Download Civilizations in Transition Notes Sheet

Civilizations in Transition
Mesopotamia
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The region between the ______________ and the ______________________ rivers is
known as Mesopotamia.
One of the first villages to emerge was ____________________. The villagers were
called ______________________.
Sumer as a Civilization
_______________ Major traits that were essential for a Civilization.
1. ___________________________________
a. Not just population growth, but also a ___________________________________
emerges for a larger area. Farmers, Merchants, & ___________________ bring
goods to markets in the cities.
2. __________________________________
a. Workers became skilled at one particular job.
b. Ex. __________________: Workers who made goods by hands.
c. Farmers were able to produce more than what was needed for themselves. They
had a ________________ of crops and were able to trade their extra goods for a
different good or service. (An end to _________________________________.)
3. ________________________________
a. Enables people to make records of data. ________________ needed accounts of
debts and payments.
b. The Sumerians created _____________________________, which is a system of
writing with wedge-shaped symbols. (Around 3,000 B.C.)
BREAK!!!!
4. ____________________________________
The Sumerians were skilled in science & ______________________.
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Ex. Invention of the wheel, plow, sailboat.
Use of ______________ (mixture of copper & tin). – “________________________”
5. ____________________________________________
 Having an organizational system to run a city. (This is a ____________ trait that is
essential to a civilization.)
o _____________________________ is an example of a complex institution.
Fertile Crescent
Disadvantages
1. ___________ ProblemsUnpredictability of floods and water
dries up quickly.
2. _______________ Problems-
3. Limited ______________ ResourcesLack of resources to create tools.
(Wood, Stone, Metal)
Sumerian Solutions
1. Sumerians create
_________________________ ditches.
2. Sumerians built city walls with ___________
bricks to discourage raids.
3. Sumerians created an extensive network with
the surrounding people. (Think Commune)
Polytheism- A belief in many gods.
The Sumerians were ________________________. They believed that their gods were
______________________ AND ____________________________.
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Anu - “God of Heaven”
Enlil – “ God of Clouds & Air”
Ea – “God of Water & Floods”
Afterlife: Sumerians believed that their souls went to “_________________________________”
a gloomy place between the earth’s crust and the ancient sea.
Who Ruled Sumer?
____________________ & __________________________
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Priests had power because they “__________________________________________”
and keep the city safe.
Sumerians began by choosing a strong warrior to lead them into battle. These leaders
eventually became kings. Kings became a hereditary position.
Sumer’s Downfall
For 1,000 years (3,000-2,000 B.C.) the city-states of Sumer were at war with one another.
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All the fighting weakened the city-states so much that they could no longer ward off
attacks from outsiders (_________________).
2,000 B.C. Nomadic raiders swept through ___________, leaving it in ruins, thus ending
the last of the great city-states.
Turning Point in History: Hammurabi’s Code
Around 2,000 B.C. a group of nomadic warriors known as the ________________ invaded
Mesopotamia.
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The Amorites established ______________ as their capital city.
Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.) was a powerful and influential king.
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Babylon’s civilization was becoming so complex that there was a need for
______________ _________ to help resolve disputes.
Hammurabi established a collection of laws that became known as
“__________________________________”
Purpose of Hammurabi’s Code
“To cause justice to prevail in the land, to destroy the wicked & evil, and to prevent the strong
from oppressing the weak…to enlighten the land and to further the welfare of the people.”
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There are ________ specific laws.
88 laws deal with marriage, __________________, and property.
MY Team’s Assigned Code is:
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
1. What can we tell about life in Babylonia under the rule of Hammurabi?
2. Opinion: Are these rules fair? Just? Why or why not?
3 Fundamental Principles:
1. Principle of _________________________, to punish crimes. (Eye for an Eye)
2. Principle of __________________________, (Double Standards existed between social
classes)
3. Principle that the ___________________________ had a responsibility for what
occurred in society.
Phoenicians
Around 1100 B.C. the Phoenicians were the most powerful traders around the Mediterranean
Sea.
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______________ cities sprouted up around the Mediterranean Sea.
Carthage = key city
See the switch from _____________ empires to ___________________ empires. (Think
Rome & Greece & Punic Wars)
Phoenician Contribution
Around 900 B.C. the Phoenicians developed a writing system with __________________________________ (versus the 600 symbols in Cuneiform).
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Needed a writing system for record keeping of the trading that was conducted.
The _________________ is born!!
Three Age System
_________________________- “Old vs. New” (Paleolithic vs. Neolithic)
_________________________- trading, bronze tools/weaponry
_________________________- iron tools/weaponry
IMPORTANT: All three ages blend together
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No specific beginning or end
Different civilizations experienced these “Ages” at different times
Iron Age Begins
Shift from the Bronze Age (2800- 1200 B.C.) to the Iron Age (1200-700 B.C.)
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The ____________________ (People living in Asia Minor) gradually learned the
complicated process of smelting iron (this takes place over the 1500 to 1200 B.C.).
_____ _____________________& Iron technology = perfected by Hittite Empire
Why make the change from Bronze to Iron?
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Iron is a _____________ metal. An iron sword could pierce through a bronze shield.
Iron is a more _____________ _______________. Easier for people to obtain=cheaper
too!
The development of Iron paved the way for the “_________________________________.”
Assyrian Empire Rises & Falls (850-612 B.C.)
Iron Age enabled the ________________ to conquer and rule a large empire.
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Iron Swords and Iron Pointed Spears which made for well-equipped _____________.
The Assyrians were known for their military tactics because they were the most
____________________ army to date.
The Assyrians had shown that it was possible to build an empire based on
____________and _______________ government.
Persian Empire (550-350 B.C.)
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The ________________________ was a giant empire that arose in Southwest Asia that
was built upon _______________ and _______________ government. (Unlike the
Assyrians)
In 550 B.C., Persian King Cyrus defeated several neighboring kingdom to mark the
beginning of the Persian Empire.
o In __________________ (550-539 B.C.) Cyrus conquered all of the Fertile
Crescent and most of Asia minor.
o Cyrus believed that when his army marched into a defeated city, that there would
be no _____________ or destroying of any ____________________________.
o Cyrus believed that it was wise to leave local customs and religions alone.
SHORT VIDEO CLIP
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King Cyrus was killed in 530 B.C. and then his son, Cambyses, took over for 8 years.
Cambyses died of a wound suffered by a sword.
Cambyses successor was Darius who governed the fragile empire by using
________________ power.
o Darius used two important tools to hold the empire together.
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Excellent Road System called the “_________________________”
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_____________________________________.—The whole empire had a
universal money system to trade with.
Trade & Migration
Trade is happening ALL OVER
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____________________________, Germany, France, Mediterranean,
_______________, Middle East, China, __________________
Rise of ________________ comes from trade, migration, & conquering other city-states
Leads us into age of Roman & Grecian Empires!!! (but first, a test!)