5 Major Historical Themes:
- Human And Environment Interaction:
People who lived in these ancient civilizations had a great impact on the environment. An example of this would be Mesopotamia. In southern Mesopotamia, deforestation, soil erosion, and salinization of soil weakened Sumerian city-states, leading to foreign conquest. The rising populations of the ancient societies may have also contributed to the environmental impacts.
- Interaction of Cultures:
Ancient civilizations eventually began to interact with one another. For example, Egypt and Mesopotamia frequently interacted since they were not significantly distant from one another. The exchange of ideas and goods was beneficial for both civilizations. Egypt's agriculture benefited from interaction. Also, Mesopotamia had extensive sea trade with the Indus Valley civilization as early as 2300 B.C.E.
- Innovation:
All ancient civilizations strived for advancement. For example, innovation in art, religion, philosophy and language were key in these societies. In time, Egypt developed an alphabetic script and developed a major iron-working industry. This communication and iron working eventually led to the creation of new armor and weaponry which benefitted this society significantly.
- Power:
Power defined these ancient civilizations. For example, in ancient Egypt, Pharaohs were the most powerful people. They were considered to be a God in human form. They defined the law of the land and access to the afterlife was linked to proximity to the Pharaoh.
- Hierarchies of Gender:
Patriarchy gradually emerged in these ancient civilizations. There are a variety of explanations that may contribute to this. For example, more intensive agriculture with animal-drawn plows and large dairy herds favored male labor over female. Also, men were less important in the household. The association