Which civilization was the most ancient? What ancient civilizations do you know? What were the achievements of the Sumerian civilization

Where the first ancient civilizations arose, what they were called, what they achieved, what lay at their basis - all these questions have been facing historians and scientists for many hundreds of years. Also the subject of dispute remains which civilization is considered the first.

Top first civilizations on the planet

It is still not known for certain which civilization can be called the very first. Since not all the facts of our history are fully known, scientists argue about which of the most ancient civilizations can be classified as the first.

There are the same debates about the first civilizations as about the chicken and the egg. Using the facts known to date, scientists have compiled a list or top civilizations of the planet that were among the first to form. Let's look at some of them below.

Aboriginal civilization of Australia

Some scientists consider the aborigines to be the most ancient civilization, who developed separately on the Australian continent. This way of life could not but affect their traditions, life and culture.

Perhaps the first civilization was the Australian Aborigines. It is known that the Aborigine tribes consisted of one hundred to one hundred and fifty people, interconnected by a very complex system of kinship. In every tribe everyone was equal. For many years, the Aboriginal civilization was considered primitive. In reality, their culture is quite rich, but completely incomprehensible to us, and therefore poorly studied. This unique culture is in decline today due to the invasion of Australia by the British. Their cultural heritage, most likely, it will not be possible to return it.

Atlantis

The civilization we call Atlantis was mentioned by Plato as existing about nine thousand years ago near the Strait of Gibraltar. Supposedly, Atlantis sank due to devastating earthquake.

ABOUT ancient Atlantis heated debates are underway Scientists and historians continue to debate whether Atlantis was the very first and most ancient civilization, and whether it existed.

Lemuria (Mu)

There is a hypothesis about the existence of a civilization called Lemuria. Scientists suggest that it originated about eighty thousand years ago on the vast continent of Lemuria.

The Legacy of Ancient Lemuria Having existed for approximately fifty thousand years, this oldest of civilizations was destroyed by an earthquake. It is believed that the peoples of Lemuria mastered the construction of large stone buildings that could withstand earthquakes. Construction technology is the most significant achievement of the Lemurians. It is quite difficult to say when the Slavic civilization began, since there are many conflicting opinions and versions. The Slavic civilization was called Hyperborea. It existed for quite a long period of time. The decline of Hyperborea began after a change in the axis of rotation of our planet. Due to subsequent climate changes, the Slavic civilization was forced to move to more fertile lands.

Pre-Slavic civilization Hyperborea The departure of the Slavs to new lands was the impetus for the spread Slavic culture. Due to the redistribution of the population, the foundation of a number of new civilizations became possible. The civilization society of the ancient Slavs was built on the principle of national unity. The role of the head of society was performed by representatives of the spiritual authorities who were members of the Council of Elders. The Slavs were not a closed people; they conducted active trade with foreigners and received ambassadors from other states. The mystery of the origin of life was considered by them the most sacred of secrets. They did not reveal this knowledge to anyone. The secret of the origin of life was guarded by special priests - the Guardians of the Family.

Traces of the ancient Slavs are found almost throughout Europe. The ancient Slavs were pagans who deified the forces of nature. Their main gods are Perun, Veles, Yarilo and God Rot. General ideas The Slavs did not know about gods, since they were never united in their beliefs. It is believed that the Slavic civilization reached its peak in the period from the seventh to the beginning of the ninth century. On high level There were weaving, blacksmithing, weapons, jewelry and pottery crafts. The Slavs also had pre-Christian writing, where some letters were Greek, while others resembled Germanic runes.

The very first civilization on Earth

The Sumerians can be considered the first people, according to historians, to reach the level of civilization. They lived around the fourth century BC. Sumerian civilization is classified as an urban type, since it consisted of several independent city-states. The most significant of them are Lugash, Ur, Eridu, Uruk, Umma, Akkad, Nippur and Sippar. All these cities were located in the Mesopotamia region.

The very first civilization in the world are the ancient Slavs. It is known that the Sumerians had knowledge about the structure of the solar system, knew ternary counting, and had ideas about the origin of intelligent life. Due to constant wars between city-states, the Sumerian culture weakened significantly. Around 2000 BC, this ancient civilization fell into decline. According to the ancients, the first civilization arose somewhere in the Far North, but found itself buried by endless arctic ice. The Egyptians, the Chinese, the Indians, and the Eskimos had similar ideas. Adherents of secret knowledge claim that North Pole, which is now covered with ice, was once the cradle of humanity, a kind of idyllic Eden. The first human civilizations became the harbinger of the emergence of the first religions.

The question of the most ancient civilization on planet Earth still remains open.

