Download Chapter 2 Egypt Mesopotamia

Chapter 2
First Civilizations:
Africa and Asia
(3200 B.C.–500 B.C.)
River Valley Civilizations
Africa and Asia- where the first major
civilizations take shape.
 These great civilizations
would influence the world
for thousands of years.
 Rivers were the key factor in
development.

Life in a river valley:
Advantages
Disadvantages
River Valley Civilizations
Advantages
 flooding renews soil,
fertile land
 food source
 people & animals can
get water
 regular water supply
 transportation
Disadvantages
 flooding
 costly to build canals
& irrigation
 cooperation with
everyone on river
River Valley Civilizations




Mesopotamia: Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Egypt: Nile River
Indus: Indus River
Shang (China): Huang He River
Early Civilization Exceptions:

Civilizations in the Americas did not rise in
river valleys
Aztecs and Incas emerged
in the highlands of Mexico &
Peru, starting as religious
centers.

Mesopotamia

The Fertile Crescent is the fertile land
between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

The first civilizations of Mesopotamia were
established in about 3200 B.C.

These fertile lands supported the
development of civilizations
Sumerian Civilization
GOVERNMENT

City-states with hereditary rulers

Ruler led army in war and enforced laws

Complex government with scribes to collect
taxes and keep records
SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Each state had a social hierarchy, or
system of ranks
Most people were
peasant farmers


Women had legal rights, traded and owned
property
RELIGION

Polytheistic

Believed gods controlled every aspect of life

Saw afterlife as a grim place

To keep the gods happy, each city built a
ziggurat, or pyramid temple
ADVANCES
Developed cuneiform, believed
to be the earliest form of writing


Developed basic algebra and geometry

Made accurate calendars, essential to a farming
society

Made the first wheeled vehicles
Invaders, Traders, and Empire Builders

Strong rulers united the lands of the Fertile
Crescent into many well-organized empires.

Nomadic warriors invaded the rich cities of the
Fertile Crescent.

Some looted and burned the cities. Others
stayed to rule them.
Babylon
Babylon

Mesopotamia was brought under the
control of King Hammurabi for 43 years.

He united the empire, improved irrigation,
had a well trained army, re-built temples.

Supported religious unity.
The Code of Hammurabi



First attempt by a ruler to codify, or arrange
and set down in writing, all of the laws that
would govern a state, 282 in total.
Criminal law- deals with offenses such as
robbery and murder.
Civil law- deals with business contracts, taxes,
and property inheritance.
Warfare and the Spread of Ideas

Conquerors brought ideas and
technologies to the conquered region

Example- The Hittites conquered
Mesopotamia- brought the skill of
ironworking
Assyria
For 500 years- most feared warriors in
history, warfare was central to their culture
 Eventually captured Babylon
 Developed laws regulating women- had to
be veiled when they appeared in public
 Riches from trade and war paid for the
splendid palaces in the well-planned cities
 First library was founded

Assyria
The Persian Empire

The Persians conquered the largest empire yet
seen, from Asia Minor to India.
Emperor Darius unified the Persian empire.





Divided empire into provinces, each headed by
a governor, called a satrap
Had hundreds of miles of roads built or repaired to
aid communication and encourage unity
Set up common set of weights and measures to
improve trade
Introduced a uniform system of coinage and
encouraged a money economy
Religious ideas of Zoroaster also helped to unite
the empire- similar to ideas of Christianity & Islam
The Phoenicians
The Phoenicians





Small cities- colonies
Polytheistic beliefs
“Carriers of civilization” – they spread Middle
Eastern civilization around the Mediterranean.
Made glass from sand and purple dye from a
tiny sea snail
Invented the alphabet- letters that represent
spoken sounds
The
Egyptian
Empire
I.
Geography of the Ancient Nile
Valley

Farming villages were established along
the Nile River

Annual floods would soak the land and
deposit a layer of silt, or rich soil

To control the Nile they built dams,
reservoirs, and irrigation ditches

Rulers used the Nile to link and unite Upper
and Lower Egypt.

The Nile was a trade route connecting
Egypt to the rest of Africa, the Middle East,
and the Mediterranean.
Old Kingdom
Pharaohs were absolute rulers, considered
gods


Built the pyramids
Power struggles, crop failures, cost of
pyramid building led to decline

Old Kingdom- “Pyramid Builders”
If pyramids were so costly to build, in
resources and lives, why did the Egyptian’s
agree to build them for their Pharaoh?
Pyramids at Giza for- Khufu,
Khafre, Menkare
Middle Kingdom

Corruption & rebellion amongst royal family

Large drainage project created arable farmland

Traded with the Middle East

Often invaded and occupied by foreigners in the
delta region
New Kingdom

Pharaoh encouraged trade and expanded
Egyptian rule

Created a large empire that reached the
Euphrates River
Famous New Kingdom Pharaohs





King Tut
Age 8 becomes Pharaoh, dies at 18
Murder or accidental death?
Hatshepsut
Female Pharaoh
Egyptian Civilization
Class System
PHARAOH
Earthly leader; considered a god
PRIESTS
Served gods
NOBLES
Fought wars & served the pharaoh
MERCHANTS, SCRIBES, AND ARTISANS
Made furniture, jewelry, and fabrics
PEASANT FARMERS AND SLAVES
Worked in the fields and served the pharaoh
Religious Beliefs

Believed that many gods and goddesses ruled the
world and the afterlife:
Amon-Re was the sun god
Osiris was the god of the underworld
and of the Nile

The pharaoh was believed to be a god as well as
a monarch

Believed in eternal life
after death

The Book of the Dead helped them through
the afterworld

Practiced mummification, the preservation
of the body for use in the next life
Learning & Culture




Developed a form of picture writing called
hieroglyphics
Doctors diagnosed and cured illnesses,
performed surgery, and developed medicines still
used today
Developed a 12-month calendar on which modern
calendar is based
Astronomers mapped stars and charted
movement of the planets

Statues, paintings, and writings tell us about
ancient Egyptian values and history.

Wrote prayers to the gods, love poems, stories
of victory in battle, and folk tales.

Built pyramids and other great buildings.
Rosetta Stone
One passage, written in
three different languages

(provided the key to
understanding hieroglyphics)

Hieroglyphics, Ancient Greek,
Egyptian Demotic
The Roots of Judaism

2000 B.C.–Abraham founded the Israelite nation
in Canaan (ancient term for Israel & Lebanon)

Famine forced the Israelite people to migrate to
Egypt, where they were enslaved

Moses led them out of Egypt- returned to Canaan

1000 B.C.–Israelite people united into the
kingdom of Israel, built a capital at Jerusalem

Assyrians and Babylonians conquered the
Israelites and enslaved them

Persians conquered Babylon and freed them
from captivity
Major Beliefs of Judaism

Monotheistic, believing in one true God.
Most other people worshiped many gods.

They believed that they were God’s
“chosen people” and that God would lead
them to the “promised land.”

The laws of the Torah (holy text) address all
aspects of life

God gave them laws-The Ten Commandments

Follow a code of ethics
Examples:
 The rich and powerful must protect the poor and weak.
 All people are equal under God.

Unlike many ancient people, the Jews
believed their leaders were fully human
(not gods themselves) and bound by
God’s law.