While reading chapter one in our text book, I learned about the ancient civilizations that are no longer around. I noticed how different their cultures were from ours today. However, those are the foundations of who we are.
Starting with the Paleolithic people, they were the groundwork for all humankind. Life for them was basic and simple. They didn?t wake up and wonder what they were going to wear. The men were hunters and gatherers, and the women were caregivers and producers. That is a theme relevant to even today. (men being dominant, etc?). As I read on, humans began to evolve after years and years.
Soon humans were able to build structures using the post and lintel system. It seems the more we evolved the more we learned, and the more ??survival of the fittest?? played a part in the development of humans. I found the story of Gilgamesh very interesting. The fact he was seeking immortality but unable to attain it, represent humans always wanting things they can?t have. This is something everyone can relate to. It also incorporated the flood/ark part which I thought might have a connection with Noah?s ark ? especially since the time periods were very similar.
One thing that sparked my curiosity, was how all of the ancient civilizations used hieroglyphics or symbols to communicate in writing. Today, many countries and cultures do not. They use the letters for their words and phrases. In fact, hieroglyphics is not really used in any place. The closest thing is probably Hebrew and Arabic which were derived from the ancient civilizations.
Although not in America so much, religion is still a prevalent factor in cultures today just like they were in Egypt and Babylon. The old Kingdom had a very interesting method of ?judgement.? The Book of Dead was the evaluation was a huge part of their lives. Similar to our judgments found in some religions today. I think the middle kingdom was a time to learn and discover new theories and methods and time to figure out what works and what doesn?t. Prince Mentuhotep II was the leader and reunited Upper and lower Egypt. This was a great accomplishment because it brought peace and enabled the culture to prosper.
The impression I got from the Old Kingdom to New, was that the old kingdom maintained traditions in the books.
When thinking of human society, what comes to mind as the most classically “human” aspect? Would it be emotions, community, or urban development? The animal kingdom exemplifies two of these characteristics: there are many different types of animal communities who have complex forms of organization with hierarchical structures and the bonds they share with each other are an example of the emotions they can exhibit. Similarly, many plant species are seen growing together by region; their own forms of community. The complicating evidence in this scenario is the idea of development: animals or plants have not created their own types of materials, which defined in the context of being human produced are called “man-made,” and nature does not have
Since the beginning of time, mankind began to expand on traditions of life out of which family and societal life surfaced. These traditions of life have been passed down over generations and centuries. Some of these kin and their interdependent ways of life have been upheld among particular people, and are known to contain key pieces of some civilizations.
In conclusion, there were some beliefs and customs that the Egyptians and the Sumerians shared. They were both polytheistic and they both relied on the surrounding rivers for agriculture/life support. Yet their attitudes and prayers towards the gods and goddesses differed as well as their views on the afterlife. As explained, these views differed due to their location, climate and yield in agriculture.
Early civilization remains permits us to observe how life was lived in earlier times. Until the Neolithic Era humans were fairly nomadic. When they became knowledgeable of farming they began to realize that they would not have to be nomadic anymore thus forming civilizations. These early civilizations were typically polytheistic, which means that they believed in many gods. During these civilizations they also learned to tame animals and their technologies grew more and more advanced. Almost all early civilizations have failed but they all left a lasting mark that will continue forever. The Nile River Valley Civilization and the Mesopotamia Civilization are both amazing but they both have their differences in their political and social aspects.
Every culture has a different story of their origin. Each story varies in setting, main characters, and religious aspects. Although the stories are different, the sole purpose is the same for each – to explain how each civilization came to be. In order for a civilization to fully understand their past, they must critically break down the components of their origin story. Creation stories establish appropriate relationships within society by the revelation of the punishment laid out by the gods on unsatisfactory vassals, the importance of a hero figure, and the exposure of human survival based on nature.
Creation stories have profound effects on humans. Those associated with ancient cultures/civilizations aim to ensure the successful survival or well-being of themselves and that particular culture/civilization of their association, but not all are beneficial, prosperous, or fortunate. Mesopotamia’s “The Gilgamesh Epic”, Egypt’s “Hymn to the Nile-Documents”, and Mesoamerica’s Mayan and Aztec creation stories/religion are influential to establishing significant relationships within society, whether that is between humans and nature or humans and their “god(s).”
Ancient Egypt was a very important time in our time period. They had their own way of life. Egyptians had their own writing, burials, government, religion, cooking, and games. They were educated people with many talents. They were good with their hands and brains. Ancient Egyptians were a magnificent race of people.
Prior to living in homes build to with stand the test of time, growing food their food source, and raising animals, humans were nomads who followed their food source around and were hunters and gathers. Although it took many years, from 8000B.C. to 3000B.C. for humans to go from hunters and gathers to a more common day life as we now know it, the result is referred to as the Neolithic Revolution the begins of human civilization. As the people of this time began to settle down and they began to both farm the land and domesticate animals for the better of the community. Along with the development of these communities as for the first time began to create social class among the many different roles they played in their community. Because the people of this time no longer roamed around some of the first signs of technology began to appear around this time as well.
Religion, an inseparable part of civilization, influenced people a lot. Both Egyptians and Olmecs were polytheistic, so in general they were quite similar. They had various gods and respected to them. The pharaohs and shamans were regarded as incarnation of gads, or they can intervene with supernatural world. Also people will had ceremonies for different purposes.
The code of Hammurabi was one of the most important documents in Babylon history. It was adopted from many Sumerian customs that had been around for a while before the Babylonians. Though many of the Laws were adopted from Sumeria they were published by Hammurabi and thus known as the code of Hammurabi. This code had four main parts to it. They were: Civil Laws, Commercial Laws, Penal Laws, and the Law of procedures.
There were major shifts in human development over different times of human existence, two of
According to history there existed two of many important ancient civilizations that left a significant mark in the history of human development that even today leaves modern society in awe of its greatness. In spite of being distant civilizations, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece share similarities and difference in terms of how they practiced religion,political structure, everyday life style, and how they built the monumental architectures that continued to amaze the modern world of today. These comparison and contrast explain their difference in history and their dynasty's long term success. Through the early developmental age these two ancient civilizations contrasted in many ways perhaps due to the geographical location that helped shape their diverse cultures.
Author Yuval Noah Harari has a unique way of reviewing the past fourteen billion years in his monograph Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. His intention for writing this book is mainly to bring up the conversation of the human condition and how it has affected the course of history. In this case, the human condition coincides with the inevitable by-products of human existence. These include life, death, and all the emotional experiences in between. Harari is trying to determine how and why the events that have occurred throughout the lives of Homo Sapiens have molded our social structures, the natural environment we inhabit, and our values and beliefs into what they are today.
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing is one the oldest and most interesting forms of written language developed. There is evidence of its use from before 3200 BCE and Egyptian hieroglyphs remained in use for over 3,500 years. The Egyptian name for hieroglyphs translates to “language of the gods,” although the term hieroglyph actually came from Greek words meaning “sacred carving,” which the Greeks used to define the writing found on Egyptian monuments and temples (Ancient Egypt, Hieroglyphics, n.d.).
The contributions of the civilizations of Mesopotamia in the Fertile Crescent, classical China, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire laid the foundations for living in the modern world. Breakthroughs in a multitude of fields, including art, architecture, math, science, philosophy, law, government and others are crucial to the way people live all over the world. Although these ancient civilizations may seem primitive today, they shaped the progress of the world for many centuries.