The document discusses several complex ancient civilizations and their contributions, including:
- The Phoenicians developed the first alphabet which directly influenced later Western scripts.
- The Israelites created Judaism, one of the three Abrahamic religions, and their history is chronicled in the Hebrew Bible.
- Hammurabi established one of the earliest legal codes and advanced mathematics and literature in ancient Babylon.
- Ancient Egyptians developed a centralized government, religious beliefs, and built the pyramids and Sphinx. Their view of the afterlife and role of the pharaoh changed over time.