THE AgeOld is a period of history extending from the creation of writing, between 4000-3500 BC. C., until the disaggregation of the Roman Empire, in 476 d. Ç. During this period, the great civilizations of Antiquity and the forms developed by the human being in them are studied.
Accessalso: High Middle Ages: main events and characteristics
Periodization of history
In the study of history, we can see that it was divided into parts created as a methodological proposal to facilitate the understanding and study of the discipline. These cuts of historical time were established by historians of the nineteenth century and were a consequence of the transformation of history into teaching in the eighteenth century.
This division resulted in the creation of five periods: Prehistory,AgeOld, Middle Ages, AgeModern and Agecontemporary, in which we are inserted. This periodization takes into account the events of European history and the civilizations of Eastern antiquity.
As it facilitates the “handling” of human history, it ended up becoming a guiding element in the study of history in Brazil. We should only pay attention to one thing: this periodization
cannot be interpreted by us as something in plaster, because it only indicates important events that led to ruptures that, in the long run, generated transformations.understanding the ancient age
Once we understand the periodization of history, we can focus on the period of the Ancient Age. This period is also known as Antique and, chronologically, it extended from 4000-3500 a. Ç. until 476 d. Ç. The events that marked its beginning and end were the development of cuneiform writing, that happened between 4000-3500 a. C., and the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire, in 476 d. Ç.
When we talk about Ancient Age, the focus of the contents is usually on the study of civilizationsold, highlighting the civilizationsoriental and the civilizationsclassics. In addition, studying Asian civilizations, such as those that developed in the India and on China; and the pre-columbian civilizations, many of which had already developed in this time frame.
Therefore, from that period, the main facts and events of the main civilizations are studied. Thus, we know a little about the origins of each one of them, their political and social organization, their religion and their ways of survival. In this text, we will see a summary of these aspects.
Ancient Egypt
The Egyptians formed a civilization in the northeast of the african continent, where Egypt (the modern country) is currently located. This civilization developed in a desert region that drew its sustenance from the fertilized lands on the banks of the Nilo river. The starting point of Egyptian history happened with the unification of the names, the small communities that appeared in that region.
Over time, the nomes formed two great kingdoms that became known as HighEgypt and LowEgypt. The emergence of these two kingdoms took place around 3500 BC. a., and, from 3200 a. C., they were unified under the leadership of Menes, O first pharaoh of Egyptian history.
The Egyptians formed a civilization ruled by a monarchytheocratic, in which Pharaoh was seen as a divine incarnation. From this civilization, the pyramids, constructions developed as tombs, and the mummification technique, responsible for preserving the bodies of the Egyptians for millennia. To learn more about this resilient civilization, read: Ancient Egypt.
Mesopotamia
Many historians consider Mesopotamia as one of the cradles of human civilization, since the first forms of community housing appeared there. Mesopotamia is not the name of a civilization or a people, but of a regionthat was inhabited by different peoples.
The term Mesopotamia arose from a Greek expression that means “land between rivers”, because its people inhabited a fertile region that was located between theriversTiger and Euphrates. Among the peoples who inhabited Mesopotamia, stand out Sumerians, Akkadians, Amorites, assyrians and Chaldeans.
In Mesopotamia appeared the first form of writing of mankind, the writingcuneiform, developed by the Sumerians. In addition, one of the first known criminal codes was created in this civilization: the CodeinHammurabi, created by Hammurabi, king of the First Babylonian Empire. If you want to delve into the history of writing pioneers, read: Mesopotamia.
Ancient Greece
You greeks, among classical civilizations, were the ones that most bequeathed contributions to humanity in areas such as story, math, philosophy, art etc. The period of formation of the Greek people was marked by the arrival of different peoples in the region of Greece, such as the aeolian, Ionians and dorians.
Greece was not organized as an empire with delimited borders, therefore, when we talk about Ancient Greece, we are referring to a region where they existed cities that shared a common culture. The two main Greek cities were Athens, where democracy emerged, and Sparta, which was based on an aristocratic model.
Accessalso: Democracy in Athens – what it was, training context, public policies
Ancient Rome
The Romans are also considered to be part of the classical civilizations, as they were heavily influenced by Greek culture. they formed one of the greatest and most powerful civilizations of antiquity, and the small rural community in the Lazio region of central Italy became a city with millions of inhabitants and was the center of a huge empire.
Roman history is divided into three periods: monarchical, republican and imperial, and in each the form of government was different. Rome had a stratified society and that had in patricians and commoners its large social groups, the first being the aristocratic class.
the roman civilization entered decay from the third century d. Ç., by a series of factors that include political corruption, economic crisis, difficulties in land administration, barbarian invasions, emergence of Christianity, among others. At the end of the fourth century d. a., the Roman lands were divided into Western Roman Empire and EmpireRomanofeast.
The western portion continued to decay and its territories were invaded by different germanic peopleswho settled in them and formed their kingdoms. The Western Roman Empire ended when the last king of Rome, Romulus Augustus, was dethroned in 476 d. a., by Odoacro, king of the hérulos.
other civilizations
Of course, other civilizations developed and prospered during the Ancient Ages. The four previous ones are understood as the most prominent, but there are others that we can mention, they are:
Persians
Hebrews
Celts
Phoenicians
Hittites
Minoans
Mycenaeans
Macedonians
Carthaginians
Canaanites
