PROMINENT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE WORLD-Notes

 

PROMINENT CIVILIZATIONS OF THE WORLD-Notes

Many other civilizations flourished in various parts of the world at the time of Indus Valley Civilization. We can see the Egyptian civilization, Mesopotamian civilization and Chinese civilization in Asia and Africa. The Egyptian Civilization Generally all civilizations have originated in river valleys. The Egyptian civilization could take birth due to the presence of the river Nile. The relics obtained here reveal the grandeur of Egypt. Huge pyramids, sculptures, temples and the inscriptions in these temples tell us a lot about Egyptian culture and history. The Contribution of Egyptians The Egyptians were expert farmers. They knew a lot about irrigation. They had built temples.

They invented the calendar which has helped us to measure time. More than anything else, they had mastered the art of writing. It was a symbolic language. It consists of small drawings and has been called hieroglyphics (sacred writings). The Nile Valley Every rainy season, the Nile river would transform the Nile valley into a huge lake. After the valley dried up in summer, a fertile layer of clay soil would form the grazing field and adjecent agricultural lands.

The work that would need the labour of hundreds of people, was being done by the kind river all alone. This fertile land provided food for the population of the first town in the area. Not all agricultural regions were within the valley. Hence it was through small canals and wells that they were responsible for the development of a complex system of irrigation through out the land. The prosperous, wealthy Egyptian peasants and citizens in their liesure engaged themselves in the creation of artistic works. The role of priest was created to interpret nature and explain it.

The priests were scholars and shouldered the responsibility of protecting written documents. They believed in life after death. They believed that man had to give an account of his deeds on earth to Osiris, the most powerful God of Life after Death. The priests considered that life on earth was temporary and was needed only to prepare for the next life.

Thus the whole of the Nile valley was reserved for the dead. The dead body would be smeared with various chemicals and wrapped with a thin cloth. The entire body was in this way preserved. The body protected thus was called ‘mummy’. It would be kept in a specially designed coffin. The grave was considered the true ‘place’ for an Egyptian. Hence all around the dead body, items needed for daily use and small dolls of a cook and barber would be kept to fulfil all future needs.

In the beginning, graves were created by carving into boulders on t h e h i l l s . A s t h e Egyptians moved north, they had to construct graves in the desert itself. Tall towers were built on these graves using huge blocks of stone in order to protect the eternal sleep of the dead. Kings and wealthy people vied with each other to build taller and taller towers.

The Greeks called these structures ‘Pyramids’. The kings of Egypt were called ‘Pharaohs’. ‘Pharaoh’ means ‘a person who lives in a palatial house’. The peasants who had accepted the rule of powerful Osiris, now accepted the rule of Pharaohs too. After an independent, prosperous life for twenty centuries, Egypt was ruled over by an Arabian shepherd tribe called Hyksos which attacked it and after defeating it, ruled for 500 years. They looted the wealth of the natives, and hence did not become popular. The Jews who came wandering through the deserts in search of shelter were also hated by the people of Egypt. By cooperating with the foreign rule the Jews even assisted them in collecting taxes and in administration. In 1700 B.C.E. the people of Thebes rose in revolt against the foreigners. After a prolonged conflict, they succeeded in driving Hyksos out of their country. Egypt became free once again. After a thousand years, it came under the rule of Sardanapalus of Assyria.

The Persian Emperor Cambyses occupied Egypt in the 6th Century B.C.E. Alexander occupied Persia in the 4th Century B.C.E. Egypt became a province of Macedonia. One of Alexander’s military generals declared himself the King of Egypt and established the dynasty of the Ptolemies. He founded the city of Alexandria. At last came the Romans in 39 B.C.E.

The last Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, tried her best to save her country. It was said that the Romans feared her beauty more than her troops. However, in 30 B.C.E., Caesar’s successor, his relative, Augustus, did not succumb to her beauty like his uncle, but defeated her army, though he spared her life. When he planned to carry her away along with the other spoils of the battle, Cleopatra consumed poison and ended her life. From then onwards, Egypt became a province of Rome. The Mesopotamian Civilization Mesopotamia is an area which lies in a valley between two rivers. Many of the places described in the Old Testament can be seen here.

The land which inspires awe and fascination is called the ‘Land between the rivers’ or ‘Mesopotamia’ by the Greeks. The two rivers, Euphrates and Tigris, have made this West Asian barren land very fertile. It was the fertility of this area that attracted the people to it.