Download Ch. 1 Sec. 2 Outline Notes Civilization – complex societies. They

Ch. 1
Sec. 2
Outline Notes
I.
II.
III.
Civilization – complex societies. They have cities, organized governments, art, religion,
class division, and a writing system.
1. Rivers – All early civilizations developed next to rivers, in order to
have fresh water, travel, and trade with other areas.
2. Government - civilizations need laws in order to maintain a safety
for people. Also government provided basic needs and
infrastructure for its people.
3. Religion and Art – because people had less concerns than before
with a government looking after them, people could focus more on
religion and art.
4. Education – people began to develop writing systems and
calendars to help predict certain natural events.
5. Class Structure - people held different places in society depending
on what work they did and how much wealth or power they had.
Mesopotamia – the earliest known civilization; present day Iraq.
A. Tigris and Euphrates River – Mesopotamia was a flat plain with both rivers on
each side.
1. Eastern part of the Fertile Crescent - a curving strip of land that
extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.
B. Climate –
1. Hot, dry climate
2. Floods in the spring, leaving rich soil for farming.
3. Floods were unpredictable
a. Farmers began to build dams and channels to control the
seasonal floods.
b. Irrigation – allowed farmers to provide enough food for a
large and growing population.
C. Sumer - southern Mesopotamia were many cities had formed.
Sumer –
A. Isolated – areas of mudflats and patches of desert cut the Sumerian city states off
from each other.
1. Each city state had its own government
2. Went to war with other Sumerian city states.
3. Built huge walls around each city for protection.
B. Religion –
1. Gods and Rulers – believed in many gods
a. Built temples called ziggurats “mountain of god”
b. The main structure in the city.
c. Only priest and priestesses could enter.
2. Priest and priestesses ruled Sumer early in its history.
C. Lifestyles-
IV.
1. Made homes out of dry mud bricks, because wood was rare.
2. Most were farmers, some were artisans – skilled workers, and
some were merchants.
D. Social Classes –
1. Upper Class – kings, priests, and government officials.
2. Middle Class – artisans, merchants, farmers, and fishers. The
largest group.
3. Lower Class – worked on farms or in temples.
4. Slaves – forced to work for others.
E. Men and Women –
1. Men - headed the households, only males went to school.
2. Women – Could buy and sell property and run businesses.
F. Skills – because so many other civilizations have copied or improved upon
Mesopotamia’s advancement, they are referred to as the “cradle of civilization.”
1. Writing – their greatest invention was writing. It allowed people to
keep records and pass on a history.
a. Cuneiform – the method of writing that involved hundreds
of wedge shaped marks cut into clay tablets.
b. Only a few, mostly boys from wealthy families, learned to
write.
c. Scribe – record keepers.
2. Literature – Epic of Gilgamesh, the world’s oldest known story, a
long poem that tells a story of a hero.
3. Math and Science –
a. Wagon Wheel
b. Sailboat
c. Geometry
d. A system of math based on 60. Ex 60 minutes hour, 360
degree circle, etc.
e. Developed a 12 month calendar based on the cycles of the
moon.
Sargon and Hammurabi – wars between the Sumerian city states led them vulnerable to
attacks from other places.
A. Sargon – king of the Akkadians, conquered all of Mesopotamia.
1. Sargon set up the world’s first empire.
2. The empire lasted for over 200 years.
B. Hammurabi – led a group and built a city called Babylon by the Euphrates River.
1. Began conquering cities to the north and south and created the
Babylonian Empire.
2. He is best known for his laws, known as the Code of Hammurabi.
a. His laws were cruel, but they helped start a system of fair
justice.