chAPter 1 Ancient Civilizations: Prehistory to Egypt A n c i e n t c i v i l i z A t i o n s : P r e h i s t o r y t o e g y P t 1 C h a p t e r 1 1-4 stonehenge, c. 2000 b.c.e., salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, england learning objectives ◆ Understand the distinctive artistic, literary, Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, Mycerinus, Hatshepsut, and cultural accomplishments of the ancient and Akhenaten, and their historical importance for civilizations of Europe, Mesopotamia and Egypt. ancient civilizations. ◆ Appreciate the important role that religion ◆ Discover the legacies left by ancient played in the life of the ancient civilizations civilizations—from the law code of Hammurabi of Mesopotamia and Egypt. to the Egyptian concept of the afterlife. ◆ Discover what is known today about key historical figures, such as Gudea, Naram-Sin, # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 1 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 1ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:31 PM prehistory plowed and planted seeds; they grew crops. They domesticated wild pigs, goats, sheep, and cattle. Background The former hunters and gatherers, thus, became Homo sapiens, who had come into being around herders and farmers, and more permanent soci- 200,000 b.c.e. in Africa, began to supplant the eties began to develop. Neanderthal homo erectus in Europe. Both homo Ritual and Religion t erectus, said to have originated in Africa about P y 1.8 million years ago, and homo sapiens were It is believed that prehistoric art, religion, and g e toolmakers, who cooked with fire, wore skins ritual were bound together, with images, words, o t for clothing, and buried their dead in ritual and physical movement combined to improve y ceremonies. The first historical evidence of a the chance of achieving success in the hunt. r o culture—socially transmitted behavior patterns, Religion and ritual are thought to have been t is arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products important for prehistoric peoples, used to pro- h e of human work and thought—occurred about vide some kind of control over nature and their r P 35,000 years ago. Sometime between 35,000 survival. It is conjectured that prayer, art, and s: and 10,000 b.c.e., at the end of the Paleolithic ritual enactments of the hunt fostered a kind of n o period, or Old Stone Age, the first objects that sympathetic magic. i t can be considered works of art began to appear. A iz These objects expressed the values and beliefs of Art l vi these early Paleolithic people. Paintings in the cave at Lascaux in southern i c France are believed to have been created be- t n Paleolithic Period tween 15,000 and 13,000 b.c.e., the images e ci The paleolithic period corresponds to the geologi- probably added over a long time (fig. 1-1). n A cal Pleistocene era, known as the Ice Age. D uring Extremely lifelike bison, horse, mammoth, rein- deer, boar, and wolf demonstrate the artists’ keen this era, glaciers moved over the European and 2 observation and ability to record an image re- Asian continents, forcing people to move south, membered after the model was no longer before around the Mediterranean and into Africa. These 1 the eyes. These naturalistic objective documents r early people were nomads. They followed herds of te bison, deer, horses, and mammoths, depending on convey a sense of the animals’ animation. The p paintings were created by people who depended a these animals for their existence. h C on these animals for food. The fact that the paintings are deep inside Neolithic Period the cave, combined with the absence of evidence By 9500 b.c.e., during the Neolithic period, or of habitation where the paintings are located New Stone Age, humans began to farm. They and the subject matter of the animals on which 1-1 Wall paintings of animals, 15,000–13,000 b.c.e., Cave at Lascaux, Dordogne, France # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 2 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 2ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:32 PM Global perspeCtive australia: paintings of animals Stone Age Australians lived a nomadic life of hunting and gathering. In northern Australia’s Arnhem Land, “X-ray style” animals were painted on rocks from c. 2000 b.c.e. to today (fig. 1-2) by Aboriginals. The descriptively named style is characterized by the depiction A n of bones, internal organs, muscle, fat, and other physical details within the outlines of the c i bodies—a different form of realism than that found in the prehistoric cave paintings of e n France. However, in Australia, as in France, food animals were depicted. Particularly notable t c are the X-ray paintings on rocks at Ubirr. i v i l i z A t i o n s : P r e h i s t o r y t o e g y P t 3 1-2 “X-ray style” animal painting, c. 2000 b.c.e.