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Ancient Near East Facts & Worksheets

The Ancient Near East is considered a cradle of civilization, believed to be the origin of many of the world’s earliest civilizations.

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The Ancient Near East is considered a cradle of civilization, believed to be the origin of many of the world’s earliest civilizations. The region corresponds to the present-day Middle East, hence it is also known as the Ancient Middle East. Ancient Near East civilizations include the Mesopotamian Civilization, Egyptian Civilization, Phoenician-Jewish Age, and the Persian Empire. Notable milestones of humanity, such as the inventions of systems of writing, irrigation systems, tax systems, and codes of laws may be traced here.

See the fact file below for more information on the Ancient Near East or alternatively, you can download our 32-page Ancient Near East worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BIRTH OF CIVILIZATION

  • The Ancient Near East, also known as the Ancient Middle East, is called a cradle of civilization – a place wherein civilization is believed to have emerged independently. The term “near east” was coined because of its proximity to the countries in the West. The interest of Europeans in finding the locations mentioned in the Bible contributed to the archaeological expedition to the Near East in the 19th century.
  • The beginning of civilization has been traced to Mesopotamia. The world’s earliest civilizations emerged alongside rivers, as Mesopotamia had emerged alongside two – the Tigris and Euphrates. These two rivers were greatly beneficial to the civilization’s growth by providing water, food, transportation, and agriculture.

MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION (3500 – 550 BCE)

  • The Mesopotamian Civilization is considered one of the world’s earliest civilizations. It is located in present day southern Iraq. The oldest known literate culture developed by Sumerians is traced to have begun in Mesopotamia, hence the southern half of Mesopotamia is sometimes called Sumer or Sumeria.
  • Mesopotamia featured five great empires. The first empire was the Akkadian Empire which lasted for approximately a century and a half, beginning in 2300 BCE when Sargon I, a Semitic leader, conquered Babylonia. With its fall was the return of Sumerian rule in the Neo-Sumerian Empire. Succeeding the Neo-Sumerian Empire was the Babylonian Empire, followed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and the Neo-Babylonian Empire.
  • Architecture: Mesopotamians built ziggurats to honor the main god of each city, which had a primary god. Ziggurat construction was evident throughout Mesopotamian culture.
  • Mesopotamian irrigation techniques made use of their proximity to the rivers Tigris and Euphrates.
  • Geography: Mesopotamia was a region of contrasting geography, with deserts surrounded by mountain ranges with a few oases. Its rivers were useful in providing irrigation systems.
  • The said rivers were unpredictable with its surprise floods, leading to the destruction of crops and structures.
  • Governance: City-states were the first cities in the world which emerged among Sumerian culture. A city-state is a country consisting of only one city, with its power centralized within the control of a monarch. These city-states lasted for over a thousand years. As monarchs extended their rule over multiple cities, they became empires or kingdoms.
  • Religion: Mesopotamia had a polytheistic religion; the three main gods they worshipped were Ea (god of wisdom and magic), Anu (god of the sky), and Enlil (god of the earth, storms, and agriculture).
  • Significant contributions and highlights: Current knowledge about this period is because Sumerians left many documents using their system of writing, cuneiform. Cuneiform is the earliest form of written language.
  • Gilgamesh, a son of a Sumerian warrior, was the subject of Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem that is considered the earliest great work of literature.
  • The Code of Hammurabi was a list of laws with recommended punishments written by Hammurabi, a Babylonian king. It was written on clay tablets and etched into stone, and considered one of the oldest recorded codes of laws.
  • Many important inventions were made during this period, such as: the concept of time, math, the wheel, sailboats, maps, and writing.
  • Mesopotamian influences can be seen in other religions – Christianity and Islam.
  • Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BCE and captured its inhabitants. This story appears in the Old Testament in the Bible.
  • Nebuchadnezzar built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Walls of Babylon, and the Ishtar Gate.
  • The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION (3000 – 550 BCE)

  • Small states that arose in the Nile Valley became united as a single state under the first dynasty of Egypt shortly after 3000 BCE. The age of ancient Egypt can be divided into four periods, during which Egypt remained as a unified state, with its unity interrupted twice.
  • First was the Early Dynastic period, where Egypt developed politically, economically, and culturally. Next was the Old Kingdom period, which was followed by the First Intermediate period, a century of chaos and war. Pharaohs restored order by the Middle Kingdom period, which ended when another period of chaos, the Second Intermediate period, happened. Peace was once again restored during the New Kingdom period, which is considered to be the peak of Egypt’s power, territory, and wealth. The Persian Empire saw the end of the Egyptian Civilization.
  • Agriculture: Egyptian agriculture focused on cultivating cereal crops, such as emmer wheat and barley. Fruit and vegetables were also irrigated year-round.
  • Architecture: Ancient Egyptians built multiple tombs and mortuary temples. The Old Kingdom period was an age of building pyramids, including the three main pyramids found at Giza.
  • Geography: Egypt was almost entirely desert with the presence of floodplains along the Nile. It was geographically isolated, being protected by mountains and the Sahara Desert. Memphis, located in modern-day Cairo, was the capital of Egypt throughout the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom periods.
  • Governance: Egypt was more politically stable compared to Mesopotamia, with the Egyptian state lasting for around two millennia. During Egypt’s periods of unity, the pharaoh had centralized rule over Egypt. Pharaohs played a great role in formal religious practices, as they were believed to be divine.
  • Religion: Ancient Egypt religion was polytheistic. They believed in a hierarchy consisting of the gods, the king, the blessed dead, and humanity.
  • Significant contributions and highlights: The New Kingdom period was notable because of the role of royal women, such as the rule of Queen Hatshepsut in 1503-1482 BCE.
  • The story of the exodus of Moses and the Israelites from Egypt in the Bible possibly occurred in this period, during the rule of Ramses II.
  • Ancient Egyptians cultivated a plant called papyrus, and made use of its parts to make items such as sails, cloth, mats, cords, rope, but most notably paper. As writing material, it became its chief export in later years.
  • Ancient Egyptian glyphs were a combination of logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements. Hieroglyphs such as hieratic and demotic were used in religious and popular scripts.