Atlantis

There are many hypotheses about Atlantis - a sunken continent that was first mentioned in dialogues (Timaeus, Critias - 359-347 BC). , supposedly existed nine thousand years ago in the area of ​​​​the Strait of Gibraltar and sank as a result of a devastating earthquake. Describing the way of life of the Atlanteans, Plato showed the high level of civilization on this continent. In 2004, Dr. Rainer Kuehn (Germany), in satellite photographs of southwestern Spain, noticed fragments of buildings described in Plato’s dialogues, and suggested that Atlantis should be looked for there. But despite the lively discussions caused by numerous versions about the existence of Atlantis as the most ancient civilization, scientific research has not yet confirmed any of them. Lemuria In the mid-nineteenth century, another assumption appeared about the oldest civilization on earth. This continent is called Lemuria or Mu and is supposedly located in the south Pacific Ocean, and then some natural disaster destroyed the ancient continent. Only the small rocky islands of the Pacific Ocean remind us of it: Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii, Easter Island, etc. Hypotheses about the existence of Lemuria-Mu also do not yet have scientific evidence.

Sunken City

Another mysterious hypothesis about an ancient civilization arose in 2001, when the ruins of a huge city were found at the bottom of the Gulf of Cambay in western India. Research has shown that the city is four thousand years older than the most ancient Indian civilization. The study of this find has not yet been completed.

Sumerian civilization

The existence in the distant past of the Sumerian civilization, which is considered to be the oldest on Earth, is officially confirmed; it is about six thousand years old. Sumer was located on the swampy banks of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia, in the south of modern Iraq. Scientists began to talk about the high level of Sumerian civilization after they deciphered the cuneiform texts of a unique people. These texts date back to the period from the 29th-28th centuries to the 3rd-1st BC. The Sumerian language is unlike any other language in human history. But scientists still managed to read the Sumerian writings. The information encrypted in these texts shocked the researchers. It turned out that the Sumerians had such knowledge that it is impossible to assume from ancient peoples. They knew mathematics, chemistry, physics, astronomy, medicine and were the first on earth to master writing. They considered themselves descendants of the inhabitants of the planet Nibiru, which was located between Mars and Jupiter, which passes through solar system once every 3600 years. The Sumerians who lived in the south were strong, short people with round, shaved heads. This is how they depicted themselves in statues discovered during excavations of Sumerian settlements. The Akkidians, steppe nomads, settled in northern Mesopotamia. They, unlike the Sumerians, were tall, slender people with long black hair and beards, and long faces. They were called "blackheads". The most famous cities Sumerians: Lagos and Ummu. It was there that archaeologists found the most valuable writings telling about the life of the Sumerians, their idea of ​​the structure of the world, their art, religion and the level of development of sciences. It is also known that the city-states had their own rulers - patesi (now this word is read “ensi”). First the patesi of Lagashi was a ruler named Eannatum (mid-3rd millennium BC), who conquered Umma and expanded his domain, and then (twenty-fifth century BC) Lugalanda, then Urukagina, and even later (twenty-second century BC) Gudea. Gudea is known from an inscription on an ensi statue found by archaeologists, which tells how Gudea built a temple dedicated to the god Ningirsu. Archaeologists have found the ruins of this temple - palace. The interior decoration, doors, columns are made of precious wood with copper and bronze decorations. In the temple courtyard there was a swimming pool and a platform made of stone slabs, lined with palm trees.

Aborigines of Australia

Some researchers have reason to believe that one of the most ancient civilizations were the aborigines of Australia, whose descendants still live on this continent. People lived in tribes where there were not even leaders, everyone was equal. Men hunted kangaroos, and women collected fruits and edible plants. This civilization had no writing, temples, or palaces.

According to scientists, civilization is a stage of a social system, characterized by the development of agriculture and crafts, the existence of cities, social classes, writing, as well as the progressive and rational thinking of the population. The history of mankind dates back thousands of years, and during this period of time more than one highly developed and powerful civilization was born and died. What were the most ancient civilizations on Earth, how did they develop, what did they achieve and how did they influence modern world, you can find out from this article.

Sumer

The Sumerian civilization arose at the turn of 4 - 3 thousand BC. e. in the area between the Middle Eastern rivers Tigris and Euphrates. Here the Sumerians built several fortified cities, the economy of which was based on the cultivation of fertile lands irrigated by a network of irrigation canals.

Each Sumerian city was a separate independent state, with its own ruler and patron deity. 50-60 thousand people could live in them. A kind of capital was the city of Nippur, in which the sanctuary of Enlil, the main god of the Sumerian religion, was located.

