SAMPLE Humanities

Chapter4: The Ancient World (5000 BCE–500 CE) Overview This chapter will explore the different civilizations in the Ancient World from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Asia, highlighting their notable visual art. (Note: We will sometimes be using the term “Ancient Near East” in this Study guide. “Near East” and “Middle East” essentially mean the same thing, but “Near East” is what the “Middle East” was called in the 19th century by early archaeologists when describing the ancient world in that area – the term stuck and so you will sometimes encounter it in the material we will be studying here.) Objectives At the end of this chapter, you should be able to: ● identify the renowned artworks or architecture of each ancient Near Eastern civilization ● explain how the religion and culture of each civilization shaped their artworks and architecture A. Civilizations of Mesopotamia One of the main areas referred to as the Near East is Mesopotamia, which is often considered the birthplace of civilization. It is often called part of the "Fertile Crescent" because of the natural water resources available for agriculture in the crescent-shaped area. It is located between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River to the northeast of Egypt. Major ancient civilizations like Sumer, Babylon, and

Assyria resided in ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians (4500–1900 BCE)

Mesopotamian culture and civilization began with the Sumerians, who settled in the South near the Persian Gulf. They were the first major civilization and created various city-states for 2000 years, located along the region's rivers. Each city-state had its ruler, army, and ziggurat. Ziggurats were ancient Mesopotamian temples that were shaped like flat pyramids with steps to each side. Each ziggurat was dedicated to a different deity and served as a seat of government for a city-state as well as a visual reminder of the king's power.

Photo: An ancient Sumerian Ziggurat The most famous Sumerian city-states were:

1. Uruk , theoldest city in Mesopotamia 2. Ur , home to the legendary Gilgamesh 3. Eridu , the city the Sumerians claimed to be theoldest

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