–present, Ubirr, Arnhem Land, Australia Ch a p t e r people relied for survival, have given rise to the The so-called Willendorf Woman (fig. 1-3), a 1 so-called mother earth theory—by creating these tiny stone figure, only 43⁄8 inches high, dated animals in paint in the “womb” of mother earth, c. 25,000–20,000 b.c.e., is named for the place more actual animals will be created, facilitating where she was found in western A ustria. Volu- a successful hunt. The theory that animals were minous and voluptuous, she is emphatic and killed in effigy before the hunt, thereby gaining expressive. Because hair covers most of her control over them, is supported by actual spear- head, she cannot have been intended to depict heads driven into some of the animals as well as a specific recognizable individual. Perhaps she the painting of spears on animals, shown to bleed represents an ideal as well-fed at a time when as a result of their injuries. Handprints are found food was scarce, or, if intended to be pregnant, on animals, similarly suggesting human ability to to suggest fecundity. obtain the animals. Prehistoric architecture survives only from Depictions of the human figure are rare the Neolithic period, and very little survives at in Paleolithic art, and most of the few known all. Only megalithic—huge stone—structures re- are sculpted female figures. Curiously, al- main. The most famous example is Stonehenge though animals are portrayed realistically, the (see fig. 1-4 on p.1) in Wiltshire, England, built same is not true of humans in spite of the c. 2000 b.c.e. A henge is a circle of stones or greater possibility of working from a live model! posts. Stonehenge is an example of a cromlech, View the Closer Look on Stone Henge on myartslab.com # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 3 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 3ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:32 PM MesopotaMia Background Mesopotamian civilization developed in the val- ley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in what is present-day Iraq. The word M esopotamia t is Greek for “the land between the rivers.” P y Mesopotamia was the most fertile land in the g e Near East, and possibly in the world. It was o t here that agriculture, or land cultivation, first ry fully developed around 9000 b.c.e., Sometime to around 6000 b.c.e., people learned to mine and is use copper. By 3000 b.c.e., they were combining h e tin with copper to make bronze; this marked the r P beginning of the Bronze Age. : s n o i Fundamentals of Civilization t A z Civilization requires many different components: i l i technology, or tools, and special skills that give v ci rise to trade; laws, for the regulation of society; ient lM1im-u3es seWtuoimnllee,n ,V dhioeernifgn hWat o4m3⁄8a"n (,1 c1. c2m5,)0. 0N0a–t2u0rh,0is0to0r ibs.cch.ee.s, gseotvtelermnmenetnst;a la nsdtr uwcrtiutirnegs,; thcritoieusg,h owr hpicehr mcaunlteunret c n is transmitted. No one thing guarantees civiliza- A tion. It is the combination and d evelopment of a henge having a religious purpose. The upright science, technology, agriculture, arts, architec- 4 stones, which are approximately 13½ feet high, ture, law, literature, mathematics, science, and form an outer circle and two inner circles or technology that constitute civilized life. 1 U shapes around a central stone. Stonehenge is r e believed to have been an enormous sun clock, apt based on the rising and setting sun in the summer Sumerians and Akkadians h C and winter solstices, respectively. Stonehenge is The Sumerians lived at the southern end of the constructed using the post and l intel system. In Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. They founded the its simplest form, two vertical posts support a hori- Mesopotamian civilization between 3500 and zontal lintel. This is a static system of architectural 3000  b.c.e. The height of Sumerian culture construction, subject only to the forces of gravity. was around 2800–2700  b.c.e. At that time, spotliGht beer The beer