Literature, Art, and Architecture from Prehistory to 600 BCE - AP World History: Modern

The Olmecs were the first civilization in the Americas to invent a writing system, live in densely populated cities, and produce sculptures.

The Aztecs had a writing system, sculpture, and lived in urban centers, but centuries after the Olmecs.

The Mayans had a writing system, created sculptures, and lived in urban centers, but after the Olmecs; in fact, early Mayan civilization was probably heavily influenced by the Olmecs.

The Incans never had a writing system.

The Spanish only entered the Americas in the Middle Ages, long after the Olmecs and Mayans.

While ancient Egypt is famous for hieroglyphs, by the mid-1st dynasty (around 3100 BCE) Egyptian scribes developed a cursive writing system for the sake of time and accuracy.

Hieroglyphs themselves originated as logograms; symbols depicting concepts rather than sounds.

The printing press was not invented until after the ancient Egyptian language was no longer spoken.

The ancient Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphs until the imposition of Arabic as the official language in the 7th century started the decline of the original language.

Egyptian hieroglyphs were fairly standardized across all of Egypt as they were used by rulers to manage the empire.

Of the mentioned works, the Epic of Gilgamesh is considered the oldest surviving one. It was produced in Mesopotamia, most likely under Ur's dynasty. All other works were written much, much later.

The nature of the geopolitical relationship between Southwest Asia and Egypt in prehistory is difficult to determine, but there was undoubtedly much trade and a flow of ideas.

While the indigenous creation of similar technology in two distinct areas and by two distinct peoples without any contact is possible, such as literacy in both Egypt and Mesoamerica, two geographically close areas with little to no natural buffers between them mean that the isolated, yet simultaneous, evolution of similar technology is doubtful, to say the least; the fact that the archaeological record shows this technology originating in south west Asia and being adopted in Egypt.

At this time, there was no large empire that spanned both geographic areas.

Some Egyptians were settlers from south west Asia, but there was undoubtedly a large, indigenous component of the Egyptian population.

If Egypt had been conquered by Mesopotamians, there would be much evidence of such conquest.

"Ziggurats" were stone temple pyramids built by the Sumerians. The Sumerians are one of the earliest known civilizations, they emerged in ancient Mesopotamia more than five thousand years ago.

Writing is believed to have emerged first in ancient Sumer. Writing was invented approximately five thousand years ago, circa 3,300 BCE The earliest writing is called cuneiform. It used pictures and images to represent certain items or quantities. Writing was also invented, around the same time period, in ancient Egypt. But most historians believe this writing was based on the script invented in Sumer.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the earliest surviving piece of literature. It is a poem, from ancient Sumeria, which tells the Sumerian story of creation.

Most historians believe that writing was invented independently in at least three separates places. It was invented first in the Middle East (Mesopotamia) by the Sumerians circa 3,300 BCE It was later independently invented in China circa 1,200 BCE And finally in Mesoamerica circa 600 BCE All other instances of writing emerging in a civilization, like Egypt in 3,150 BCE, are thought to be because of cultural diffusion.

The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the Sumerian story of creation. It was written circa 2,100 BCE It is notable for being the earliest surviving piece of human literature.

Nebuchadnezzar is one of the most famous rulers of the Babylonian Empire. He reigned from 605 - 562 BCE He extended the territory of the Babylonian Empire significantly and conquered and enslaved the Hebrews. He was a ruthless conqueror, but generally allowed conquered civilizations to be assimilated into his empire (the Hebrews being notable exceptions). He also ordered the construction of the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. However, one thing he is not responsible for, is providing Babylon with a unifying legal system. This honor belongs to Hammurabi with his famous Hammurabi’s Code.

The Phoenicians were a seafaring and trading people who emerged in the Near East circa 1,200 BCE The Phoenicians traded all over the Mediterranean and established colonies as far afield as Spain and Italy. They are also known for the innovative alphabet, which they used to manage their vast commercial ventures. This alphabet would spread around the Mediterranean and laid the foundations for the development of later European languages.

The modern European alphabet arose from the alphabet of the ancient Phoenicians who ruled over a vast commercial empire approximately three thousand years ago.

The Babylonian ruler Hammurabi conquered most of Mesopotamia circa 1800 BCE. He then published a noteworthy set of laws and rules known as Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi’s Code is the earliest known uniform set of laws in a human society. It was designed to ensure order and justice in the Babylonian Empire, although it is worth noting it heavily favored elites and men over common people and women.

The Vedas, ancient Hindu holy texts, were originally written in Sanskrit. Sanskrit is one of the oldest surviving languages in the world and was first developed over three thousand years ago.

The most recognized aspect of Olmec culture are monumental heads carved from basalt that have been found at several sites in Mexico. The Mayan civilization created codices made out of birch cloth. The Nazca civilization in South America created the geoglyphs popularly known as the Nazca lines. The Aztec civilization built Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco.

The Shang Dynasty came to power in 1558 BCE and ruled over China until 1050 BCE The Shang Dynasty used oracle bones and practiced ancestor worship. Writing was invented in China during the Shang Dynasty. They expanded the territory of the Chinese state and were skilled metal-workers and innovators (as evidenced by archaeological finds of bronze, jade, and ceramic). They did not, however, build the Great Wall of China. This was undertaken several centuries later by the great Qin Shi Huangdi.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. It is also the only one that's still intact. The Pyramid also stands as an architectural marvel, and was the world's tallest man-made structure for thousands of years.

The Mahabharata is one of the two great epics of ancient India. It is written in Sanskrit and contains, among other things, the Bhagavad Gita. The Mahabharata is influential in the history of Vedism, Hinduism, and the Indian subcontinent in general.

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. It is also the only one that's still intact. The Pyramid also stands as an architectural marvel, and was the world's tallest man-made structure for thousands of years.