Ancient Near East

Quick Facts: Who was Ancient Near East?

Subject:

Ancient Near East

Known for:

The cradle of civilization, encompassing Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Levant.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The ancient Near East was home to many cradles of civilization, spanning Ancient Mesopotamia, the ancient Levant, ancient Egypt, ancient Elam, ancient Anatolia or Asia Minor, the ancient South Caucasus and Armenian highlands, and ancient Northern Arabia (including Dilmun). It is generally not considered to include Pre-Islamic Arabia as a whole, the ancient Berbers, or ancient Nubia, though it is sometimes classified as encompassing ancient Iran, ancient Cyprus, Ancient Carthage, and the Aegean civilization. Due to their subject matter and scope, ancient Near East studies and Near Eastern archaeology, including the subfields of Assyriology, [[Hattology]], [[Sumerology]] and Egyptology, are among the most prominent research fields in ancient history. Other fields include Classics, Classical archaeology, biblical studies, biblical archaeology, Jewish studies, Christian studies, Iranology, Sinology, and Indology, some of which overlap with them. Historically, the Near East denoted an area roughly encompassing central West Asia and Egypt, having been focused on the lands between Greece in the west, Iran in the east, the Caucasus in the north, and Arabia in the south.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

It therefore largely corresponds with the central core area of the modern-day geopolitical concept of the Middle East. It was strongly influential on Christianity, the later Islamic world and civilization, which conquered and absorbed its remannts with the exception of indigenous non Arabized Jews, Assyrians, Mandaeans, Syriac Arameans and Armenians, all of who directly descend from it, and moderately so on the later Western world and civilization via the Aegean civilization, the Orientalizing period, the Greco-Persian wars, the Hellenistic period, the Roman and Eastern Roman empires, and Christianity, while being distinct from yet to some degree culturally related and ancestral to them. The history of the ancient Near East opens with Sumer's rise in the 4th millennium BC and spans the Bronze Age and Iron Age; its terminus is debated, variously set at the Achaemenid Empire's founding in the 6th century BC, the Macedonian Empire's founding in the 4th century BC, or the early Muslim conquests' onset in the 7th century AD. It was within the ancient Near East that humans first practiced intensive year-round agriculture, which led to the rise of the earliest dense urban settlements and the development of many now-familiar institutions of civilization, such as social stratification, centralized government and empires, and organized religion (see: ancient Near Eastern religions) and organized warfare. It also produced the first writing system, the first alphabet (i.e., abjad), the first currency, the first legal codes, and the invention of the wheel, advances that founded astronomy and mathematics.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

During this period, the region's previously stateless societies largely transitioned to building states, many of which gradually came to annex the territories of their neighbouring civilizations. This process continued until the entire ancient Near East was enveloped by militaristic empires that had emerged from their own lands to conquer and absorb a variety of cultures under the rule of a top-level government. The phrase "ancient Near East" denotes the 19th-century distinction between the Near and Far East as global regions of interest to the British Empire. The distinction began during the Crimean War. The last major exclusive partition of the east between these two terms was current in diplomacy in the late 19th century, with the Hamidian massacres of the Armenians and Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire in 1894–1896 and the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1894: 1894 Milestone — The last major exclusive partition of the east between these two terms was current in diplomacy in the late 19th century, with the Hamidian massacres of the Armenians and Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire in 1894–1896 and the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894–1895.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Ancient Near East

True or False: “The term 'ancient Near East' was established as a primary diplomatic designation before the 19th century.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The phrase 'ancient Near East' is noted to be a distinction developed in the 19th century, particularly during the Crimean War.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Adolphe Sax — Historical peer (Died in 1894) (1894): Belgian inventor who created the saxophone and revolutionized wind instruments.
• Albert Facey — Historical peer (Born in 1894) (1894): Australian writer and World War I veteran, best known for 'A Fortunate Life'.
• A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada — Historical peer (Born in 1896) (1896): Pioneering global spread of Krishna consciousness teachings and the Hare Krishna mantra.
• Alfonso Caso — Historical peer (Born in 1896) (1896): Pioneering Mexican archaeologist renowned for pre-Columbian studies.
• Abd El-Razzak El-Sanhuri — Historical peer (Born in 1895) (1895): Pioneering Egyptian jurist, celebrated for authoring the revised Civil Code of 1948.
• Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah — Historical peer (Born in 1895) (1895): Founder of modern Kuwait, he oversaw its transition to an independent state.

Frequently Asked Questions about Ancient Near East