Already in those distant times, the Sumerians:

• built high stone walls and monumental buildings;
• mined and used copper;
• were familiar with the wheel and used it;
• had advanced knowledge in the field of astronomy;
• kept a historical chronicle.

But their main achievement is considered to be the invention of cuneiform - the earliest form of writing, the oldest example of which is a clay tablet, approximately dating back to 3.5 thousand BC. e. And, although the Sumerian civilization ceased to exist in the 24th century BC, conquered by the Babylonian kingdom, the memory of it was preserved in the circle of the zodiac, known to this day, as well as the division of the day into hours, minutes and seconds, and the year into seasons and months.

Ancient Egypt is the name of the historical region and cultural ancient civilization that spread along the banks of the Nile in its lower part. Its history goes back 40 centuries. The development of civilization was ensured by annual river floods, leaving fertile silt on the soil, and a system of irrigation canals. They made it possible to grow grain crops in abundance on these lands, which made it possible to provide food not only for their own population, but also to establish trade with the Mediterranean countries.

Besides agriculture, Egypt's fame was ensured by the advanced construction technologies at that time. They made it possible to organize the collective construction of huge structures that have survived centuries and become symbols of modern Egypt:

• pyramids and Sphinx;
• temple and palace complexes with monumental statues and colorful wall paintings.

Other achievements of the ancient Egyptians included an original writing system, achievements in mathematics, astronomy and practical medicine. The unique and mysterious culture of Egypt attracted people in ancient times, and it is still popular today.

The Indus or Harappan civilization existed on Earth in the 33-13th century BC. It developed in the Indus River valley and had the largest area of ​​all then existing civilizations with a population of approximately 5 million people.

The fertility of the soil, plant diversity and natural moisture of the area contributed to the development of the main occupation of the Harrapans - agriculture. They lived in fortified cities, which were distinguished by proper planning, the presence of water supply and sewerage.

Already at that time the ancient Indians:

• used copper and bronze tools and weapons;
• knew how to make persistent mineral and vegetable dyes, aromatic substances and poisons;
• made glass and artificial precious stones.

The most important achievements of the Harrapan civilization were the invention of one of the most convenient and widespread number systems - decimal - and the beginning of the recording of the Vedas - the most ancient known collection of sacred texts.

Chinese civilization has a long and interesting story, and its peculiarity is that it developed separately from other centers of ancient civilizations. The territory of this country has always been densely populated, and there were many warring kingdoms replacing each other.

But the history of the most powerful Chinese state began in the 3rd century BC. e., when the ruler of the kingdom of Qin united the 7 strongest kingdoms into a single empire and carried out radical reforms that affected all spheres of society. This time was marked by the development of agriculture and crafts, the creation of great philosophical, romantic, historical and religious works.

In subsequent centuries, China was still ruled by many local and alien dynasties, and periods of imperial power were more than once followed by periods of decline. However, the country always emerged from each crisis with dignity, managing to preserve its national identity and increase its cultural wealth.

Ancient China, like no other ancient civilization, gave the world many technologies and inventions that we still use today:

• silk;
• porcelain;
• paper;
• powder;
• typography,

as well as dozens of other equally important inventions, without which the modern world would not have become what it is now.

This ancient country occupied a narrow strip of land on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, delimited from the rest of the land by the Lebanese Mountains. The very first settlements appeared on it approximately 3 thousand years BC. e.

Within a few centuries, cities stood in their place - Ugarid and Arvad in the northern part, Tire and Sidon in the southern, Byblos in the center. They were fortified with powerful walls and built with 2-story adobe or brick houses. Local residents did the following:

• kept sheep and cows;
• they grew grapes, olives and dates;
• they traded olive oil, wine and wood from the famous Lebanese cedars, cypresses and oaks;
• they made purple dye and dyed fabrics with it, which was popular among the nobility of all neighboring states.

The Phoenicians gave the world an alphabet, which became the ancestor of many modern alphabetic systems, as well as some other writing systems.

Modern humanity owes a lot to this ancient civilization, located in the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula and on the islands of the Aegean Sea. Little Ancient Greece, during its heyday, stood out even among the powerful powers of its time - Egypt, Babylonia and Persia - and, above all, not for its conquests, but cultural influence on contemporaries.

It was here that the fundamental concepts of philosophy, politics, social order, medicine, sports, literature, art and education arose precisely in the meaning as they are commonly understood today. Any area contemporary arts(theater, architecture, painting, music, literature) or science, one way or another, experienced the influence of this enlightened state.

