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The Ancient Near

East: The First

Civilizations

CHAPTER OUTLINE

AND FOCUS QUESTIONS

The First Humans

Q How did the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages differ,

and how did the Neolithic Revolution affect the

lives of men and women?

The Emergence of Civilization

Q What are the characteristics of civilization, and

what are some explanations for why early

civilizations emerged?

Civilization in Mesopotamia

Q How are the chief characteristics of civilization

evident in ancient Mesopotamia?

Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile”

Q What are the basic features of the three major

periods of Egyptian history? What elements of

continuity are there in the three periods?

What are their major differences?

CRITICAL THINKING

Q In what ways were the civilizations of

Mesopotamia and Egypt alike? In what ways

were they different?

CONNECTIONS TO TODAY

Q What lessons can you learn from the decline

and fall of early civilizations, and how do those

lessons apply to today’s civilization?

Excavation of Warka showing the ruins of Uruk

Essam Al-Sudani/AFP/Getty Images

IN 1849, A DARING YOUNGEnglishman made a

hazardous journey into the deserts and swamps of

southern Iraq. Moving south down the banks of

the Euphrates River while braving high winds and

temperatures that reached 120 degrees

Fahrenheit, William Loftus led a small expedition

in search of the roots of civilization. As he said,

“From our childhood we have been led to regard

this place as the cradle of the human race.”

Guided by native Arabs into the southernmost

reaches of Iraq, Loftus and his small group of

explorers were soon overwhelmed by what they

saw. He wrote, “I know of nothing more exciting

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