From the Old Kingdom comes the Middle Kingdom, which ruled Egypt from approximately 3060-1785 B.C. Once again Egypt was united under a central authority, under which the new capital city was Thebes. At this time, like the Old Kingdom, many gods and goddesses where worshipped which took form of humans, animals, or a combination of the two. Pyramids were not as rampant during this period, but the building of public uses such as canals increased, this continued until the Hykos conquered Egypt. The Hykos where much more advanced than the Egyptians in military innovations. The Hykos controlled the delta area for about 100 years until the rose up and forced them out in 1575 B.C.
The New Kingdom ruled Egypt from about 1550-1070 B.C. During this time Egypt began to change into an imperialistic empire which is credited to Thutmose III. They found with each battle a new sense of glory and entertainment. During this period the Egyptians began using the world pharaoh to refer to the king. Also during this time the priesthood became very active, whereas previously the priesthood was second to the reining king. Amenhotep was the next to rule and his reign is marked by an unprecedented wealth. The priesthood continued to become more powerful, but was still second to the ruler. Amenhotep IV was next to rule, husband of Neferiti. His reign was short lived, but during this time he introduced for the first time the idea of a single deity, Aten (the disk of the sun). During this time art became more natural, temples had open roofs to let the sunlight in, and a new capital at Akehtaton was built between Thebes and Memphis. King Tut was next to rule and he restored the traditional beliefs. At this time there began a struggle for power between the priesthood and the pharaoh.
Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers, is roughly modern day Iraq. Mesopotamia is often referred to as the “cradle of civilization,” because it is the first place where people began domesticating plants and animals. The first area to be settled was Sumer. Here people began to cluster into larger locations. At this time the plough, potters wheel, and the introduction of bronze can be evidence of a more complex way of life.
In this same period came the beginnings of writing (cuniform-where the signs represented sound instead of objects or sounds), metrological systems, and arithmetic. This era is referred to as the Dynastic Period which ruled from 2800-2350 B.C and is marked by the development of the Sumerian civilization. This era had no central authority and warfare was rampant between the three city states. The city was divided into temples of which families and land belonged; all that was produced on the land was stored in the temple.
The early Dynastic period was brought to an end when Sargon I created the world’s first empire, this era lasted from 2350-2150 B.C. and is defined by the Accadian dominance. The unification of Sumer and Akkad by Sargon lasted for almost 150 years before it fell.
The decline in Accadian dominace led way to the next dynasty, referred to as the Third Dynasty of Ur. During this time Sumerian culture and civilization experienced a remarkable renaissance. There was peace and prosperity. The Ur Empire lasted for about a century before it fell to the Amorites. With the fall of Ur went the Sumerian civilization forever. The next couple hundred of years mark a very turbulent time until the eighteenth century when Hammurabi conquered and unified the whole of Mesopotamia and created a much larger state marked by astrology and an number system based on 60. The new capital was Babylon.
The next Empire to arise in Mesopotamia came from the Assyrians. The Assyrians had a fearsome military reputation and continued to bring down one nation after another. They held the area of Mesopotamia for 300 years.
