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Early Civilizations First developed along river banks in warmer regions of the world. The rivers usually had predictable yearly flood patterns that brought a thick, rich mud called silt. Early Civilizations This made agriculture possible and led to the cultivation of stable crops. Stable crop production makes permanent settlement possible, meaning people no longer had to live a nomadic lifestyle. Early Civilizations The first four civilizations to develop: Mesopotamia Egypt Harappa Shang China River Valley Civilizations Early Civilizations What did they have in common: Polytheistic – believe in many gods Yearly flooding Agriculturally based Developed all 8 Characteristics of Civilization Generally had powerful and ruthless rulers Often a strong link between religion and government Life in early civilizations was centered around religion Mesopotamia First known civilization in the world Developed along the banks of 2 rivers: the Tigris and the Euphrates Mesopotamia is known as “The Fertile Crescent” or “The Craddle of Life”. Mesopotamia The word Mesopotamia, means the land between the rivers Mesopotamia is located in modern day Iraq. Mesopotamia Little or no natural protective barriers led cities in Mesopotamia to develop protective walls Limited natural resources forced city-states to trade for their needs Mesopotamia Mesopotamia developed as individual City-States, in which each city operated as an independent country Eventually some city-states grew in power and began to conquer nearby city-states creating Empires Mesopotamia Mesopotamia was the first to develop empires under Sargon of Akkad Rulers begin to pass power down to their heirs, usually father to son. This system is called a Dynasty and resulted in a series of rulers from one family line. Mesopotamia Ziggurat – a multi-tiered temple, often the center of a cities religious, economic, and social life. Mesopotamia King Hammurabi – a harsh but efficient ruler who brought city-states together into an empire under his rule. Famous for creating the Code of Hammurabi, the first written code of laws. Mesopotamia The Code of Hammurabi consisted of 282 very harsh laws…”an eye for an eye.” Laws were inscribed on stone pillars and placed in public places throughout the empire. Mesopotamia - Firsts Empire Dynasty Irrigation Walled Cities Writing System – Cuneiform Literature Wheel Plow Sail Bronze Alphabet – Phoenicians Code of Laws Egypt The Egyptian civilization developed along the banks of the Nile River The civilization in modern day Egypt, is known as the “Jewel of the Nile” Egypt Regular flood cycle allowed for predictable farming patterns Deserts on both sides offered excellent protection Allowed the civilization to develop in isolation Egypt Early in Egypt's development there were two separate kingdoms – The Upper Kingdom, and The Lower Kingdom. King Menes from the Lower Kingdom defeats the Upper Kingdom and unites them into one kingdom Egypt Egypt was ruled by an absolute ruler called the Pharaoh The pharaoh was worshiped as a god He held total and complete power over everything in Egypt Egypt He held total and complete power over everything in Egypt The Pharaoh served both a political and religious role Egypt Pyramids were built as burial sites for the Pharaohs They were mummified to preserve the bodies for the afterlife Egypt The Egyptians used pictograms, or symbols depicting objects, called hieroglyphics as their writing system. Egypt They wrote on strips of dried reeds woven together called papyrus Egypt The discovery of the Rosetta Stone in allowed hieroglyphics to be deciphered Egyptian Firsts Sophisticated engineering Building with stone columns Geometry Calendar Harappa Indus Valley Civilization called Harappa Developed on the banks of the Indus River Located in modern day India and Pakistan Harappa Little is currently known about this recently discovered civilization (1920’s) Thought to have been the largest of the four early river valley civilizations Harappa Cities show evidence of organized city planners (grid system) Sophisticated plumbing and sewer systems Engineering is evident Harappa Peaceful people – little to no evidence of weapons Similarity in housing seems to show little difference between the social classes Religious artifacts show link to Hinduism Harappa The writing system of the Harappan civilization has yet to be deciphered Many questions abut this complex society remain unanswered Harappan Firsts City planners Uniform brick sizes Sophisticated plumbing and sewer systems Other firsts yet to be discovered China The river valley civilization, known as the Shang, developed along the banks of the Yellow River (Huang He) Located in modern day China China Isolated from other civilizations by mountains, deserts, and distance, the Chinese civilization develops in isolation into the most unique of the river valley civilizations China Writing on the worlds first pulp based paper, the Shang Dynasty develops a writing system known as calligraphy China The Chinese use wood as a building material instead of stone or dried mud bricks like other civilizations While not the first, the Chinese were by far the best bronze workers China Shang Culture -Developed the idea of the ‘group’ or community being more important than the ‘individual’ -Emphasis on family or respect of elders -family was emphasized in religion as well – ancestor worship -Oracle bones were used to consult the gods China The Chinese develop the idea of the ‘Mandate of Heaven’, which was the idea that rulers got their authority from the gods This led to the rise and fall of dynasties known as the dynastic cycle Chinese Firsts Paper Building with wood Iron tools and weapons Feudalism Coined money