Antiquity or Ancient Age is the period of history told from the development of writing, roughly 4000 BC, to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD.
This period of history is divided into:
- Eastern Antiquity :including the Egyptian civilization, the Mesopotamian civilization, as well as the Hebrews, Phoenicians and Persians.
- Classical or Western Antiquity :involving the Greeks and Romans.
With the exception of Mesopotamia, the other civilizations developed on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Eastern Antiquity
The Egypt , cradle of an ancient civilization, was the scene of important human achievements that emerged around 4000 BC.
The Rosetta Stone allowed the decoding of hieroglyphic writing, which made it possible to delve into the history of Ancient Egypt and Egyptian Civilization.
The Mesopotamia was the center of a series of struggles and conquests. The peoples who dominated it formed an important civilization of the ancient world, the Mesopotamian Civilization.
The Hebrews , led by Abraham, settled in Palestine around 2000 B.C.
They lived in this region for three centuries, until a terrible drought forced them to emigrate to Egypt, where they remained for four centuries. The Bible is one of the sources for the history of the Hebrews.
The Phoenicians occupied the coast of Syria, in northern Palestine. The great cultural contribution of the Phoenicians was the invention of the simplified phonetic alphabet, composed of 22 letters, which, incorporated by the Greeks and Romans, served as the basis for the current alphabet.
The Persians were organized around 2000 BC, on the coast of the Persian Gulf, in Asia.
Organized into several tribes, unified by King Cyrus, excellent warriors formed the vast Persian Empire.
Classical or Western Antiquity
AGreece formed in the south of the Balkan peninsula between the Mediterranean, Aegean and Ionian seas.
The Greek people resulted from the miscegenation between the Achaeans, Ionians, Aeolians and Dorics, who settled in the region, around 2000 BC. and 1200 BC
Greek Civilization is of great importance for its influence on the cultural and political formation of the West.
Greece can be studied in two parts:from the origins to the archaic period (Cretan and Mycenaean civilization, the Homeric Period and the cities of Sparta and Athens) and the classical period (the Empire of Alexander the Great and Hellenistic Culture).
Rome , located on the Italian peninsula, in the center of the European Mediterranean, was influenced by different peoples who inhabited the region.
Ancient Rome can be studied observing different periods:Roman Monarchy, Roman Republic.
High Roman Empire, Low Roman Empire and the Barbarian Invasions, which led to the fall of the Roman Empire, established the end of Antiquity or Ancient Age.
We have more texts on the subject for you :
- Counting Time in History
- Questions about Mesopotamia