Ancient Greece in view modern man inextricably linked with:

• majestic marble temples and statues;
• fascinating mythology;
• theater;
• original frescoes and ceramics;
• Olympic Games.

All this does Ancient Greece one of the most interesting and attractive ancient civilizations that ever existed on Earth. The progenitor of arts and science, she still attracts the attention of those who are passionate about the history of mankind.

The list of the world's most ancient civilizations would not be complete without the majestic ancient Rome. This is one of the largest empires in the entire history of the world, reaching the peak of its power in the 2nd century AD. e. and leaving a memorable mark in all the lands where her victorious legions were able to visit. These are stone fortifications and roads, aqueducts and bridges spanning local rivers. The construction of all these structures became possible after the Romans invented concrete and the arch as the main architectural detail.

There is something to see in the Eternal City itself. These are the famous ones:

• The Colosseum and circuses where gladiator fights took place;
• The Roman Forum, once the center public life cities;
• The Pantheon, distinguished by the largest dome that ancient buildings had;
• The Palatine is the most famous and largest hill of Rome, where its history began;
• the huge baths of Caracalla and Diocletian and much more.

Heritage Ancient Rome is well known - this is Roman law and Latin, as well as Christianity, which originated on the territory of the Roman Empire.

This is the most ancient civilization that arose on the South American continent. Its formation began in the 20th century BC. e., but it reached its greatest development in the classical period, which lasted from the 3rd to the 10th century AD. e. The heyday of Mayan culture did not last long - by the time the Spanish conquerors arrived, it was in complete decline.

On the territory of the Mayan Empire there were about 1 thousand populous cities with luxurious stone palaces, wide squares, and huge stepped pyramid temples. The cities were connected by a network of well-maintained paved roads with road stations and inns, some of which still exist today.

The most famous Mayan cities:

• Chichen Itza;
• Palenque;
• Tikal;
• Uxmal;
• Copan;
• Quirigua.

The ancient Mayans were excellent mathematicians and astronomers, as evidenced by the creation of the famous solar calendar. But the main gift that this ancient Indian civilization and those that followed it presented to the world were the plants used by the local population for food (corn, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, capsicum and vegetable peppers), as well as tobacco.

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Millions of people all over globe Just like you and me, they are fascinated by ancient civilizations. The truth is that large number civilizations that existed on Earth in time immemorial had technologies that are incomprehensible even now. Thousands of years ago, ancient cultures held amazing knowledge - from astronomy and biology to chemistry and engineering.

1. Ancient Egyptian civilization

Ancient Egyptian language is considered one of the oldest on Earth. It existed for five thousand years and is considered a long-liver in the great language family. According to researchers, this language can be divided into five stages: Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian, New Egyptian, Demotic and Coptic. The writing system consisted of hieroglyphs and its development can be traced back to 2690 BC.

From a scientific point of view, the ancient Egyptians were ahead of their time: already in 1650 BC. they knew multiplication, division, fractions and prime numbers, linear equations and geometry. They are officially considered the builders of the pyramids. But perhaps the most interesting fact is that they became the first ancient civilization to learn how to measure time. The Egyptians not only invented the calendar, they created a mechanism that kept track of time - water and sundials.

2. Ancient civilization Mayan

Like the ancient Egyptians, the Mayans were also brilliant astronomers and mathematicians. They are credited - although this is very controversial issue- the invention of zero, as well as the amazingly accurate measurement of the length of the solar year.

The ancient Mayans inhabited southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. They were one of the most important and advanced ancient civilizations to ever exist on Earth. Particularly famous are the Mayan manuscripts - the only written system of pre-Columbian North and South America. The earliest records subsequently discovered in San Bartolo (Guatemala) were made in the third century BC.

It is curious that this ancient civilization of Mesoamerica perfectly mastered the technology of making rubber products - and this happened three thousand years before people from the Old World learned what rubber was. When the Spanish conquistadors first set foot on the American continent, they were amazed that they had to deal not with a primitive, but with a highly developed culture.

3. Indus Valley Civilization

It is believed that the ancient Indian civilization is the oldest on the planet. She is 8 thousand years old, which is thousands of years older Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. It is famous for several amazing things, but most of all for its good urban planning. Before constructing cities such as Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, their designers designed each of the many details. According to researchers, at its peak, the Indus Valley Civilization had more than five million inhabitants. The ancient Hindus were among the first to build houses from baked bricks, equipped with extremely complex sewerage and water supply systems.

They achieved incredible accuracy in measuring mass, length and time, being among the first to create a system of uniform weights and measures.

4. Ancient civilization of Karala

One of the most mysterious and advanced civilizations ever to exist in South America. It was located in the coastal regions of modern Peru. According to historians, this civilization invented cuneiform, one of the earliest forms of written communication.

