—saw writing, in contrast to

pictograms, become
commonplace and
decipherable. The Epic of
Gilgamesh mentions several
— saw several transitions. leaders, including Gilgamesh
First, pottery began to be himself, who were likely
mass-produced. Second, trade historical kings. The first
— saw the first
goods began to flow down dynastic king was Etana, the
settlement in southern
waterways in southern 13th king of the first dynasty
Mesopotamia by
Mespotamia, and large, of Kish. War was on the
farmers who brought
temple-centered cities (most increase, and cities erected
irrigation agriculture.
likely theocratic and run by walls for self-preservation.
Distinctive, finely
priests-kings) rose up to Sumerian culture began to
painted pottery was
facilitate this trade. Slave spread from southern
evident during this
labor was also utilized. Mesopotamia into
time.
surrounding areas.

Urban Period
Uruk period (4100- Early Dynastic period
(6500-4100) 2900 BCE) (2900-2334 BCE)

SUMERIAN CIVILIZATIO
N

Akkadian Empire Sumerian

 Gutian period (2218-2047
period (2334-2218 Renaissance/Third
BCE) 
BCE) Dynasty of Ur (2047- The Sumerian
1940 BCE) Renaissance ended
was marked by a with invasion by the
many in the region period of chaos and saw the rulers Ur- Amorites, whose
became bilingual in decline, as Guti Nammu and Shulgi, dynasty of Isin
both Sumerian and barbarians defeated whose power continued until 1700
Akkadian. Toward the the Akkadian military extended into BCE, at which point
end of the empire, but were unable to southern Assyria. Mespotamia came
though, Sumerian support the civilizations However, the region under Babylonian
became increasingly a in place. was becoming more rule.
literary language. Semitic, and the
Sumerian language
became a religious
language.
Sumerian science and technology developed during
the Uruk Period (4100-2900 BCE) and Early DynasticPeriod
(2900-1750 BCE) of the Sumerian culture of
southern Mesopotamia. The foundation of future
Mesopotamian advances in scientific/technological progress
was laid by the Sumerians who first explored the practice of
the scientific hypothesis, engaged in technological innovation,
and created the written word, developed mathematics,
astronomy and astrology, and even fashioned the concept of
time itself. 

 Notable contribution of Sumerian

civilization :

 The Wheel
 The Sail
 Writing
 The Corbeled Arch/True Arch
 Irrigation and Farming Implements
 Cities
 Maps
 Mathematics
 Time and Clocks
 Astronomy and Astrology
 Medicinal Drugs and Surgery
 Having papyrus to
write on would have
The ancient Egyptians
the Egyptians discovered that The ancient been of no use
were among the first
by mixing a small amount of Egyptians turned the without the
groups of people to
tin ore in with copper ore, pith of the Cyperus invention of ink. The
write and to keep
they could make bronze. papyrus plant, which ancient Egyptians
records. The earliest
is found throughout mixed vegetable
Bronze is harder and more form of Egyptian
the Mediterranean gum, soot and bee's
durable than other metals of writing
region, into sheets wax to make a black
that time, and this was hieroglyphics,
which could be ink. Eventually, they
archeological period became which combined
rolled into scrolls. replaced the soot
known as the Bronze Age. logographic, syllabic
with other materials,
Bronze tools, weapons, and alphabetic
such as red ochre, to
armor, building materials, and elements, and had a
create various colors
decorative items have been total of some 1,000
of ink.
found. distinct characters.

1st century BC
3000 BC  (c. 3150 -2613 BCE).  3,000 BC – 1100
to the 3rd
AD
century AD
EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION

2500 B.C.
3100 BC
The first major irrigation project was The civil calendar was
The first ox-drawn plows created under King Menes during established at some
appeared in Egypt as early Egypt’s First Dynasty. He and his
successors used dams and canals early date in or before
as 2500 B.C. They were
made of bronze, which
(one measuring 20 km) to use the the Old Kingdom, with
diverted flood waters of the Nile into a
easily scored the earth into new lake called lake "Moeris." probable evidence of
furrows. Workers with its use early in the
hoes then broke up the reign of Shepseskaf
clumps of soil and sowed The Egyptians pioneered the use of ( c. 2510 BC, Dynasty
the rows with seed. Along canals and irrigation channels to direct IV) and certain
the fertile banks of the water from the Nile River to farm attestation during the
Nile River, the ancient fields that were distant from the river.
Egyptians grew wheat and
reign of Neferirkare
They built gates into the canals so that
various vegetables. (mid-25th century BC,
they could control the flow of water,
Dynasty V).
and they built reservoirs to hold water
supplies in case of drought.
The Egyptians devised their highly 3,500 BCE
accurate solar calendar by recording The Egyptians used their
the yearly reappearance of the star famous obelisksas sundials, by observing
Sirius (the Dog Star) in the eastern how shadows cast by the obelisk moved
sky. When Sirius rose, it coincided around them during the course of the day.
with the yearly flooding of the Nile From this, the ancient Egyptians were able
River. to determine the longest and shortest
days of the year.
The Egyptian calendar contained
365 days, divided into 12 months.
An inscription dating to the 16th century
Each month had 30 days, and there
BC and found in the tomb of a court
were an additional five festival days
official named Amenemhet, shows
at the end of each year.
a water clock. This clock was made from
However, earth's solar year is a stone vessel which had a tiny hole in its
actually 365.25 days long, which bottom.
today we account for with Leap
Water dripped through this hole at a
Year. Gradually, the Egyptian
constant rate, and the passage of hours
calendar became incorrect, but this
could be determined from marks placed on
problem was solved by Ptolemy III
a vessel collecting the water. Priests at
whose Ptolemaic Calendar added
the Temple of Karnak used a water clock
one day to the 365 days every four
at night to determine the time to perform
years.
various religious rites.

