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3000 BCE
Chariots
Chariots engineered by Mesopotamians became useful in warfare in the third millennium BCE. The Hyksos later introduce chariots and horses to Egypt in the Bronze age. -
3000 BCE
Cuneiform
Mesopotamians invented the first writing style, cuneiform. The original purpose of cuneiform was for record keeping but its usage evolved to other forms of literature over time. -
Period: 2340 BCE to 2200 BCE
The First Empire
Sargon the Great united almost all Mesopotamian cities under his rule, creating the first genuine empire. Sargon of Akkad claimed to represent the interests of the people but used the empire to bring wealth and resources to Akkad, which made the citizens resentful. This resentment became the reason for this empire's collapse. -
Period: 2330 BCE to 2210 BCE
The First Standing Army
During his empire, Sargon created the first ever standing army. A standing army is a group of soldiers who are employed and their only job is to be a soldier. -
1780 BCE
Hammurabi's Code
The Babylonian king Hammurabi created a set of laws known as Hammurabi's Code. These laws focused on fairness and made city officials responsible for the apprehension of criminals. -
Period: 1700 BCE to 1100 BCE
The Hittites
The Hittite Empire, established in Anatolia, would adopt the religions, customs, and technologies of the people they interacted with or conquered. They adopted other gods into their pantheon, passed on the technologies they learned, and gathered and translated the stories of others into their language. There is evidence the Hittites formed an important link between Mesopotamian and Mediterranean civilizations, especially the Greeks. -
1300 BCE
The Phoenician Syllabic Alphabet
The Phoenicians developed a syllabic alphabet that was built off the Canaanites and later became the basis of Greek and Roman writing. This alphabet was not complex and could be learned more easily than symbolic writing systems. This meant that there was no need to a scribal class since more people could become literate. Most European languages used in the present are descendants of the Phoenician alphabet. -
Period: 880 BCE to 609 BCE
The Assyrian Empire
The Assyrian Empire was the mightiest empire that the Middle East had seen so far. They ruled with the use of terror and brutality. They were the most effective military force up to that point and appear to be the first to manufacture iron weapons in large amounts. The Assyrians invented ways to communicate across their empire, the first permanent cavalry, and a standing army of trained infantry. They adopted the use of horse archery which replaced the use of chariots. -
660 BCE
King Asshurbanipal's Library
Assyrian king, Asshurbanipal, ordered for all texts in his kingdom and conquered lands to be collected and then put into a massive library. The texts from this library that survived became important sources of information for scholars. -
650 BCE
Staters
Staters were the first true coins. The Lydians created staters by stamping marks on silver and gold clumps. The usage of currency made it far easier for merchants to travel farther to buy goods since they no longer needed a lot of goods to trade. Currency made ancient empires and kingdoms stronger by making tax collecting more efficient.