The World's Oldest Ancient Civilizations (Part -2)

What is meant by civilization? - Civilization is a complex human society that may have some characteristics of cultural and technological development, right!! In the previous article, we had seen some such ancient civilizations and today we are going to see more such civilizations, so let's see.

The Mesopotamian Civilization (3500 BC–500 BC) 

The Mesopotamian was an urban civilization located between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, this region is now part of the Republic of Iraq. There have been four famous civilizations in Mesopotamia - Sumeria, Babylon, Assyria, Caldria. Mesopotamian civilization was famous for its prosperity, urban life, vast and rich literature, mathematics and astronomy. The Mesopotamian economy was based mostly on trade and agriculture. Mesopotamian art was in the form of sculptures in art and clay, with some paintings. The sculptures usually depict animals, mythological creatures, gods and goddesses. During the Assyrian and Babylonian periods, statues took the form of colossal statues guarding royal palaces. Mesopotamian culture was closely associated with the worship of gods and goddesses. 

Illustration of ancient city of Babylon, Mesopotamia
Credit:- gettyimages.in

Assyrian couple with traditional costumes from B.C.
Credit:- gettyimages.in

Art of Mesopotamia
Credit:- gettyimages.in

The Ancient Egyptian Civilization (3150 BC–30 BC) 

Ancient Egypt was one of the world's oldest and longest-lasting civilizations. It was located in the northeastern part of Africa along the Nile River. In the beginning, different dynasties ruled Egypt, Then there are the three primary kingdoms that historians use to outline the periods of ancient Egypt. The three kingdoms were the old, middle and new kingdoms. The ancient Egyptians were very skilled in architecture, sculpture, writing and painting. The Egyptians built more than 100 pyramids. Among these, the Pyramid of Giza is famous all over the world. Similarly, the statue of the Sphinx near the Pyramid of Giza is a classic example of Egyptian sculpture. The Egyptian civilization adorned mankind with unprecedented knowledge and inventions. matrilineal family, knowledge of alphabet and paper and ink, methods of irrigation, construction of dams and canals, tax collection, construction of almanac, construction of pyramids, grand and huge temples. For centuries, the knowledge of preserving bodies in mummies by applying chemical coatings has been an important contribution of the Egyptians.

Ancient Egyptians building a Pyramid
Credit :- gettyimages.in

The Sphinx near the Pyramid of Giza

Sarcophagus Mummy Egypt

The Chinese Civilization (1600 BC–1046 BC) 

The ancient Chinese civilization developed in the valleys of the Wanzhou and Chang Jiang (Yangtze) rivers. Shang dynasty, Chau dynasty, Han dynasty, Sui dynasty, Tang dynasty, Shung dynasty were prominent among the dynasties of the rulers of China. The ancient society of China was divided into Mandarins, farmers, artisans, merchants and soldiers. Agriculture was the main occupation of the Chinese people. Salt, fish, loam, cotton and silk cloth were traded on a large scale from China. Chinese people traded various goods from ancient Babylon, Egypt and India. The Chinese people were worshipers of nature. They worshiped the sun, moon, earth, sky, rain. In China, the king was considered the son of God. The architecture, painting, sculpture and literature and writing art of Chinese civilizations were excellent. The Great Wall of China is a great example of this. Apart from this wall, the people of Chinese civilization had also built many grand palaces, temples and viharas of Buddhist religion, the pagoda temple is also world famous in the construction of that time. There was a lot of advancement of knowledge science in ancient Chinese civilization. Paper, printing press, ink, gunpowder, painting and compass were first invented in China. 

Illustration of Old Chinese peoples, after an ancient Chinese woodcut
Credit:- Nastasic/gettyimages.in

Terracotta Warriors, Terracotta Army of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China
Credit:- Digital Vision/gettyimages.in

The Great Wall of China
Credit:- yangna/gettyimages.in

The Aztec Civilization (1300 AD–1521 AD) 

The Aztec civilization was one of the most important and famous civilizations of the Americas. They arrived in central Mexico as immigrants during the Postclassic period and established their capital in Mexico City. Tenochtitlan is the name of the Aztec capital, which was founded in the year 1325 AD. The Aztec economy was based on three things: market exchange, tribute payments, and agricultural production. The Aztecs believed in many gods. The main ones were the Quetzalcoatl (winged snake), the Huitzilopochtli (the humming bird of the south) and the Tezcatlipoca (smoky mirror). Sometimes the Aztecs even offered human sacrifices to please their gods. The people of Aztec civilizations were excellent in science, astronomy, calendar, writing, architecture, painting and sculpture. the Aztecs had a very precise calendar of 365 days. They also had a religious calendar, which lasted 260 days. The Aztecs built many great religious buildings - notably the large Templo de Mayor complex in the center of Tenochtitlan. Between 1519 and 1521, the Spanish Conquistadors Hernan Cortes defeated the Aztecs and conquered their empire. 

City of Tenochtitlan with the temple Teocalli in the lake Texcoco
Credit:- Grafissimo/gettyimages.in

Aztecs offering human sacrifices to the sun god

Credit:- benoitb/gettyimages.in

Aztec calendar Stone of the Sun
RapidEye/gettyimages.in

Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortes entering Tenochtitlan meeting
Montezuma II 
Credit:- Grafissimo/gettyimages.in

So, we got to learn a lot from these civilizations. However, in the ancient past, there is nothing that we cannot do today.  At that time there were so many great people who had unparalleled determination, witness, courage and sacrifice who carried the mankind forward against all adversities and obstacles. Today we have to be like these great people for our future so that our future will be very bright and secure. I hope you have enjoyed knowing about some of the ancient civilizations of the world. We will learn about these civilizations in detail sometime in the future. 
Be safe, be happy and always keep smiling!!! 

