indians had beautiful religious art. Their temples became more complex over time and had carvings and paintings of the god inside. They had beautiful paintings and wonderful sculptures. They also had religious epics. The most famous are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. They were also good at metal working and medicine. They also created our current number system. They were also interested in astronomy. -
Modern Event- Malaysia- Laws
Hammurabi's Code inspired our laws by having certain punishments for doing certain things. -
Modern Event: Malaysia- Temples and Worship
The Egyptians are known for their temples and their worship to their gods. Even now the tradition of taking religion very seriously and worshipping the gods or God in temples or churches is very common. -
Modern Event- Malaysia- Religion
Buddhism and Hinduism are still major religions here. Although we don't worship them as seriously as them it is still very important and we still worship the same gods with the same concepts and traditions.