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==Introduction to Ancient History==

==Introduction to Ancient History==

Ancient history is everything before about A.D. 500 or 600, when every major religion except Islam was established.  Ancient history created civilization and achieved many of the greatest intellectual breakthroughs of all time.  Literature, drama, mathematics, philosophy, language, etc., were all created and developed during ancient history, which is why it is emphasized so much in education.

Ancient history is everything before about A.D. 500 or 600, when every major religion except Islam was established.  Ancient history created civilization and achieved many of the greatest intellectual breakthroughs of all time.  Literature, drama, mathematics, philosophy, language, etc., were all created and developed during ancient history, which is why this time period is emphasized so much in education.

[[Image:Cuneiform images.jpg|right]]

[[Image:Cuneiform images.jpg|right]]

When did mankind first begin?  There is no reliable evidence of man existing before 3500 B.C.  The oldest writing is a pictographic tablet called a "cuneiform" (pronounced kyu-NEE-uh-form) dated to perhaps 3400 B.C. from Sumer (SOO-mur) in Southern Mesopotamia (where Iraq is today).  Cuneiform looks like chicken-scratches featuring wedge-like or arrow-shaped characters, a primitive writing style Cuneiform writing that continued in use until nearly the birth of Christ.  Originally pictographs (e.g., to write "foot", you would draw a foot), cuneiform developed into 600 stick-based symbols or figures, with each one developing multiple meanings (e.g., the symbol for "foot" also developed the meanings of "to go" or "to stand," depending on the context).<ref>http://i-cias.com/e.o/cuneiform.htm</ref>  For those who "text message" on cell phones, notice how each key has multiple possible letters and how the phone resolves the ambiguity and forms words depending on how the letters fit together to form a word.  Cuneiform had only 600 symbols, but their multiple meanings were resolved by seeing how they fit together to form sentences.  Cuneiform was not an alphabet or western-style script; the oldest script-based language is from the Indo-Aryan language, and one dated to 1550 B.C. was found in the Sinai.

When did mankind first begin?  There is no reliable evidence of man existing before 3500 B.C.  The oldest writing was a pictographic tablet called a "cuneiform" (pronounced kyu-NEE-uh-form) dated to perhaps 3400 B.C. from Sumer (SOO-mur) in Southern Mesopotamia (where Iraq is today).  Cuneiform looks like chicken-scratches featuring wedge-like or arrow-shaped characters.  Although Cuneiform was a primitive writing style it continued in use until shortly before the birth of Christ.  Originally pictographs (e.g., to write "foot", you would draw a foot), cuneiform developed into 600 stick-based symbols or figures, with each one developing multiple meanings (e.g., the symbol for "foot" also developed the meanings of "to go" or "to stand," depending on the context).<ref>http://i-cias.com/e.o/cuneiform.htm</ref>  For those who "text message" on cell phones, notice how each key has multiple possible letters and how the phone resolves the ambiguity and forms words depending on how the letters fit together to form a word.  Cuneiform had only 600 symbols, but their multiple meanings were resolved by seeing how they fit together to form sentences.  Cuneiform was not an alphabet or western-style script; the oldest script-based language is from the Indo-Aryan language, and one dated to 1550 B.C. was found in the Sinai.

Historians feel that spoken language originated in southeastern Europe near the Black Sea, not far from the Ararat mountain range cited in the Bible in connection with Noah.  Using population estimates, we know that about 300 million people existed in the world at the time of Christ, and extrapolating backwards yields only one family in the year 3300 B.C.  The oldest trees do not predate this time; the oldest sequoias, which never die of old age, are no older than 2000 B.C.

Historians feel that spoken language originated in southeastern Europe near the Black Sea, not far from the Ararat mountain range cited in the Bible in connection with Noah.  Using population estimates, we know that about 300 million people existed in the world at the time of Christ, and extrapolating backwards yields only one family in the year 3300 B.C.  The oldest trees do not predate this time; the oldest sequoias, which never die of old age, are no older than 2000 B.C.