PHOENICIAN-JEWISH AGE (1000 – 550 BCE)

  • The Phoenician-Jewish age refers to the period of the peak of both Phoenician and Jewish civilization; this period was also the age of the decline of Egyptian civilization. Phoenicians and Jews lived in Levant, a region included in the New Kingdom Egypt, but with the decline of Egypt came the growth of other civilizations.
  • Phoenicia is located in present-day Lebanon. Phoenicians established colonies around western Mediterranean shores, with the city of Carthage being its most successful colony. It ended as the Persian Empire conquered Levant, though Phoenician power continued in the Carthaginian Empire, which continued to dominate western Mediterranean until the Roman Republic came.
  • On the other hand, the rise of the kingdom of Israel in 1000 BCE was the beginning of the Jewish civilization. The kingdom, spanning most of modern Palestine, lasted for approximately a century. It continued to flourish for centuries even as the Jewish state split into Israel in the north and Judah in the south, until Palestine was invaded by Mesopotamia, and soon after conquered by Persia.
  • Architecture: The limestone sarcophagus of Ahiram, king of Byblos, was the earliest major work of Phoenician sculpture.
  • Governance: Kingship limited to wealthy merchant families was the oldest form of government in Phoenician cities. Throughout century-long rule, the Jewish kingdom was ruled by three kings, namely Saul, David, and Solomon. The king of Israel was considered the earthly deputy of their god, Yahweh.
  • Religion: Phoenician religion was polytheistic, and was inspired by powers and processes of nature.The Hebrews believed in only one true god, Yahweh.
  • Significant contributions and highlights: Phoenicians had their own writing, the Phoenician alphabetic script consisting of 22 letters. It was later adopted by Greeks and is the ancestor of the modern Roman alphabet.
  • Phoenician specialties include ivory and wood carving, as well as goldsmithery and metalsmithing. Glassblowing was said to have possibly been invented in Phoenicia in the 1st century or earlier.

THE PERSIAN EMPIRE (559 –  331 BCE)

  • The Persian Empire began when Cyrus the Great established the Achaemenid state in the 6th century, the largest empire the world had yet witnessed. Also known as the Achaemenid Empire, it encompassed regions of present-day Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Its decline was caused by the unsuccessful campaign to invade Greece by Xerxes, Darius’ son and successor, and the empire finally saw its end when it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 BCE.
  • Architecture: Early Persians carved rock reliefs into cliffs. During his reign, Darius ordered the Behistun Inscription to be carved in Mount Behistun, which served crucial in deciphering cuneiform script.
  • Governance: Kings were influenced by their religion, Zoroastrianism. Cyrus the Great was known for being a tolerant leader, as he allowed subjects to speak their own languages and practice their own religions. Darius I, one of Cyrus’ successors, established a system of provinces and governors, as well as a postal service for the empire’s communication. Each area had a ruler called a satrap, which was similar to a governor.
  • Economy: The empire’s main sources of revenue were agriculture, tribute, and tariffs on trade from their territories.
  • Religion: Persian culture believed in a monotheistic religion called Zoroastrianism, named after the prophet Zoroaster. The rule of Cyrus the Great was influenced by this, though he did not impose this religion during his reign.
  • Significant contributions and highlights: Cyrus the Great was able to unite Mesopotamia, Egypt’s Nile Valley and India’s Indus Valley – three important sites of early civilization.
  • The Persians built regular routes of communication between the continents Africa, Asia, and Europe.
  • Persepolis, ancient Persia’s capital city located in Iran, is among the world’s greatest archeological sites and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • During its peak around 475 BCE, the empire ruled over 44% of the world’s population.
  • Cyrus’ policies had been immortalized in the Cyrus Cylinder, an ancient cuneiform artifact known as the oldest-known charter of human rights.

Ancient Near East Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Ancient Near East across 32 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Ancient Near East worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Ancient Near East which is considered a cradle of civilization, believed to be the origin of many of the world’s earliest civilizations. The region corresponds to the present-day Middle East, hence it is also known as the Ancient Middle East. Ancient Near East civilizations include the Mesopotamian Civilization, Egyptian Civilization, Phoenician-Jewish Age, and the Persian Empire. Notable milestones of humanity, such as the inventions of systems of writing, irrigation systems, tax systems, and codes of laws may be traced here.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Ancient Near East Fact File
  • The Cradle of Civilizations
  • Ancient Landmarks
  • Mesopotamian Contributions
  • Compare and Contrast
  • Incredible Egypt
  • Where I Belong
  • Analyzing Map
  • Worthy Quote
  • Fertile Crescent
  • Then and Now

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