Photography, rowing and the pursuit of data.....and Renee  

Western civilization starts in the Fertile Crescent with domestic agriculture. The Phaeroic dynasty in Egypt built the Pyramids and invented hieroglyphic writing. The Minoans in Crete developed  monumental architecture, energetic art, and "Linear" script. The Phoenicians in the Levant (Syria & Israel) became the maritime power in the Mediterranean, and the first phonetic alphabet. Judaism, the first monotheist Abrahamic religion also developed in the Levant. In contrast,  "reasoned discourse" developed as Classical Greece philosophy, as opposed to mythology.  The Greek democracy enabled individual expression that was blocked in authoritarian societies. The Achaemenid (Persian) Empire took over the Middle East and introduced regional governors (Satraps) and communications across their empire.   Alexander  the Great led the Macedonian empire to take over the Middle East, ending up as the dynasty of  Ptolemy Pharaohs in Egypt who brought Greek scholarship to Alexandria.  The Abrahamic religions, Christianity and Islam took over Europe and Middle East, with Greek scholarship limited to the Greek speaking Byzantine rump of the Roman Empire. When the Ottomans defeated the Byzantines, a Greek scholar Georgios Plethon went to Florence to teach Greek scholarship. At that time Florence was the center of the Renaissance thanks to sudden access to knowledge from printed books,  a democratic city government  that allowed individual expression,  funding from Cosimo Medichi, and support from less than virtuous popes. The lack of religious rigor of these liberal popes also triggered the Protestant Reformation. The Renaissance produced an explosion of the Arts and Science, with Leonardo Da Vinchi as the pre-eminent figure. ​

Plato they say led the way to today - a brief history of the Middle East

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It all starts with 5 independent civilizations across the globe, domesticated agriculture originated  in the fertile crescent. 

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1500 BC

Fertile crescent develops competing scripts,

Egyptian Pyramids & Abu Simbel, hyrogylphics,

Assyrian cuniceform in BM (Iraq), Hanging Gardens in BM, Ishtar Gate

Minoan c. 3100 – 1450 with Mycenae - c. 1100 BC.  Minoans known for its monumental architecture and energetic art, it is often regarded as the first civilization in Europe. Mycenae represents the first advanced and distinctively Greek civilization in mainland Greece with its palatial states, urban organization, works of art, and writing system.  Ship Fresco in National Archaeological Museum, Athens

Cannanites (Lebanon/Isreal), - Semitic language  

Towards the end of the Bronze Age that forms of Proto-Sinaitic script split into the Proto-Canaanite alphabet (c. 1400 BC), the undeciphered Byblos syllabary, and the Ancient South Arabian script (c. 1200 BC). Proto-Canaanite, which was probably influenced by the Byblos syllabary, in turn inspired the Ugaritic alphabet (c. 1300 BC).[62]. The Phoenician alphabet (c. 1050 BC), which was ultimately adapted into the Greek alphabet, is another direct descendant of Proto-Sinaitic.

Phoenicians (Levant) 1200–800  BC - a maritime civilization that included Carthage (Tunisia). Naval services to Assyrian and Acmaeid empires.  trireme sea power. They developed a  "Phonetic alphabet", simplifying writing by using isolated symbols for sounds, ideal for typesetting, evolves into Arabic / Hebrew / Greek / Latin (modern) language & alphabet, 

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Canaanites  were an ancient Semitic-speaking civilization, precursers  of Phonecian, Hebrew and Arabic.   Monotheist religions based on the founding prophet Abraham and described in Genesis of the Hebrew Bible, became established in the Hebrew speaking community probably while exiled in Babylon.  The Epic of Gilgamesh at the British Museum  dating to around 650 BC.—again, a copy of an earlier (fragmentary) story c 2200 BC The Epic of Gilgamesh discusses the Sumerian version of the great Flood as described in Genesis.​

Mittani (Syrian),

Hittites

https://timemaps.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/NewMiddleEast_1500BC.jpg

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1. Semitic Languages: Includes Arabic, Hebrew, originating from a common ancestral language.

2. Indo-European Influence: Persian (Farsi) and Kurdish are part of the Indo-Iranian branch, showcasing diverse linguistic heritage. Ancient Greek, and the other European languages have a common root. 