Peru (South America):</td><td> 900 B.C.</td></tr></table>

Peru (South America):</td><td> 900 B.C.</td></tr></table>

<!--Please don't delete the table, I worked on it hard. -->

<!--Please don't delete the table, I worked on it hard. -->

History books speculate at length about "prehistory", which predates writing (i.e., before 3400 B.C.).  But there is no reliable evidence to support this speculation, and it is not worth spending time on.  There is no reason to think that man existed for thousands of years without ever expressing himself in written form.  But in case you are asked, historians describe the period of time known as "prehistory" as the "Stone Age."  They divide the Stone Age into two time periods: "Paleolithic" and "Neolithic".  The Paleolithic Age is older, when man relied mostly on hunting and picking nuts and fruit to supplement his diet.  The Paleolithic Age was followed by the Neolithic Age, which consisted of the rise of agriculture.  The "Neolithic Revolution" means the "Agricultural Revolution," when farming became dominant.  The dates of these ages are controversial, and historians have a bias for giving them older dates than proven by archaeology.

History books speculate at length about "prehistory", which predates writing (i.e., before 3400 B.C.).  But there is no reliable evidence to support this speculation, and it is not worth spending time on.  There is no reason to think that man existed for thousands of years without ever expressing himself in written form.  But in case you are asked on a standardized test, historians describe the period of time known as "prehistory" as the "Stone Age."  They divide the Stone Age into two time periods: "Paleolithic" and "Neolithic".  The Paleolithic Age is older, when man relied mostly on hunting and picking nuts and fruit to supplement his diet.  The Paleolithic Age was followed by the Neolithic Age, which consisted of the rise of agriculture.  The "Neolithic Revolution" means the "Agricultural Revolution," when farming became dominant.  The dates of these ages are controversial, and historians have a bias for giving them older dates than archaeology actually proves.

After the Stone Age came the Bronze Age, beginning in 3500 B.C., when copper and/or bronze tools were used.  That was followed by the Iron Age, which began in Turkey around 2200 B.C. and later spread to other regions.  As its name suggests, it used iron for tools.

After the Stone Age came the Bronze Age, beginning in 3500 B.C., when copper and/or bronze tools were used.  That was followed by the Iron Age, which began in Turkey around 2200 B.C. and later spread to other regions.  As its name suggests, people during this period used iron for tools.

Ancient civilizations are often called "classical civilizations," particularly when they produced intellectual advances as Ancient Greece did.  For example, "Classical Indian Civilization" refers to Ancient India, which lasted from 300 B.C. to A.D. 500.

Ancient civilizations are often called "classical civilizations," particularly when they produced great intellectual advances as Ancient Greece did.  For example, "Classical Indian Civilization" refers to Ancient India, which lasted from 300 B.C. to A.D. 500.

Two of the oldest towns were the biblical town of Jericho, located in Palestine (on the "West Bank" of the Jordan River, between Israel and Jordan today), and Catal Huyuk, located in modern-day Turkey.  Jericho was famous for its high city walls to protect against attack.

Two of the oldest towns are the biblical town of Jericho, located in Palestine (on the "West Bank" of the Jordan River, between Israel and Jordan today), and Catal Huyuk, located in modern-day Turkey.  Jericho was famous for its high city walls to protect against attack.

[[Image:Ancient lands.JPG|right]]

[[Image:Ancient lands.JPG|right]]

The ancient world was the source of the most basic aspects of life that we still use today, such as the seven-day week and marriage.  The Bible remains the best written explanation for these and many other aspects of the ancient world.  Note that all four civilizations discussed in this lecture arose in or near what we now call the "Middle East."

The ancient world was the source of the most basic aspects of life that we still use today, such as the seven-day week and marriage.  The Bible remains the best written explanation for these and many other aspects of the ancient world.  Note that all four civilizations discussed in this lecture arose in or near what we now call the "Middle East."