Egypt 3000 B.C. – 1237 B.C.

Ancient Egyptians used copper to made needles, tools, jewelry. They used a potter’s wheel to make pots, jars, and bowls out of pottery. They were ruled as one united kingdom under a pharaoh. Their writing system, called hieroglyphics, used symbols and pictures. They wrote on papyrus, made from plants. Our word paper comes from it. We have been able to decipher their writing because of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.

The largest pyramids were built between 2700 and 2100 BC. They were tombs for pharaohs because they believed in an afterlife. After this period Amenhotep ruled and tried to change their religion to monotheism, belief in one god instead of many.

In Ancient Egypt, they developed a lunar calendar with twelve months and 365 days in a year. They also had a number system based on 10, as we do. They used fractions and geometry. They built canals and irrigation ditches. They used herbs and medicines. Some people were trained as scribes.

Sumerians 3000 B.C. – 2400 B.C.

People settled in the fertile land in the Tigris-Euphrates valley. They used metals and developed writing. Their writing was called cuneiform which was pressed into clay and then hardened. Their city-states each had their own ruler. They had several levels of society – nobles, priests, government officials, merchants, peasants, and slaves. Most people were farmers. They grew flax to make cloth. They made bricks out of clay and could build them into an arch. Some think they may have been the first to use the wheel. Their math developed principles of algebra. They based their numbers on 60 and divided circles and time into 60 (360 degrees, 60 minutes and seconds). They also had a 12-month lunar calendar and were polytheistic.

Akkadians 2340 – 2125 B.C.

They conquered the Sumerians. They were the largest empire up to this time period. Their capital would later become the city of Babylon (think Daniel in the lions’ den). They spoke a Semitic language, which would be close to modern Hebrew and Arabic. Their empire lasted about 100 years as they fought to defend their trade interests.

Babylonians 1750 B.C.  (5000 B.C. – 500 B.C.)

They are famous for Hammurabi and his “code.” He wrote 282 laws about all sorts of things, including “an eye for an eye.” The people were farmers. The developed complex irrigation systems to water their crops. They build their buildings with bricks they made. They traded with the people of Egypt and India. They focused more on education and had “advanced” arts, math, and literature. They studied astronomy. Women had legal rights and could own property. Their society status went as follows: nobles, priests, artisans, merchants, peasants, and slaves. They also worshiped many gods and were polytheists. (This is where Judah was taken into exile.)

Assyrians  900 B.C. – 612 B.C.

The Assyrians were cruel and fierce and were excellent warriors. They had iron weapons and invented the battering ram to knock down walls. They captured Babylon around 700 BC and destroyed it. They controlled areas that today go into Syria, Iraq, and Egypt. Their king had total power and collected taxes. Nineveh was its capital (think Jonah). They built a large library of clay tablets and diverted rivers to deliver water where they wanted it. (This is where Israel was taken into exile.)

Chaldeans 612 B.C. – 539 B.C.

Nebuchadnezzar was a Chaldean and ruled in Babylon, 605 B.C. – 562 B.C. (This was the time of Daniel and Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego. He’s the one who threw them into the fire when they didn’t worship his statue. He learns to worship the one true God, even quoting part of a Psalm, which I’m guessing he must have heard Daniel singing! These stories are from the book of Daniel in the Bible.)

The Chaldeans conquered most of the fertile crescent. They created the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient World. They conquered Jerusalem. They studied astronomy and figured out the length of a year to within 7 minutes.

Phoenicians  1000 – 700 B. C.

Phoenicians have had a big influence. They were a union of city-states that each had their own king. They were famous for their sea ports at Tyre and Sidon, which became wealthy trading centers. These ports were homes to ships with sails and oars. They may have sailed as far as Britain and the tip of Africa. They used lumbar from the mountains of Lebanon. Their craftsmen could make beautiful objects of glass. They learned to make purple dye that they used to dye cloth, which was sought after by the most wealthy and became the color worn by kings and queens.

They established colonies in the area of the Mediterranean and contributed to cultural diffusion with all their travel and trade.

They contributed to us by developing an alphabet that became the model for what we know as alphabets. The Greeks would later adopt and improve on their alphabet, adding vowels, and the Romans adapted it further.

Lydians  700 – 547 B.C.

They were located in present day Turkey. Their contribution was coins. They used money instead of trading and bartering. Prices could be charged. They were farmers as well, but they also mined for gold and silver.

The Hebrews  1200 – 586 B.C.

The Hebrews, or Jews as they represent the religion of Judaism, inhabited Canaan (present day Israel, the southern part). Their farmers grew grain, olives, figs, and grapes. Their region was a between Egypt and the Fertile Crescent. The area was conquered many times, which is recorded in the Bible. Abraham is the father of the Hebrews and led a nomadic people. They became enslaved in Egypt around 1500 BC. Moses, God’s appointed leader, led them out of Egypt by a great supernatural deliverance and brought them into the Sinai Peninsula, where Moses received the Ten Commandments from the Hebrew God, YHWH. They believed in one God who promised them the land of Canaan.

Twelve tribes were united under one king, Saul, then David, then Solomon. David made Jerusalem the capital and it became the religious center (1000 BC). Solomon built a great temple there. After his death, the kingdom split in two (992 BC). The northern kingdom became Israel with its capital at Samaria, and the southern kingdom because Judah with Jerusalem as its capital.

Persia  550 B.C. – 331 B.C.

This area was called Persia until March 21, 1935, when is became called “Iran.” They spoke an Indo-European language. Cyrus was one of its great leaders. He conquered Babylon in 539 BC. Other great leaders include Darius and Xerxes. You can read about them in the book of Daniel as well. You can read about Cyrus in the book of Ezra. They were the strongest empire up until their time. They allowed the people they conquered to keep their customs, religions, and laws. They taught their children to tell the truth and taught good and evil. They were conquered in 331 B.C. by Alexander the Great, from Greece. (The succession of kingdoms is part of the prophecy found in the book of Daniel in the Bible.)