Between 3200 and 2500 BC 

2000 BC: Egyptian medicines
A corbeled arch is a 1995 B.C.E
The ancient Egyptians built
construction method that pyramids to bury their The Dendera light is a motif
uses corbeling to span a space Pharaohs and worshipped carved as a set of stone
gods who ruled every
or a void in a structure. reliefs in the Hathor temple
aspect of their lives. The
Corbelling involves offsetting goddess Sekhmet was at Dendera in Egypt, which
believed to cause or cure superficially resemble
successive rows of stone or diseases and priests played modern
brick so that they project a large part in Egyptian
medicine. electric lighting devices.
towards the archway's center,
eventually meeting at the apex
of the archway.
Notable Contribution of
Egyptian Civilization

Writing

Papyrus Sheets 

Medicine

Shipbuilding

Mathematics

Makeup

Toothpaste
 Arthur Evans & Discovery It was Evans who coined the
term Minoan in reference to
The archaeologist Sir
The Minoan civilization flourished in this legendary Bronze Age
Arthur Evans was first
the Middle Bronze Age on the island king. Evans, seeing what he
alerted to the possible
of Crete located in the
presence of an ancient believed to be the growth and
eastern Mediterranean from c. 2000 BCE
civilization on Crete by decline of a unified culture on
until c. 1500 BCE. With their unique art
surviving carved seal stones Crete, divided the island’s
and architecture, and the spread of their
worn as charms by native Bronze Age into three eras
ideas through contact with other
Cretans in the early 20th
cultures across the Aegean, the on the basis of the stylistic
century CE. Excavating
Minoans made a significant contribution changes of the pottery. His
at Knossos from 1900 to
to the development of Western comparative chronology
1905 CE, Evans discovered
European civilization as it is known included an Early (3000-2100
extensive ruins which
today. Labyrinth-like palace complexes, BC), a Middle (2100-1500 BC),
confirmed the ancient
vivid frescoes depicting scenes such as and a Late Minoan period
accounts, both literary and
bull-leaping and processions,
mythological, of a (1500-1100 BC). Since this
fine goldjewellery, elegant stone vases,
sophisticated Cretan culture chronology posed several
and pottery with vibrant decorations of
and possible site of the problems in studying the
marine life are all particular features
legendary labyrinth and culture
of Minoan Crete.   
palace of King Minos

C R E T A N C I VI L I Z A T I O N

Professor N. Platon has developed

a chronology based on the palaces' Prepalatial Minoan Crete (2600- Protopalatial Minoan Crete (1900-
1900 BC) 1700 BC)
destruction and reconstruction. He
divided Minoan Crete into
Prepalatial (2600-1900 BC), The archaeological evidence The protopalatial era began with social
Protopalatial (1900-1700 BC), reveals a decentralized culture upheaval, external dangers, and
Neopalatial (1700-1400 BC), and with no powerful landlords and migrations from mainland Greece and
Postpalatial (1400-1150 BC). no centralized authority. The Asia Minor. During this time the
palaces of this period are focused Minoans began establishing colonies at
We do not have much information
about the very early Minoans around communities, and circular Thera, Rodos, Melos, and Kithira.
before 2600 BC. We have seen the tholos tombs were the major
The Protopalatial period (1900–1700
development of several minor architectural structures of the
BCE) saw the establishment of
settlements near the coast, and the time.
administrative centers on the island of
beginning of burials in tholos
Crete. The identifying features of
tombs, as well as in caves around
Minoan civilization—extensive sea trade
the island.
and the building of communal civic
  centers—are first seen on the island
during this time.
 Postpalatial Period (1400- Sub-Minoan Crete (1150-1100 BC)
Neopalatial Minoan Crete
1150 BC)
(1700-1400 BC)
Around 1150 BC the Dorians destroyed
The destroyed palaces were With the destruction of the Mycenaean civilization in the
quickly rebuilt on the ruins to Knossos the power in the
Peloponnese and by 1100 BC they
form even more spectacular Aegean shifts to Mycenae.
reached Crete.
structures. This is the time While both Knossos and
when Knossos, Phaistos, Phaistos remain active
This period marks the assimilation of
Malia, and Zakros were built, centers of influence, they
all remaining Minoan elements of Crete
along side many smaller do not act as the central
palaces which stretched into the new Hellenic culture. This new
authority of the island any
along the Cretan landscape. longer. During the culture eventually transformed into the
postpalatial period the Classical Greek civilization which had
western part of Crete its center in Athens.
flourishes.

Notable contribution of Cretan

Civilization

Their unique art and architecture,

and the spread of their ideas
through contact with other cultures
across the Aegean,
the Minoansmade a
significant contribution to the