Ancient Civilizations Of The World

Hieroglyphics are called Sacred Writings.

The Egyptian writings are called Hieroglyphics. It used symbols such as small pictures or drawings. No language was used. These pictures represented actions, sounds, and ideas. The Hieroglyphics were considered as the words of God by the ancient Egyptians and hence was used by the priests in the beginning.

The kings who ruled Egypt are called Pharaohs.

The term Pharaoh refers to a person who lives in a spacious and beautiful house. The kings of Egypt were called as Pharaohs as they lived a wealthy life. Pharaoh was considered the most powerful person. He was also called the Lord of two lands as he ruled both the upper and lower Egypt. The king was also the high priest and the religious rituals were performed by him. The king was highly regarded next to God.

The Greeks referred to Mesopotamia as Land between the rivers.

The fertile valley formed between two rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris of West Asia is the Mesopotamia. The southern valley formed by these rivers is the central area of the Mesopotamian civilization. The barren land was made very fertile by these two rivers. The fertility of this Mesopotamia invited many nomadic tribes such as the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Persians to establish control over this area.

The most famous king of the Amorites is Hammurabi.

Amorites are the Semitic tribes. These tribes are best known for the best administration in the kingdom of Babylonia under the great king Hammurabi. He was widely recognized for his law codes which protected the rights of the common man particularly women and slaves. Babylonia was considered as the best kingdom during his time.

1. Hwang Ho River - d. a China

Hwang Ho River is said to be the birthplace of many of the ancient civilizations of China. The river is said to be the Pride of China. It is also called the sorrow of China as the flood during the rains completely devastates the lives of many people.

2. Cuneiform - a. eMesopotamia

The Sumerians who were the first nomadic tribes to enter Mesopotamia developed a system of writing. This was called the Cuneiform. This system was used by the other tribes such as the Persians, Babylonians and the Assyrians.

3. Cleopatra - e. the last Egyptian queen

Cleopatra was a beautiful and charming queen of Egypt. She tried to save her country from the Ptolemies, Romans, and Persians who wanted the occupy the kingdom of Egypt. The rulers who came to Egypt succumbed to her beauty. Her beauty feared the opposition rather than her troops. However, Augustus, Caeser’s son-in-law, defeated her army.

4. Hammurabi - b. King of the Amorites

Hammurabi was the famous king of the Amorites. He was famous for the codes of justice. These law codes were written to protect the rights of the civilians especially women and slaves. The kingdom of Babylonia was considered as the best-administered kingdom during the reign.

5. Chinese dynasty - c. Shang

The Shang dynasty can be said as the first dynasty to rule China. During the reign of the Shang dynasty between the 18^th and 12^th century B.C., the people of China developed civilization and culture. Agriculture was the primary occupation of the Chinese during this period. Rice was cultivated in abundance. The soldiers enjoyed prestigious status in the society as the kings of the Shang dynasty enjoyed battles and conquests. This necessitated a well-trained army.

The term ‘mummies’ refer to the protected dead bodies. The practice of preserving the dead bodies was a part of Egyptian civilization. The Egyptian mummies were found largely in the Nile Valley region. The Egyptians believed that after their life on earth they would move to a new world and lead another life. Hence the corpus of the dead was preserved to use in the next life. They felt that the life on earth was the preparatory phase for the life in the other world. Osiris was the Egyptian God for life and death. The dead had to describe his life and the deeds on the earth to Osiris. The thin cloth was used to wrap around the dead bodies. Then the bodies were placed in a wooden box called a coffin. Some chemicals were put to preserve the body and the families of the deceased placed the items that could be used in the day to day activities. There was also a habit of keeping two dolls, one as Barber and the other one as Cook. Thus, the mummies were preserved in Egypt.

Pyramids refer to the tall towers which were built on the graves. The kings of Egypt or Pharaohs were buried under these pyramids. These pyramids were considered as the place of the ascent of the spirit of the dead kings. When the Egyptians moved towards north they had to build their graves in the desert regions. Earlier they used to dig the rock in the hills to make the graves. Pyramids were made of huge blocks of stone. The base of the pyramid was quadrilateral and is raised gradually to a triangular finish. These pyramids serve as the final resting place of the kings and the other rich people. These serve as tombs for the kings and their rich officials. Tall and tall pyramids were ordered to be built by the Pharaohs in order to show off their wealth and power. The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.

River Hwang Ho is said to be the Cradle of Chinese civilization. Many civilizations of China owe its origin to this river basin. Civilizations originated on the banks of river plains as it facilitated the availability of food, transport etc., This Hwang Ho river in China which is China’s pride is also its sorrow. During heavy rains, the river floods and devastates the houses and the establishments dreadfully. The lands which were used for cultivation were destroyed by the fierce flow of the river. Many people lost their lives and some were destitute as they lost their homes and source of living. Hence Hwang Ho river was called as the China’s sorrow due to the unpredictable change in the course of the river leaving the place in a wreck of havoc.

The Nile River is the longest river in the world. The river got its name from the Greek word Neilos which means valley. This Nile river is called the Father of the African rivers. It rises to the south of the equator and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. This river flows through eleven countries. This river is the primary source of water for Egypt. This river has got two tributaries namely the White Nile and the Blue Nile. The White Nile has its origin in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. The Blue Nile originates from the Lake Tana in Ethiopia. This great river of north eastern Africa played a major role as the cradle of the Egyptian Civilization. Thus, Egypt is called as the Gift of Nile. The ancient Egyptians cultivated crops like wheat, flax etc., around the Nile. Nile river was the only means of transport which enabled the country to have trade relations with other countries. It is very surprising that the Egyptian calendar was based on the three cycles of the Nile such as Akhet, Peret and Shemu. Akhet was the inundation, Peret was to the growing season and Shemu was the harvest season.