that people drink today is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting grains and usually includes hops. However, the process of making beer was discovered nearly 8,000 years ago, around 6000 b.c.e. in Sumeria. The Sumerians made beer out of half- baked crusty loaves of bread, called bappir. They crumbled this bread into water, fermented it, and then filtered the liquid through a basket. Surviving records indicate that about half of each grain harvest was used for the production of beer, including kassi, a black beer; kassag, fine black beer; and kassagsaan, the finest premium beer. # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 4 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 4ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:32 PM Gilgamesh, Sumer’s most famous king, ruled Uruk, an important city-state. Each Sumerian city-state had its own local ruler and god. The king served as an intermediary between the local god and the people. The city’s buildings were clustered around the god’s temple. Under the leadership of King Sargon I, who A ruled c. 2332–2279 b.c.e., and his grandson n c and successor, Naram-Sin, the Akkadian people i e conquered Sumer. The heads of the Sumerian n t city-states became slaves to the king of Akkad; c i he became a god to them. v i l i z Art A t i o Sumerian temples were built on raised stepped n platforms made of brick known as ziggurats, as s: that at Ur [El Muqeiyar], Iraq (fig. 1-5) View the image on myartslab.com Pr e Viewt hthee iimmaaggee oonn myartslab.com, which was h i constructed c. 2500–2050 b.c.e. Because little s t stone was available, the ziggurat is constructed o r of sunbaked mud brick. The walls are battered, y t or sloping inward towards the walls, making them o e stronger than vertical walls, because they are self- g y buttressing. The walls are constructed with small, P t regularly placed weeper holes, through which wa- ter that collected in the masonry ran out. The 1-6 Standing Man, c. 2600 b.c.e., from Tell 5 ziggurat of Ur demonstrates the use of specific ori- Asmar, white gypsum with limestone and shell entation in architecture because the corners point insets, height c. 11¾" (29.8 cm). Metropolitan C north, south, east, and west. The lower levels were Museum of Art, NY ha p originally covered with dirt and planted with trees, t e creating the effect of a mountain with a temple on himself placed in the shrines—about twenty stat- r 1 top, a practice explained by the Sumerian belief ues remain, all small in scale. Gudea may sit or that gods lived on mountaintops, bringing them stand, but his pose does not bend, twist, or sug- closer to heaven. gest movement. He is always serene and force- Sumerian stone statues, as that seen in ful, his hands firmly clasped, the tension of the fig. 1-6, are readily recognizable: all are small in arms revealed by the carefully rendered muscles. size, with large eyes, a continuous eyebrow, and The conventionalized face, typical of Sumerian a facial expression of astonishment. Most Sume- sculpture, has huge eyes and a single eyebrow. rian figures are religious or commemorative in Although well-preserved examples of purpose. While some may represent gods, others Sumerian painting do not survive, related is a may represent worshipers, for it appears that Su- double-sided commemorative panel (fig.  1-8), merians might have a statue do their worshiping from Ur, dated c. 2700–2600 b.c.e. The figures for them, in their place, as a sort of stone stand- are made of shell or mother-of-pearl, inlaid in in. An inscription on one such statue translates, bitumen, with the background formed from pieces “It offers prayers,” while another inscription says, of lapis-lazuli and bits of red limestone. Scenes “Statue say unto my king (god). . . .” of war are portrayed, with events arranged in Known by name is Gudea (fig. 1-7) View theh iomrizaogntea l orno wms.y Oarnt sthlae bto.cpo rmow, the king—taller Viewth et heim imagaeg eo onn myartslab.com, ruler of than anyone else, his head breaking through the Lagash (Telloh) in Sumer. Gudea had statues of border—steps out of his chariot to inspect the # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 5 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 5ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:32 PM The king, again largest, and his officers sit in chairs and drink. On the two lower rows, booty taken in battle, includ- ing animals, is