Thank you so much!!!

The World's Oldest Ancient Civilizations (Part -1)

The World's Oldest Ancient Civilizations

We humans were not always like this, we had to go through a long period of progress. The first man lived alone in caves, then after making progress he learned to live together. In this sequence of changes, humans learned to live in groups and acquired human qualities and civilization or we can say, humanity. There was a time when humans built civilizations and after that, we humans became so civilized and successful. Therefore, to understand the earth and human development, these civilizations also have to be understood. Let's take a look at some ancient civilizations.

The Incan Civilization (1438 AD - 1533 AD)

The Inca Empire, which stretched from the top to the bottom of the Andes mountain range in South America. Its center was Peru, while present-day Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina were also a part of this empire. The Incan civilization was a well-established and prosperous society. The Incas were devotees of the sun and their king was know as "Sapa Inca" which meant child of the Sun. This was the largest empire in South America gained a lot of fame due to its foods, textiles, gold-silver and cocoa. The interesting thing was that at that time they had neither any market nor any currency. The people of Incas were great builders, they built forts and sites like Machu Picchu and the city of Cusco which still stand today. It is believed that in 1532 AD, the famous Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro ended the Inca Empire. On the other hand, the second opinion says that about 90 percent of the Inca civilization ended due to Influenza and smallpox disease unknowingly spread by European invaders.

The Inca Empire
Credit:-Culture Club via Getty Images

Machu Picchu

The Greek Civilization (1200 BC - 323 BC)

Ancient Greek civilization is considered one of the greatest civilizations in history. Ancient Greek was divided into many small kingdoms. Government and law were different in all these states, but culture and living were the same. The two big cities of ancient Greece were Athens and Sparta. The Greeks made significant contributions to philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine.  Literature and theater were important aspects of Greek culture and influenced modern drama. The Greeks were known for their sophisticated sculpture and architecture. Pythagoras, Archimedes, Socrates, Euclid, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, history books are full of names whose discoveries, theories, beliefs and bravery have had a significant impact on later civilizations.

Ancient Times,Greek
Credit:-www.wikimedia.org

Acropolis of Athens,Greece

The Roman Civilization (550 BC - 465 AD)

The Roman Empire was a powerful and important civilization that ruled most of Europe for about 1 thousand years. The empire was the third phase of ancient Rome. Rome was ruled first by Roman kings, then by the Roman Republic, then by an emperor. The culture of ancient Rome spread throughout Europe during this time.  Even today, a glimpse of Roman culture can be clearly seen on a large part of the western world. The basis of today's governments, engineering, architecture, language and literature of the western world has come from the ancient Rome civilization itself.

Giovanni Pauolo Panini - Fantasy View
 with the Pantheon and other Monuments of Ancient Rome

Credit :- www.wikimedia.org

The Roman Empire- Street scene with vendors
Credit :- gettyimages.in

The Roman Empire
Credit: gettyimages.in

The Maya Civilization (2600 BC - 900 AD)

The Maya Civilization was an ancient civilization on the American continent. This civilization was spread mainly in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and parts of El Salvador. Even today, the area has been inhabited by the Maya community for over two thousand years. The people of Maya civilization were very good in the field of art, mathematics, architecture, astrology and writing etc.  Which is also known as the golden age of artistic development.  Agricultural areas and cities developed during this time. The most notable buildings of this civilization are the pyramids which they built as religious centers,"The Chichen Itza" in Mexico is one such example. The Maya civilization created a calendar describing various religious festivals and astronomical events. This is called the calendar of Maya civilization. You may not know, but it was predicted in the calendar of Maya civilization that the world would end in 2012. However, this prediction was proved wrong. There are many opinions of researchers on why the Mayan civilization came to an end. Some believe that this civilization collapsed due to foreign invasion or rebellion, some say that this civilization ended due to natural disasters such as drought or epidemic.

Mayan Monument

Circa 500 AD, A monument to Mayan warriors at Oaxaca in Mexico.

 Credit:- Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Chichen Itza

The Indus Valley Civilization (3300 BC - 1300 BC)

The ancient history of India begins with the Indus Valley Civilization, which we also know as the Harappan Civilization. This civilization was spread around 2500 BC in the western part of South Asia, which is presently known as Pakistan and Western India. In 1920, two ancient cities namely Harappa and Mohenjodaro were discovered from the remains from the excavations of the Indus Valley by the Archaeological Department of India.The urbanization system of these cities was very well planned. The economy of the Indus Valley Civilization was based on agriculture which was also supported by trade and commerce. The people of the Indus Valley Civilization achieved great accuracy in measuring length, mass, and time, and based on the artifacts found in the excavations, it is clear that the culture was also rich in arts and crafts. There are many reasons for the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization have been suggested by archeologists, but the exact cause is still unknown. 

Ruins of archaeological site of Harappa

Credit:- DeAgostini/Getty Images

Mohenjo daro 

Credit:- gettyimages.in

Steatite seal with humped bull, Indus Valley, Mohenjo-Daro

Credit:- CM Dixon/Print Collector/Getty Images

These were some ancient civilizations which have a big hand in what we are today, they taught us a lot which we use in our daily life.  We will know about some more such civilizations in the next article. I hope you have enjoyed knowing about some of the ancient civilizations of our world.

Be safe, be happy and always keep smiling!!!

Thank you so much!!!