3. Turkic Languages: Turkish and Azerbaijani reflect the influence of Turkic migrations and cultures in the region.

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800 BC

Greek Archaic (settlements in Greece & W Turkey) became a center of intellectual discovery, starting with Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras of Samos 570 – c. 495 BC, democracy that supported individual expression . Greek philosophers sought to explain the universe through reason rather than mythological narratives. Socrates emphasized ethical living and questioned traditional beliefs about the gods. Built Acropolis, Agamemnon mask. What is often referred to as a "scientific revolution" took place in Ionia (western Anatolia, modern-day Turkey) in the 6th century BCE, and, it is thought, most likely because the Ionians were not as firmly anchored in traditions of the past as others in mainland Greece.

Aristotle distinguished about 500 species of birds, mammals, actinopterygians and selachians in History of Animals and Parts of Animals.[46][47][48] Aristotle distinguished animals with blood, Enhaima (the modern zoologist's vertebrates) and animals without blood, Anhaima (invertebrates).​​

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Achaemenid (Persian) Empire 550-330 BC - renowned for setting up the organization of empire with regional "satrapies" or governors for management and taxation, roads and postal service for communication across the empire. Acmaeid (Persian) Empire 550-330 BC - renowned for setting up the organization of empire with regional "satrapies" or governors for management and taxation, roads and postal service for communication across the empire. 

 Underground Cappodocia,  Mausoleum at Halicarnassus 7 wonders in Bodrum Turkey. , Persepolis relics in BM.  Enables the return of the Jews to Isreal. 

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The Acheamenid  “Cyrus Cylinder” 500's BC is the centrepiece of Room 52 in the British Museum. Essentially is a version of what is documented in Ezra 1:1-3, where King Cyrus allows the Jews freedom under his rule to return to their homeland, rebuild the temple, and worship their God.

https://armstronginstitute.org/29-touring-the-bible-at-the-british-museum

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300  BC

Macedonian or Alexander the great, replaces Achaemid, spreading Greek learning, took over the Pharoes, built Luxor, Greek scholarship moves to Alexandria Claudius Ptolomy map in British Library a 13th century reconstruction, diameter of earth, astrolabe, heliocentric world.& Temple of Artemis Ephysus. Archimedes of Syracuse in Sicily c. 287 – c. 212 BC) was an Ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, astronomer,

Petra - Incense & Maritime Silk Road.

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50AD

Roman Empire takes over Europe  Roman UK in BM, Segovia Aqueduct in Spain, amphitheaters everywhere from Amman Jordan  to  Cartegena Spain. then shrinks to Byzantium,   Library of Celos 110 BC- greek scholarship, Celos was a athiest ! & Stadium  Ephysus,

300 AD

Rise of Christianity  the second major Abrahamic religion started in Isreal and was originally documented in  Greek. It spread up through Ephysus to Constantinople . From AD 52–54, the apostle Paul lived for three years in Ephesus.

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Greek scholarship survived in the Greek speaking  Byzantine empire and Orthodox Christian church. Gospel & Church in Ephysus, Churches Cappodocia, exterior Hagia Sophia, The basilica of St. John was built during the reign of emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. Meteora started in the late 11th century and early 1100s, a rudimentary monastic state had formed, called the Skete of Stagoi, and it was centered around the still-standing church of Theotokos (Mother of God).[2] By the end of the 1100s, an ascetic community had flocked to Meteora monastries .

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800 AD

Rise of Islam, the third major Abrahamic religion started in Arabia and spread to Southern Spain by N. African Moors (Mezquita ) Córdoba became the capital of the Emirate and then Caliphate of Córdoba, from which the Umayyad dynasty ruled al-Andalus. It became a centre of education and learning,[7][8] and by the 10th century it had grown to be the second-largest city in Europe.  Also, continued Greek scholarship by  astronomers in Iran and Samarkand  (BM or Istambul AM.   Ottoman empire eventually dominated the Middle East  Istambul Mosque - ​

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1400 AD

Renaissance, catalyzed by the Medichi family in Florence,  rudimentary democracy with leaders selected  by Florentine guild members. hedonisitic Pope Leo X, and the knowledge explosion of printing,  included re-discovery of Greek knowledge from Byzantines as the Ottomans take over. Georgios Gemistos Plethon was born in Constantinople circa 1355/1360 and reintroduced Greek scholarship.  Leonardo

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