How the Ancient Middle Eastern Civilizations Contributed to Western Culture

"How did the ancient Middle Eastern civilizations contribute to the foundations of Western Culture?"

Throughout history, there have been many ancient civilizations from all over the world that have made countless contributions to the societies that have come to follow them. The contributions a society makes can have positive or negative results on the future of the people. If the contributions encompass enough power, they have the possibility to affect the development, social structure, culture and foundation of the future. The civilizations of the ancient Middle East are prime examples of societies that made positive contributions and contributed greatly to the foundations of Western Culture. Ranging from the Sumerians, to the Egyptians, to the Assyrians, and Babylonians these civilizations played a great role in shaping the foundation of the Western Culture we know today.

Western Culture was founded on many different contributions; however one of the most influential contributions was introduced by the Sumerians. The Sumerians are credited for a countless number of contributions including epic advances in technology such as the development of the wheel. Nevertheless, the most important impact the Sumerians had on the foundation of Western Culture was the development of writing. The form of writing practiced by the Sumerians was called cuneiform and was more primitive than the styles of writing that would follow. Despite this, it was still a form of recording financial accounts, and allowed for the documentation of one of the earliest known set of laws (Hammurabi's). Consequently, it became apparent that writing was an essential part of life, and without cuneiform it is uncertain where Western Culture would be today in the terms of written language.

The Egyptians were another society that contributed to the foundation of Western Culture. This society produced many things that helped add to and strengthen the foundation of the West. The lever and the pulley were inventions that brought Egypt to its architectural height, due to its assistance in the building of temples. The construction of buildings in Egypt, led to the development of cities and this would essentially help the founding of Western Culture. Another notable contribution of the Egyptians was the development of paper called papyrus. This contribution led to an advancement in writing, because it was no longer necessary to write in clay, since a less heavy recording source was now available. The writing used to write on papyrus, was similar to cuneiform, except it had more religious and magical affiliations and was called hieroglyphics.

The Phoenicians were another society that contributed to the foundation of Western Culture once again in a form of writing. This society developed an alphabet that was purely phonetic and was available to all. This widespread learning ultimately led the Western Culture to have an advantage over other cultures, whose written language was for the rich only. Another society that was greatly influential in the development of the foundation of the Western Culture was the Philistines. This society of people differs from those previously mentioned, because while the others are known for their contributions of art and technology, the Philistines are known for a reign of violence. .Despite their dark reputation, the Philistines was skilled at metallurgy and introduced iron. This introduction led to more advanced tools, and pottery and led to increased trade.

There were many contributions made to the foundation of Western Culture. Trade, weaponry, and architecture are all very significant, however it is very interesting to note that many societies contributed in the terms of writing. Franz Fanon a French author from the twentieth century said, "I ascribe a basic importance to the phenomenon of language. To speak means to be in a position to use a certain syntax, to grasp the morphology of this or that language, but it means above all to assume a culture, to support the weight of a civilization". This quote puts into words the importance of having a language, whether it is written or spoken. The contributions of the ancient Middle East were many, and yet they all had immense impacts on the foundation of western culture. Ultimately, the greatest way that the ancient Middle East contributed to the foundation of Western Culture, was by their initial introduction of writing and eventually by he developments and improvements they made to the written language.