ANCIENT NEAR EAST
The terms 'ancient Near East' or 'ancient Orient' encompass the early civilizations predating classical antiquity in the region roughly corresponding to that described by the modern term Middle East (Egypt, Iraq, Turkey), during the time roughly spanning the Bronze Age from the rise of Sumer and Gerzeh in the 4th millennium BCE to the expansion of the Persian Empire in the 6th century BCE. As such, it is a term widely employed in the fields of Near Eastern archaeology, ancient History and Egyptology.
The ancient Near East is generally understood as encompassing Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Syria), Persia (Iran), Armenia, Egypt, the Levant (Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestinian Authority), and Anatolia (Turkey). Some users of the term would extend its application into the Caucasus region, into modern Afghanistan (see Bactria), Minoan and Mycenaean Greece and other peripheral areas. Still, others would exclude Egypt from the ancient Near East as a geographically and culturally distinct area. However, because of Egypt's intimate involvement with the region, especially from the 2nd millennium BCE, this exclusion is rare.
| Contents |
| Spiritual beliefs |
| Regions |
| Millenniums |
| 5th millennium BCE |
| 4th millennium BCE |
| 3rd millennium BCE |
| 2nd millennium BCE |
| List of periods |
| See also |
| References |
| Further reading |
| External links |
Spiritual beliefs
Ancient civilizations in the Near East were deeply influenced by their spiritual beliefs, which generally did not distinguish between heaven and Earth.[1] They believed that divine action influenced all mundane matters, and also believed in divination (ability to predict the future). Omens were often inscribed in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, as were records of major events.
Regions
Major regions during ancient times include:
★ Mesopotamia
★ Levant
★ Anatolia
★ Persia
★ Egypt
★ Caucasus (sometimes regarded as "Near East")
Millenniums
5th millennium BCE
★ Sialk
4th millennium BCE
★ Lagash
★ Predynastic Egypt
★ Proto-Elamite civilization
★ Sumer: Ur, Uruk, Kish
★ Susa
3rd millennium BCE
★ Old Kingdom of Egypt
★ Elam
★ Akkad: Agade, Isin, Babylon, Larsa
★ Mari
★ Amorite
★ Troy I–V
2nd millennium BCE

Map of the ancient Near East during the Amarna period, showing the great powers of the period: Egypt (green), Hatti (yellow), the Kassite kingdom of Babylon (purple), Assyria (grey), and Mittani (red). Lighter areas show direct control, darker areas represent spheres of influence. The extent of the Achaean/Mycenaean civilization is shown in orange.
★ Arzawa, Lukka Troy VI–VII
★ Assyria
★ Babylonia
★ Canaan: Ugarit, Kadesh, Megiddo, Kingdom of Israel
★ Ancient Egypt: Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom
★ Hittites
★ Hurrians
★ Ishuwa
★ Kizzuwatna
★ Luwians
★ Mari
★ Mitanni
★ Yamhad
List of periods
See also
★ Timeline of Middle Eastern History
★ Religions of the ancient Near East
★ History of pottery in the Southern Levant
References
1. Ancient Civilizations: The Near East and Mesoamerica, Lamberg-Karlovsky, C. C. and Jeremy A. Sabloff, , , Benjamin/Cummings Publishing, 1979,
Further reading
★ Jack Sasson, ''The Civilizations of the Ancient Near East'', New York, 1995
★ Marc Van de Mieroop, ''History of the Ancient Near East: Ca. 3000-323 B.C.'', Blackwell Publishers, 2003
External links
★ Ancient Near East.net — an information and content portal for the archaeology, ancient history, and culture of the ancient Near East and Egypt
★ Archaeowiki.org—a wiki for the research and documentation of the ancient Near East and Egypt
★ ETANA — website hosted by a consortium of universities in the interests of providing digitized resources and relevant web links
★ The History of the Ancient Near East Electronic Compendium
★ Resources on Biblical Archaeology
★ Ancient Near East Photographs This collection, created by Professor Scott Noegel, documents artifacts and archaeological sites of the ancient Near East; from the University of Washington Libraries Digital Image Collection
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