It was not a haphazard occurrence that the first civilizations arose in areas such as Mesopotamia’s Fertile Crescent and Africa’s Nile River Valley. It was in such places that people found excellent farming conditions and ready means of transportation. The people who established early civilizations were innovators in agriculture, city planning, writing, trade, and political organization. Their forms of worship, their crafts and arts, and scientific knowledge enriched their lives and provide us with evidence of how these people interacted with their environments.  

What Primary Sources Can Tell Us about the First Civilizations 
Without primary sources, our knowledge of the first civilizations would be limited to scant secondary descriptions.  

• Written forms – Cuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia city-states such as Sumer and hieroglyphics from ancient Egypt are filled with information about the history, business practices, and religious beliefs of these early societies. Early writings also contain literature and official documents such as the Sumerians’ “Epic of Gilgamesh” and Hammurabi’s Code of laws from ancient Babylon.
• Physical artifacts –Remains of ziggurats, temples, and other ruins help us visualize “the lay of the land” in ancient civilizations. Nilometers (see page 178 of the textbook) on the base of temples along the Nile River confirm the importance of that river’s flooding cycles to ancient Egypt. The discovery of mummies, temples, and pyramids has enriched our knowledge of Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife.
• Images – Assyrian and Babylonian stone carvings, Egyptian wall paintings, and relief sculptures offer us a window into the rituals, beliefs, daily lives, and epic events of the people in these first civilizations. Statues suggest the way people there looked and dressed. They also offer us depictions of early religious figures and rulers. 

 Primary Sources 

Statues from Early Civilizations

King Gudea, Prince of Lagash (circa 2140 b.c.)

Winged bull with a human head guardian figure (circa 883-859 b.c.)

Statue of Taharqa (circa 690-664 b.c.)

Egyptian death mask

The major ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China  emerged in the 4th millennium b.c. Though historians do not all agree as to which one came first, many theorize that it may have been in the Fertile Crescent region of southwest Asia. Each of these early cultures had unique religions, writing systems, and traditions. Even so, similarities among them can occasionally be seen. It was common in all of them, for example, for rulers to commission or be offered statues such as those shown above. The artistry and craft involved in making these works testify to the importance of the subjects of these statues.

Ziggurat of Warka, Mesopotamia

 

 Background Information 

The Impact of War on Iraq’s Ancient Treasures 

Ancient Mesopotamia, often called the “Cradle of Civilization,” is now the war-torn nation of Iraq. Great early cultures such as Assyria, Babylonia, Akkadia, and Sumer thrived in this part of the world. The many artifacts from these civilizations make Iraq an archaeological treasure. The country contains between 10,000 and 100,000 ancient sites. Unfortunately, since the Gulf War of the early 1990s, many of these treasures have been damaged by bombings or stolen in lootings. The extent of the loss will not be known for many years to come—particularly because of continued hostilities in that part of the world. If the first Gulf War is any indication of the amount of harm caused by warfare, many irreplaceable artifacts are at risk. As just one example of recent damage, items representing some 7,000 years of civilization were reported stolen or damaged when the Iraq National Museum was ransacked and looted during the hostilities in 2003. 

 

 Classroom Activity 

Honoring Ancient Leaders with Modern-Day Statues

1. Have students turn to the time line on page 136 of their textbook. Ask students to determine from the time line how many years are covered by the chapters in this unit (2,250 years).

2. Distribute a copy of the three statues listed above. (These can also be found on pages 34, 36, and 40 of your Primary Sources Handbook.) Have students identify approximately when, in relation to the events shown on the time line, each of these statues was likely to have been created. Then have students complete the worksheets in the Primary Sources Handbook that relate to these statues.

3. Tell students that because this unit covers more than 2,000 years, it is likely that during this time many people appeared who became known for their accomplishments-as rulers, lawgivers, or creator of new ideas. Have the class skim through Unit 2 of the textbook together. As a group create a list of these people. (Possibilities include Gilgamesh, Sargon, Hammurabi, Nebuchadnezzar, Narmer (or Menes), Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Ramses II, and Aspalta.) Assign individual students or pairs to each one of these people to research.

4. After students have finished their research on their assigned subject, have each individual or pair design a statue that honors the person they researched. Students should also write short reports explaining the designs of their statues, and how they are representative of their subject and his or her accomplishments.

5. Finally, you may wish to offer students an opportunity to make clay and use it to create a three-dimensional model of the statue they designed. When the students have finished, display the statues in the classroom as an “Early Civilizations Artifacts Museum.” Try to arrange the figures in chronological order. You many have to make an educated guess for some statues. Have students place their reports beside the related statues.