The Caral are one of the most complex ancient civilizations to ever exist on Earth. Thousands of years ago they created pyramids, circular plazas and intricate staircases. Their pyramidal complex covers a whopping 165 acres and is one of the largest on Earth. These pyramids were built at the same time as the ancient Egyptian ones. The main one occupies an area equal to almost four football fields, and its height is 18 meters.

The most important detail to mention when it comes to Carala is the absence of weapons and mutilated bodies at the excavation sites. Not a single sign of war was found there, which allows us to conclude: Caral was a highly developed diplomatic state, the oldest city in the western hemisphere of the planet.

It turns out that this virtually unknown ancient Peruvian civilization developed advanced techniques in agronomy, medicine, engineering and architecture more than 5 thousand years ago.

Their scientific knowledge have led today's researchers to a dead end. Scientists have been unable to unravel many of the mysteries underlying this largest of South American civilizations. This concerns the use of energy, fluid mechanics. The people of Caral were able to channel wind energy, now known as the Venturi effect, through underground ducts and fires to reach high temperatures.

Researchers were curious to discover that the physicians of Caral used willow as an active chemical component to produce aspirin, which was used to relieve headaches. Ancient engineers were brilliant specialists. They mastered civil engineering and applied earthquake engineering, so their buildings survived for five thousand years.

5. Ancient civilization of Tiahuanaco

Thousands of years ago, on the shores of Lake Titicaca in the Andes, an ancient civilization arose, which very quickly became one of the most developed on Earth. Like many other advanced civilizations, it strangely disappeared five hundred years after its existence. Its representatives created such fabulous cities as Tiahuanaco and Puma Punku, and also became the progenitors of another great civilization - the ancient Incas.

According to scientists, Tiahuanaco appeared "suddenly" sometime around 300 AD, and reached its peak between 500 and 900 AD.

The ancient inhabitants of Tiahuanaco developed sophisticated methods of farming and building water canals that are still in use today. Irrigation systems, modern even by today's standards, provided the required amount of water for crops.

Researchers estimate that in the 700s AD, the Tiahuanaco civilization dominated and ruled over a vast area spanning modern-day Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. The population ranged from three hundred thousand to one and a half million people.

The ancient builders of Tiahuanaco created some of the most impressive ancient monuments on the planet, constructing gigantic structures composed of megalithic stones. The most notable structures built by this ancient civilization are Akapana, Puma Punku and Akapana East, Putuni, Keri Kala and Kalasasaya. One of the most famous structures is the Gate of the Sun.

According to archaeologist Arthur Poznanski, the temples of Tiahuanaco were built from polished stone blocks with several rows of small round holes in them. According to Posnanski, these holes were used in the distant past to attach things to them. These round holes are extremely precise and it is hard to believe that an ancient civilization made them without any advanced technology.

I know enough about ancient civilizations - the question has interested me since school. Unfortunately, most of the material taught at school was superficial, so I had to look for information on my own. Since the history of the indigenous peoples of America is of particular interest to me, I will tell you about the most mysterious civilization that inhabited this continent.

Ancient Mayan civilization

The history of this people is characterized by the fact that they were one of the first for their time to determine the direct relationship between celestial objects and crop yield. The priests watched the heavens, accurately predicting the moment when the season favorable for sowing would arrive. In addition, we determined how stars move depending on the specific time of year. Astronomical knowledge was distinguished by the particular complexity of calculations, as a result of which the accuracy length of the year was calculated more accurately than even in the modern calendar. Mayan astronomers determined the time it takes for the Moon to orbit our planet, and this made it possible to accurately predict satellite eclipses. The original calendar of this people, or rather two, is of considerable interest. One counted 265 days, and the second 365.

Such a volume of information, accordingly, required recording for future generations, which led to the emergence of writing and number systems. This people is the only one of all that inhabited America of that era whose writing was much more perfect than ordinary hieroglyphs. However, in the 9th century AD, due to unknown circumstances, these people left their cities. Why? And where did they go? There is still no clear explanation for these questions.

Society structure

A special group of society were servants of the gods - priests, which were divided into castes:

• ideologists;
• astronomers;
• predictors;
• "all-seeing"

Power was inherited, and kings and their ancestors were equated with gods. The basis of society were communities that lived at some distance from the city limits. This need was caused by the peculiarity of land cultivation, in which the plots were changed every 5 years. IN free time community people were engaged in construction or military affairs, which later led to the emergence of a new class - professional warriors supported by communities. The wars waged by these people were short-lived - raids on neighbors and seizure of slaves.