paraded t before them. P y An important ex- g e ample of art from Akkad, o t located north of Sumer y in the Valley of the Tigris r to River, is the Victory Stele s i 1-8 Double-sided panel, c. 2700–2600 b.c.e., from Ur, shell or mother-of- of Naram-Sin (fig.  1-9), h e pearl, bitumen, lapis-lazuli, red limestone, c. 8 × 19" (20.3 × 48.3 cm). c. 2300–2200 b.c.e. A stele r British Museum, London P is a vertical slab of stone s: that serves as a marker; this stele is 6½ feet high n o and glorifies King Naram-Sin, shown in triumph. i At He is depicted as larger than anyone else, above z i everyone else, and wearing the horned crown l vi of the gods. The setting consists of mountains, i c trees, and starlike emblems of Naram-Sin’s pro- t n tecting gods. e i c n Religion A Like most early religions, Sumerian religion fo- 6 cused on seasonal fertility and was p olytheistic, having many gods and goddesses. These divini- 1 ties possessed human forms and personalities. r e Though they were anthropomorphic, they were t p a immortal. The four chief gods were Anu, the h C heaven god; Ninhursag, the mother goddess; Enlil, the god of air; and Enki, the god of water. Literature Gilgamesh The oldest major literary work in the world is the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates c. 1900–1600 b.c.e. Legends about G ilgamesh were told but not recorded until hundreds of 1-9 Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, years after his death. The Gilgamesh stories were c. 2300–2200 b.c.e., limestone, height 6' 6" (1.98 m). Musée du Louvre, Paris written down by the Akkadians, a people who spoke a language related to both Hebrew and captives. On the two lower rows are soldiers wear- Arabic. The earliest version of the epic was not ing metal helmets, cloaks, and fleece kilts, and rid- discovered until the seventh century b.c.e., when ing in four-wheeled chariots. On the other side of it was found in the library of the Assyrian king the panel, the victory feast is shown on the top row. Ashurbanipal (669–627 b.c.e.). View the Closer Look for the Stele of Naram-Sin on myartslab.com # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 6 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 6ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:32 PM spotliGht the First poet: enheduanna The earliest known poet was from Mesopotamia and wrote in the Sumerian language. Her name was Enheduanna, and she was the daughter of the Akkadian king Sargon. Her best- known poems are hymns to gods and goddesses, most notably to Inanna, the Sumerian A n goddess of love. c i e n t c The Epic of Gilgamesh includes elements of folklore, legend, iv i and myth. The work is compiled of what were at first separate l i z stories. Some were about Gilgamesh. Others concerned Enkidu, a A t primeval human figure; Utnapishtim, an early version of the biblical io n Noah; and a number of other figures. The epic describes the positive s : influences that Gilgamesh and Enkidu have on one another, their P r developing friendship, and their heroic adventures. An additional e h section concerning Gilgamesh in the underworld forms a kind of i s t epilogue. o r Gilgamesh’s adventures raise a number of questions, including: y t o 1. What is the relationship between humans and their gods? e 2. How are human beings linked with the world of nature? g y 3. What are the obligations of friendship, family, and public duty? P t 4. How should humans deal with their mortality? enheduanna’s Hymn to Inanna 7 Gilgamesh and the Bible: Two Flood Stories Lady of all powers, In whom light appears, There are strong parallels between Sumerian mythology and Radiant one C h the stories in the biblical book of Genesis. For instance, an Beloved of Heaven and Earth, ap Tiara-crowned t episode in the Epic of Gilgamesh describes a huge flood that Priestess of the Highest God, er inundated Mesopotamia around 2900 b.c.e. This is similar to My Lady, you are the guardian 1 the story of Noah and the flood in Genesis. Of all greatness. Critical Thinking How might you account for the fact that two stories of great floods appear in the literary and religious writings of two different civiliza- tions and cultures? The Oldest Love Poem In the Istanbul Museum of the Ancient Orient, there is a 4,000-year- old cuneiform tablet that contains a Sumerian love poem. Part of it translates: “Bridegroom dear to my heart, goodly is your beauty, hon- eysweet. You have captivated me, let