Category: Ancient Civilizations

By Tim Lambert The First Native Americans North America is, of course, a diverse continent with many different climates and ecological zones. So Native American lifestyles and cultures were different to suit local conditions. Cultures also varied over time. Native American history is divided into 3 great eras. The first, before 1,000 BC is known… Continue reading A History of The Native Americans

By Tim Lambert The Persian Empire was created by Cyrus II, known as Cyrus the Great (559-529 BC). Cyrus first defeated another Iranian people called the Medes, then in 547 he defeated the kingdom of Lydia (in what is now Turkey) at the battle of Pterya and he became the ruler of most of Asia… Continue reading A History of The Persian Empire

By Tim Lambert Sumerian Society Sumer was the world’s first civilization. It arose about 3,500 BC in what is now Iraq in the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates. A number of city-states grew up, each one ruling an area of the surrounding countryside. About 3,300 BC the Sumerians invented writing on clay tablets.… Continue reading A History of The Sumerians

By Tim Lambert The ancestors of the Vikings traded with the Romans. They exported furs, skins, walrus ivory, and amber. After the fall of Rome, the Scandinavian peoples slowly grew more united. The first towns were formed. Meanwhile, they started using sails. Before the mid-7th century, Scandinavian ships were rowed but once they began using… Continue reading A History of the Vikings

By Tim Lambert The Indus Valley Civilisation The first Indian civilization arose in the Indus valley about 2,600 BC. It actually straddled northwest India and Pakistan. By 6,500 BC the people of the area had begun farming. By 5,500 BC they had invented pottery. By about 2,600 BC a prosperous farming society had grown up.… Continue reading A Short History of Ancient India

By Tim Lambert From about 900 BC seafaring people called the Phoenicians who came from what is now Lebanon traded with what is now Spain. They founded a chain of trading settlements along the coast on islands and peninsulas. The Iberians gave the Phoenicians silver in return for wine and olive oil as well as… Continue reading A Short History of Ancient Spain

By Tim Lambert Buildings in Catal Huyuk Catal Huyuk was one of the world’s first towns. It was built in what is now Turkey about 6,500 BC not long after farming began. Catal Huyuk probably had a population of about 6,000. In Catal Huyuk, the houses were made of mud brick. Houses were built touching… Continue reading Catal Huyuk

Children in Ancient Egypt Most children in Ancient Egypt did not go to school. Instead, boys learned farming or other trades from their fathers. Girls learned sewing, cooking, and other skills from their mothers. Some girls were also taught to read and write. Boys from wealthy families sometimes learned to be scribes. They learned by… Continue reading Children in the Ancient World

By Tim Lambert Food In Ancient Egypt For most people in ancient Egypt, food was plain and dull. The staple food of the Egyptians was bread and beer. The bread was baked outside and because of the desert sand was often blown into the dough. In time eating bread with grains of sand in it… Continue reading Food in the Ancient World

By Tim Lambert Egyptian Games For entertainment the Egyptians loved parties. If a rich person invited you to a feast, singers, musicians, dancers, jugglers, wrestlers, and jesters would entertain you. Musicians played wooden flutes, harps, lutes, drums, and clappers. At a rich person’s banquet, guests were given a cone of perfumed fat to put on… Continue reading Leisure in the Ancient World