culture of egypt,mesopotamia,india,china

1. C
CULTURE OF ANCIENT
CIVILIZATIONS
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2. Culture of Ancient Egypt
• The Egyptian culture was one of the oldest and most long-
lived of antiquity. It benefited from an abundance of rich
farmland, nearby mineral resources, and a good strategic
position. Despite occasional invasion and internal strife, it
endured as a distinctive culture for nearly 5000 years.
CULTURE
• The Egyptian religion had over 2000 gods, though only a
of these were predominant. The important gods had a cult
center where their principal temple was located. One of
most important was Ra, the sun god, understandably
an agricultural society. They believed in a life after death.
referred to this as the “next world,” and thought it was
somewhere to the West. They developed elaborate burials
embalming to preserve the body for this second life.
and servants were buried with royalty and nobles to serve
them.

3. Some Facts about Ancient Egypt
• Egyptian men and women wore makeup. It was thought to have healing
powers, plus it helped protect their skin from the sun.
• They used moldy bread to help with infections.
• They were one of the first civilizations to invent writing. They also used ink
to write and paper called papyrus.
• The ancient Egyptians were scientists and mathematicians. They had
numerous inventions including ways to build buildings, medicine,
cosmetics, the calendar, the plow for farming, musical instruments, and
even toothpaste.
• Ancient Egypt plays a major role in the Bible. The Israelites were held
captive there as slaves for many years. Moses helped them escape and
led them to the Promised Land.
• The pharaoh usually kept his or her hair covered. It was not to be seen by
regular people.
• Cats were considered sacred in ancient Egypt.

4. Culture of Ancient Mesopotamia
The cultures of Mesopotamia are considered civilizations
because their people: had writing, had settled communities in the
form of villages, planted their own food, had domesticated
animals, and had different orders of workers.
Compared with the lives of most people at that time,
civilization in Mesopotamia was sophisticated and unusual. The
shift from hunting and gathering to civilization allowed
Mesopotamians to diversify.
Farmers in Mesopotamia grew more than their personal
needs. Their surplus food allowed others to specialize in new
duties. Some made tools. Some built homes or cooked food.
Some became priests or leaders. Still more people worked for the
leaders, keeping written records of laws, labor, and goods for
trade.

5. The use of law in Mesopotamia is important, as it set an
example for civilizations to come. Hammurabi, a Babylonian
king who lived in Mesopotamia 38 centuries ago, is still
famous today for his laws. The contributions of Babylonian
mathematicians and astronomers also live on.
The age of great Mesopotamian civilizations came to an end
in the early 4th century BC, when Alexander the Great
conquered Babylon, and took the lands around it for his Greek
empire. History’s chapter on Mesopotamia closed, as it
opened on life in a new Middle East, connecting Europe and
Africa with Asia.
FACTS ABOUT THE ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIAN
 IT IS NAMED MESOPOTAMIA DUE TO ITS LOCATION BETWEEN THE RIVERS EUPHRATES AND TIGRIS
 SUMER WAS THE FIRST URBAN CIVILIZATION IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
 MESOPOTAMIAN CITY URUK WAS PERHAPS THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WORLD AT THE TIME
 MESOPOTAMIA IS REGARDED AS THE EARLIEST CIVILIZATION WHERE WRITING WAS INVENTED

6. The culture of ancient India
• The culture of ancient India is incredibly rich and varied. It is the
birthplace of two of the world’s greatest
religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, and the culture we have to thank for
a host of inventions and technological developments still used today.
• Ancient India Culture began with one of the first human civilizations,
thousands of years ago! It's true; the ancient culture of India developed
rituals, traditions, celebrations and beliefs that are popular in India
Culture today. Not all Indian people share the same beliefs, and many
different religions are practiced in India, but the fundamental
cultural values are similar throughout the different states and union
territories of India.
• The ancient Culture of India began more than 5,000 years ago with
the Indus Valley Civilizations. The Indus Valley Civilizations of ancient
India culture were named as such because they all began along, or near,
the Indus River. There were several groups of native people in the Indus
River Civilization, the most famous civilization is the Harappan
Civilization. The Harappan people lived and flourished around the Indus
River, in the western region of South Asia more than 5,000 years ago in
what are modern day India and Pakistan. Times have certainly changed
since then!

7.  Ancient India culture left clues behind for us. Indus Valley people, also known as
Dravidians, discovered how to work with metals, make tools, and that they developed their
own form of writing. According to historians, all transactions conducted between these
ancient communities made through trade of food, tools and crafts. They seem to have had a
somewhat peaceful social structure, which changed with the invasion of the Aryans.
 The ancient culture of India changed with the arrival of the Aryans. These nomadic
people introduced the caste system and changed ancient Indian society.
Sometime between 2000 and 1500 BC, these nomadic Indo-European migrants,
arrived in the Indus Valley Civilization and changed ancient India culture. These
war-like Aryans dominated the civilizations and enforced a new social structure over the
indigenous people.
 During India's Vedic Age, Indian art developed in a number of ways. Symbols of
animals, like bulls, cows, and goats were drawn and came to be considered
important. Sacred hymns were written in Sanskrit and were sung in prayer.
These hymns were the start of Indian music.
 Some key writings were created during this era! People developed a collection
of religious poems and sacred hymns. Leaders wrote them to help guide the beliefs
and values of the people. These Four Vedas were composed in about 1500 BC. The
word Veda means knowledge. The Vedas include writings known as the Rig, Sama,
Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They were so important in fact that the era of ancient
history from roughly 1500 BC to 1000 BC is called the Vedic Period.

8.  Around 1000 BC, the Aryans began writing two important epics known as the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata. We know about daily life during this period
because of these famous writings. We have learned about Aryans, Vedic life, wars,
and accomplishments from them.
Music and dance developed significantly throughout the ancient culture of India.
People invented and used instruments, similar to a bass guitar to keep the rhythm of
songs. Dancers wore elaborate costumes, exotic make up and jewelry, and they often
performed in temples and in royal courts.
 Hinduism began in the Vedic Age in the form of a religion known as Brahmanism.
Priests developed and used their newly developed Sanskrit writing and created a 4
part Vedic Text set. These four texts were collections of hymns, formulas, spells,
incantations, stories, predictions and charms, which are still held in high regard
today.
 Ancient India Culture developed into what is referred to as traditional India
culture. Traditional culture refers to the practices fused into the everyday family
life of the Indian people and influenced India Culture Today.The culture of ancient
India developed and influenced nearly every aspect of this beautiful country.

9. The culture of ancient China
• Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest cultures. Chinese
culture includes ceramics, architecture, music, literature, martial
arts, cuisine, visual arts, philosophy and religion.
• China is known as the cradle of civilization.
• The Chinese written language, one of the world's ancient
languages is unique.
• Confucianism, Taoism are main religions of ancient China.
• Chinese civilization is considered a dominant culture of East Asia.
Chinese culture exerts profound influence on the philosophy,
virtue, etiquette, and traditions of Asia.
• The Ancient Chinese were famous for their inventions and
technology. The Chinese learned how to make silk from the
cocoons of silkworms.

10. SOME FACTS ABOUT CHINESE CULTURE
 China is influenced deeply by Confucianism.
 There is great emphasis on family.
 Ping pong is the most popular sport in China.
 Chinese calligraphy is a revered art form.
 Chinese kung fu can be dated back to primeval
society
 Traditional Chinese festivals are key to Chinese
culture.