Chapter 2: Early Middle Eastern and Northeast African Civilizations (2/6) -- World History Cultures, States, and Soci...

Chapter 2: Early Middle Eastern and Northeast African Civilizations Charlotte Miller 2.1 CHRONOLOGY | Chronology | Ancient Mesopotamia | | c. 10,000 BCE | Beginnings of Agricultural Revolution | | c. 3500 BCE | Appearance of Sumerian city-states in Lower Mesopotamia | | c. 3200 BCE | Early use of cuneiform | | c. 2900 BCE | Production of bronze | | 2334–2100 BCE | Akkadian Empire | | c. 2000 BCE | Gilgamesh first recorded in cuneiform | | 1792–1595 BCE | Babylonian Empire | | 1792–1750 BCE | Reign of Hammurabi | | 900–612 BCE | Assyrian Empire | | 626–539 BCE | New Babylonian Empire | | 605–562 BCE | Reign of Nebuchadnezzar | | Chronology | Ancient Israel | | c. 1300–1200 BCE | Israelites leave Egypt (following Moses) | | c. 1050–1010 BCE | Israelites establish a kingdom | | c. 1000–970 BCE | Reign of King David | | c. 969–930 BCE | Reign of King Solomon | | 929 BCE | Israel divides into two kingdoms | | 586–539 BCE | Babylonian captivity of Israelites | | Chronology | Northeast Africa (Egypt and Nubia) | | c. 7000 BCE | Beginnings of Agricultural Revolution in Northeast Africa | | c. 6000–3500 BCE | Desiccation of the Sahara Desert pushed people towards the Nile River | | c. 4000 BCE | Towns and villages grew along the Nile River | | c. 3100 BCE | Unification of Egypt | | 3100–2600 BCE | Egyptian Archaic Period | | 2660–2160 BCE | Egyptian Old Kingdom | | 2400–1450 BCE | The Kingdom of Kerma | | 2040–1640 BCE | Egyptian Middle Kingdom | | 1640–1570 BCE | Egypt’s Second Intermediate Period (Egypt under Hyksos Rule) | | 1530–1070 BCE | Egyptian New Kingdom | | 1350–1325 BCE | Amarna Period (under Pharaoh Akhenaten) | | 1040–332 BCE | Egyptian Late Period | | 750–656 BCE | The Kingdom of Kush rules Egypt, creating the “Ethiopian Dynasty” | | 750–593 BCE | Kingdom of Kush (with capital at Napata) | | 656–639 BCE | Assyrians occupied Egypt | | 593 BCE | Egyptian army sacked Napata, the capital of Kush | | 593 BCE | The Kingdom of Kerma moved its capital to Meroe | | 525 BCE | Persian conquest of Egypt | | 323 BCE | Alexander the Great conquered Egypt/Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt | | 30 BCE | Roman conquest of Egypt | 2.2 INTRODUCTION: DEFINING CIVILIZATION The term civilization often elicits mostly idealized images of ancient empires, monumental architecture, and the luxurious lives of ruling classes. Civilization, however, is a tricky term. In the United States, students of history studied Western civilization, almost exclusively, through the 1950s. In their studies, civilizations were advanced societies with urban centers, rooted in European or Middle Eastern culture. America’s origins in these Western civilizations were used to explain our own high level of development. However, more recent scholars have definitely broadened the geographical focus by recognizing that worldwide, from 3500 to 1000 BCE, at least seven independent civilizations emerged in different regions. These recent scholars also continue to debate the definition of civilization, an