PREFACE INTRODUCTION： Why Study Cultural History? A HUMANITIES PRIMER： How to Understand the Arts 1 PREHISTORY AND NEAR EASTERN CIVILIZATIONS PREHISTORY AND EARLY CULTURES Paleolithic Period Neolithic Period Technology in Early Cultures Stone Age Technology Bronze Age Technology Iron Age Technology THE CIVILIZATIONS OF THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVER VALLEY： MESOPOTAMIA The Sumerian， Akkadian， and Babylonian Kingdoms The Cradle of Civilization Writing Religion ENCOUNTER The Phoenicians and the Alphabet Literature Law SLICE OF LIFE “A Sumerian Father Lectures His Son” Anonymous， from clay tablets Science， Mathematics， and Medicine Art and Architecture THE CIVILIZATION OF THE NILE RIVER VALLEY： EGYPT Continuity and Change over Three Thousand Years A Quest for Eternal Cultural Values Religion Writing and Literature Science and Medicine SLICE OF LIFE Life's Instruction Book for Egyptians Anonymous， from A Papyrus Text Architecture ~ Sculpture， Painting， and Minor Arts HEIRS TO THE MESOPOTAMIAN AND EGYPTIAN EMPIRES The Hittites The Assyrians The Medes The Persians THE LEGACY OF EARLY NEAR EASTERN CIVILIZATIONS KEY CULTURAL TERMS SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING 2 AEGEAN CIVILIZATIONS The Minoans， the Mycenaeans， and the Greeks of the Archaic Age PRELUDE： MINOAN CIVILIZATION， 3000-1100 B.C.E. BEGINNINGS： MYCENAEAN CWILIZATION， 1900-1100 KC.E. Technology in Minoan Crete and Mycenae INTERLUDE： THE DARK AGES， 1100-800 B.C.E. THE ARCHAIC AGE， 800-479 B.C.E. Political， Economic， and Social Structures The Greek PolLs： Sparta and Athens Technology in Archaic Greece The Persian Wars THE EMERGENCE OF GREEK GENIUS： THE MASTERY OF FORM Religion Literature Epic Poetry Lyric Poetry ENCOUNTER Near Eastern Art and Greek Pottery Philosophy， Science， and Medicine Natural Philosophy SLICE OF LIFE The Worlds of Women and Men in Ancient Greece Sappho， “He Seems to Be a God” and Alcaeus， “Longing for Home” Medicine Architecture Sculpture THE LEGACY OF ARCHAIC GREEK CWILIZATION ……