Literature, Art, and Architecture from Prehistory to 600 BCE

"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.

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 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 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 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.

The Epic of Gilgamesh was written in cuneiform, a writing system developed in ancient Mesopotamia. Scribes used a triangle-shaped wedge on wet clay. The clay was fired in a kiln, allowing it to last for thousands of years if undisturbed. Russian, Chinese, Greek, and Latin are all old languages, but none of them are from Mesopotamia, and therefore they were not written using cuneiform script.

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.

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.

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.

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.