Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome
Egypt: 3000 BC
Greece: 1200 BC
Rome: 750 BC
It is said to be a civilization that began around the 19th century, and there is a gap of more than 2,000 years between Egypt and Rome, and when we say "ancient Rome", it is generally said that it lasted for about 2,000 years. It is said to have started around 4,000 years ago in the 5th century. This will show the range that spans the history of the current year.
Of course, in the 5th century AD, you probably already knew that there were many civilizations around the world.
The modern image of "Ancient Greece" dates back to around the 5th century BC (the period when the conflict with the Persian Empire began), but we will focus on civilizations before the 10th century BC, more than 500 years ago. In addition to Egypt and Greece, there are many other countries.
Speaking of the well-known ancient civilizations before the 10th century B.C., the four ancient civilizations (Egypt, the Indus River, Mesopotamia, and China) that have been taught in Japanese textbooks for a long time are famous. However, many other civilizations have been confirmed.
Well, let's start with the famous place: it goes without saying that Egypt and China do not need explanation.
Mesopotamian civilization (present-day Iraq, Middle East, 3500 BC)
Civilizations that originated in the fertile farmlands near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia include the Sumerian civilization (3500-3000 BC), which produced the world's oldest legal code, and the Babylonian Empire (1900-540 BC), which later unified Mesopotamia.
(Sumerian Civilization Mural)
(Code of Hammurabi)
Indus River Civilization (present-day India, 3300 BC)
In addition, the vast Indus Valley civilization distributed in present-day India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan developed near the Indus River, and urbanization began in 3300 BC, and more than 1,000 large and small cities were discovered by archaeology around 1300 BC.
So let's briefly introduce some other lesser-known ancient civilizations:
Kerma Civilization (present-day Sudan of East Africa) 2500BC
A civilization that developed from the upper (southern) reaches of the Nile in Egypt. It appeared around 2500 BC and is also known as the Nubian civilization. It developed its own culture and excavated huge royal tombs and royal palaces.
It reached its peak around 1575 BC and was comparable in size and military power to the Kingdom of Egypt, and is recorded in Egyptian literature as having joined forces with the Kingdom of Hyksos in an invasion of Egypt.
However, around 1300, it was conquered by the Kingdom of Egypt and the country perished. Although there was a cultural exchange with Egypt and was influenced by it, its own culture continued, and Egypt was plagued by repeated rebellions.
Ancient Kingdom of Ponte (present-day Somalia/Ethiopia, Horn of Africa, 2500 BCE)
Although no obvious remains have been found, Egypt, as a trading partner of Egyptian civilization, clearly records the existence of that civilization. Egypt has been a foreign trading partner across the Red Sea since around the 26th century BC, exporting gold, resin, spices, ivory, etc. from Ponte to Egypt, which Egyptian texts describe as a rich land of the gods. Description.
It is confirmed that trade continued until 980 BC, but then stopped, for reasons that are unknown. The exact location of the Ponte State is shrouded in mystery and is still disputed to this day, but its existence has never been doubted
Noku Civilization (Nigeria/West Africa, 1500 BC)
Excavations around 1989 revealed the existence of a vast agricultural society that had flourished since the 16th century BC, with the oldest known remains concentrated in the Chad wetlands. Although it is believed that the architecture was mainly made of wood, many clay figurines have been found, and research into their cultural forms is ongoing.
They established an agrarian society based on the cultivation of pearl millet and developed a unique culture. It prospered for about 2,000 years, but it has been confirmed that it mysteriously disappeared around 500 AD, and the reason for this is still unknown.
Mayan civilization (present-day southern Mexico, Nicaragua, and Central America, 2000 BC)
Archaeology confirms that agriculture began around 2500 BC and that settlements larger than villages appeared, but from around 2000 BC a civilization known as the "Stone Civilization", in which complex architecture and society can be seen, developed into
It developed into a sprawling state known as the Mayan Empire, which still retains large pyramids and palaces to this day.
It was destroyed by Spain in the 17th century.
Northern Chico Civilization (present-day Peru, South America, 3500 BC)
One of the oldest civilizations in the Americas, this is a unique ancient civilization that developed in an area close to the desert. It is one of the oldest civilizations that developed the technology of drawing water artificially from areas where large amounts of snowmelt flowed and using it for agricultural purposes. With the development of agriculture, huge stone palaces and other structures were excavated. Yes.
This civilization is considered to be the first to use corn as a staple food for almost all civilizations in the Americas. It is also the oldest civilization and cultivated cotton for agricultural purposes and to make clothing.
With the development of agricultural water extraction technology, more suitable land for agriculture in the north was also developed, but ironically, this technology became obsolete around the 12th century BC.
Olmec Civilization (present-day eastern Mexico, Central America, 1400 BC)
An advanced ancient civilization that developed rapidly from 1400 BC to around 1200 BC developed in the central area of the present-day city of Veracruz. Huge royal tombs, huge stone thrones more than 3 meters high, the construction of pyramids, various jade-polished artifacts, and many ruins have also been excavated (previously considered the oldest civilization in the Americas). Now confirmed).
Around 400 to 350 BC, the population decreased dramatically and civilization collapsed, but there are several theories about the reasons for this, and it is not clear why. A small number of people continue to live there, and their culture and language have been passed down to modern times.
As an ancient advanced civilization, for the Inca Empire and the Mayan Empire after the Americas, just like the "Roman Empire" in Europe, it was treated and inherited as an ancient advanced civilization.
Minoan civilization (present-day Crete, Mediterranean, 3000 BC)
The oldest highly ancient civilization in Europe, the maritime civilization that flourished from around the 30th century BC to the 12th century BC. It prospered for its excellent shipbuilding technology and trade, and had a great cultural impact on countries such as ancient Greece.
It traded with Egypt, Greece, present-day Italy, and North Africa, and was an unrivaled maritime power in the Mediterranean. It was a huge four-story palace filled with various artifacts from all over the Mediterranean.
However, the popular theory is that a massive volcanic eruption occurred around 1600 BC, leading to the decline of the civilization. One theory is that it is a model for the legend of Atlantis.
Well, if you dig deeper,
Chaldean civilization
Persian civilization/empire
Kingdom of Hyksos
Hittite kingdom
Kingdom of Israel
Various civilizations in ancient China (e.g., ancient Shu civilization)
I'm sure there are quite a few civilizations I've forgotten, but I'm tired of writing, so I'll stop here (laughs).
However, I hope you understand from this alone that it is far from possible that ancient times were limited to Egypt, Rome, and Greece.
This was true even before the tenth century BC. If we look back at the golden age of Greek civilization, such as the 5th and 4th centuries BC, we enter an era in which a large number of civilizations existed around the world. Especially during the period of great expansion of the Roman Republic (3rd century BC)...
In ancient times, there were many civilizations and countries. It's just that schools generally don't teach it.