me stand trembling before you; Bridegroom, I would be taken to the bedchamber.” This may very well be the oldest written expression of sexual desire. Read the Epic of Gilgamesh on myartslab.com # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 7 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 7ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:32 PM Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians The Akkadian kingdom lasted less than 200 years. For the next 300 years, until about 1900 b.c.e., Mesopotamia was in a state of constant conflict. In 1792 b.c.e., Hammurabi [hamoo-RAH-bee], the first great king of Babylon, united the city-states of Akkad and Sumer under his rule. One of Hammurabi’s great accomplishments was to t P create a code of laws, which is the earliest known written body of laws. y g The 282 laws are arranged in six chapters: e o t 1. personal property ry 2. land o 3. trade t s i 4. family h e 5. mistreatment r P 6. labor, including wages : s n A stele was inscribed with the Law Code of H ammurabi o some laws from the Code Ati of hammurabi (fig.  1-10), c. 1760 b.c.e. Both a legal document and a work z of art, the relief at the top shows enthroned Shamash, the i If anyone brings an accusation of any crime l sun god who controlled plant life and weather, dispelled i before the elders, and does not prove what v i he has charged, he shall, if a capital offense evil spirits of disease, and personified righteousness and c t is charged, be put to death. justice—appropriate for a law code. Hammurabi appears to n If a builder builds a house for someone, and e does not construct it properly, and the house converse with Shamash, from whom he receives the laws. i nc which he built falls in and kills its owner, Babylon fell to the Kassite people about 1550 b.c.e. A the builder shall be put to death. After a short period, the Assyrian culture began around If a son strikes his father, his hands shall be hewn off. the middle of the second millennium b.c.e. The Assyrians 8 If a man takes a woman as a wife, but has no inter- achieved significant power around 900 b.c.e. Their rule course with her, this woman is no wife to him. lasted until 612 b.c.e., when Nebuchadneszzar II [ney- 1 If a man strikes a free-born woman so that r she loses her unborn child, he shall pay ten book-ad-NEZ-zahr], r. 604–562 b.c.e., defeated them. In his e t shekels for her loss. reign the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the p a If a man puts out the eye of an equal, his eye Seven Wonders of the World, was created. h shall be put out. C If a man knocks the teeth out of another man, In 539 b.c.e., the king of Persia, Cyrus II (r. 559– his own teeth will be knocked out. 530 b.c.e.), took over Babylon. The Persians had risen to power by the sixth century b.c.e. By 480 b.c.e., their empire extended from the Indus River in the east to the Danube in the north. Perhaps the most lasting innovation made by Persian culture was in religion. The prophet Zoroaster, or Zarathustra (c. 600 b.c.e.), developed a dualistic religion, or one that is based on two opposing ideas. In dualistic religion, two forces, light and darkness, good and evil, contended for supremacy. Some ideas from the Zoroastrian religion influenced Christianity later in the writings of St. Augustine. Art Between the ninth and seventh centuries b.c.e., stone guardians (fig.  1-11), placed at gateways, were an Assyrian style. These com- posite creatures combine the body of a lion, wings of a bird, and head of a man. Further, they are a curious combination of relief and sculpture in the round. When viewed from the front, two front legs are visible. Seen from the side, four legs are visible and the creature # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 8 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 8ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:32 PM A n c i e n t c i v i l i z A t i o n s : P r e h i s t o r y t o e g y P t 1-11 Human-headed Winged Lion, 883–859 b.c.e., Neo-Assyrian period, reign of Ashurnasirpal II, from 9 palace, Nimrud, gypsum alabaster, height 10' 3½" (3.14 m). Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY C h a p t the Sack of the City of Hamanu by Ashurbanipal e r 1-10 Stele with Law Code of Hammurabi, (fig. 1-12) from his palace at Nineveh (Kuyunjik) 1 c. 1760 b.c.e., basalt, height c. 7' (2.13 m). was carved c. 650 b.c.e. The Assyrians were Musée du Louvre, Paris the first to attempt large-scale narrative reliefs depicting specific events. The story is clearly appears to be walking. But, to make this monster told: buildings burn; soldiers tear down buildings appear correct both from the front and the side, with pick axes; and pieces of the buildings fall the sculptor has generously endowed him with through the air. Soldiers carry contraband down five legs! A great quantity of stylized, carefully the hill. incised ornament encrusts the surface; the love Persian art is found in a large geographical of surface pattern seen here is typically Assyrian. area, a portion of which is known today as Iran— Other than gateway guardians, Assyrian yet the art continues to be referred to as Persian. sculpture consists mostly of carved stone reliefs The huge Palace at Persepolis was decorated set into the walls of the buildings. The instabil- with stone reliefs, including that depicting Tribute ity of life in ancient Assyria is reflected in the Bearers Bringing Offerings, carved c. 490 b.c.e. emphasis on military subjects in art, which are Twenty-three different nations of the empire are historical documents of actual events, often ar- represented by people of various racial types ranged chronologically. The limestone relief of wearing their local costumes. The groups of Read the Code of Hammurabi on myartslab.com # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 9 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 9ook Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:33 PM Narmer is depicted wear- ing the crown of Upper Egypt on one side and of Lower Egypt on the other. After unification, Egyptian history is divided into thirty t dynasties. Life was usually P y secure in ancient Egypt. g e The fertility of the Nile o t River valley contributed to y a permanent agricultural r o society. The surrounding t s i deserts made invasion h e difficult. The king, later r P called “pharaoh,” was the s: absolute ruler and was n o considered divine. A class i At of priests and government z i bureaucrats adminis- l vi tered the country. Stability i c was ensured by a highly t n centralized organizational e i structure. A sense of order c 1-12 Sack of the City of Hamanu by Ashurbanipal, c. 650 b.c.e., n and continuity pervaded A stone relief, from the palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh. British Museum, London Egypt for thousands of years. 10 Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms figures are divided by cedar trees, the ancient 1 er tree of life. Remaining traces of pigment indi- The Old Kingdom (c. 2686–c. 2181 b.c.e.) was pt cate that the reliefs were once brightly colored. a time of political turmoil and social instability in a h The ancient Persian preference was for precise Egypt. C technical execution, pattern, and symmetry. The After the collapse of the Old Kingdom, a Palace of Persepolis was burned in 330 b.c. period of political and social turmoil followed. by Alexander the Great (356–323 b.c.e.), who For more than 150 years, no dynasty could defeated Persia. reunite the country as Narmer had a thousand years earlier. In about 2040 b.c.e., Mentuhotep II, eGypt from Thebes, subdued Upper and Lower Egypt, inaugurating the Middle Kingdom. The country Background prospered during this period, as much authority Ancient Egyptian civilization developed slowly was delegated to regional governors. from about 5000 b.c.e. to approximately Following the collapse of the Middle King- 3100 b.c.e. without a central government. Egypt dom, another period of instability occurred. In was divided into an Upper Egypt and a Lower 1674 b.c.e., a Mediterranean tribe, the Hyksos, Egypt, which were united by King Narmer around invaded northern Egypt with bronze weapons 3100 b.c.e. This historical event is documented on and horse-drawn chariots. For over 200 years, the Palette of Narmer (fig. 1-13), carved of slate, Egypt was again divided, with order reestablished c. 3100 b.c.e. On the front, Narmer and his in 1552 b.c.e. It is believed that through contact troops examine the decapitated enemy dead. On with the Hyksos, Egypt entered the Bronze Age. the back, Narmer is about to strike an enemy. The New Kingdom that resulted was the most # 109449 Cust: Pearson Education / NJ / HSSL Au: Benton Pg. No. 10 C / M / Y / K S4DcESIGaN SrERVlICiESS OlF e TMi0t1le_:B BENenT1t6o2n1/_D01i_YSaEn_nCiH H01a.innddd b 1o0ok Server: Short / Normal Publish0in7g/1 S1e/r1v2ic e s12:33 PM