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Ancient Civilizations

Timeline

• c. 3500 BC: Rise of Sumerian city-states, earliest urban civilization

• c. 3200 BC: Invention of cuneiform writing

• 1792–1750 BC: Reign of Hammurabi, Code of Hammurabi issued

• 900–612 BC: Neo-Assyrian Empire at its height

• 539 BC: Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, decline of Mesopotamia

Legacy

• Cuneiform writing — the world’s earliest writing system

• Code of Hammurabi — foundation of law and social order

• Astronomy and mathematics — calendars, measurement, and celestial observation

Inspiration
The wisdom of Mesopotamia reminds us that social order and norms are the foundation upon which civilizations are built and sustained.

Timeline

• c. 3100 BC: Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt

• 2686–2181 BC: Old Kingdom, pyramids constructed

• 1550–1070 BC: New Kingdom, Egypt at its height

• 332 BC: Conquest by Alexander the Great

• 30 BC: Egypt annexed by Rome, end of Ancient Egyptian civilization

Legacy

• Pyramids — pursuit of eternity

• Hieroglyphs — language of images and symbols

• Book of the Dead — religious thought on the afterlife

Inspiration
Ancient Egypt teaches us that human beings have always sought the meaning of life and death, and longed to connect with eternity.

Timeline

• 2000–1500 BCE: Vedic period, emergence of the Vedas

• 800–500 BCE: Rise of Upanishadic philosophy

• 6th century BCE: Birth of the Buddha and the Buddhist path

• 3rd century BCE: Emperor Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty promotes Buddhism, edicts inscribed on pillars

• 4th–6th century CE: Gupta dynasty, peak of classical Indian civilization

• After 7th century: Decline of Buddhism in India, though its influence continued abroad

Legacy

• Vedas and Upanishads — exploration of the cosmos, self, and life’s origins

• Six Schools of Philosophy — systematic traditions of Indian thought

• The Buddha and Buddhism — originating in India, Buddhism spread across Asia; while it declined in India, it flourished in China and East Asia, becoming a major part of their civilizations

Inspiration

Ancient India reminds us that the quest for wisdom, enlightenment, and the ultimate reality of life is an enduring direction of the human spirit.