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The First Civilizations and Empires I. Before History A.Historians are people who study and write about the human past. Historians usually read and study written documents to get an idea of what went on in the past. B. But, for that period of time before written records (called prehistory) scientists study artifacts and fossils to make theories about early human beings. C. Archaeologists hunt for evidence buried in the ground where settlements might once have been. They dig up and study artifacts weapons, tools, and other things made by humans. They also look for fossils – traces of plants or animals that have been preserved in rock. II. Hunters – Gatherers Paleolithic Age (2,500,000 – 8,000 B.C.) Known as “old stone age” - humans used simple tools, discovered fire. - Paleolithic people were primarily nomads who hunted animals and gathered plants. Nomads – people who moved from place to place in search for food. (cave paintings) III. The Neolithic Revolution (8000-3000 B.C) A. Neolithic (New Stone Age) was a period of time when humans began to shift from hunters/gatherers to systematic agriculture. - Systematic Agriculture means growing food on a regular basis. - Humans also began domestication (raising animals for food and clothing.) B. People began to settle around rivers growing and raising their own food. By 3000 B.C., large numbers of people were concentrated in the river valleys of Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China. IV. Mesopotamia A. Mesopotamia “cradle of civilization” where civilization began. Mesopotamia was located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. This area is known as Iraq, today. Jericho is often considered to be the world’s 1st city. The Ancient Middle East:Mesopotamia V. Creativity of the Sumerians A. The people who established Mesopotamia were called the Sumerians. The Sumerians invented the oldest writing system called cuneiform. Scribes (record-keepers) carved symbols onto wet clay tablets which were later dried. B. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world’s oldest story, written about the life of a Sumerian king. CUNEIFORM Sumerian writing developed around 3100 BC Cuneiform – the use of wedge-like shapes. C. Hammurabi was the king of Babylon. He controlled the Babylonian empire by publishing a set of laws known as the Code of Hammurabi, history’s first known written laws. Babylon was patriarchal, meaning a society dominated by men. VI. Egypt A. Egypt is a country in northern Africa on the Mediterranean Sea. B. Geographic features – Sahara desert and the Nile river. The Nile river is over 4,000 mile long. It is the longest river in the world. C. The Sahara desert is found in western Egypt. It is the largest desert in the world. The Red Sea is located in eastern Egypt with the Mediterranean Sea located north of Egypt. Both of these bodies of water gave Egyptians a way to trade with people outside Egypt. VII. Hieroglyphics A. This was an ancient Egyptian system of writing that used pictures to represent words. Papyrus, a reed plant that grew along the shores of the Nile, was used to form a roll of paper. B. Modern people did not understand hieroglyphics until the Rosetta Stone was discovered in Egypt. Carved into the Rosetta Stone was a message written in hieroglyphics along with a translation in Greek. VIII.Pharaoh A. Egypt was ruled by a dynasty. A dynasty is a family of rulers whose right to rule is passed on within the family (from father to son to grandson). Egypt’s Old Kingdom Section 2 A. The period known as the Old Kingdom occurred in Egypt from 2600 – 2300 B.C. The Egyptian kings, or pharaohs, were thought to be the son of Re (Egyptian sun god). The pharaoh had many servants because it was believed that he was a god on earth. B. The Egyptians worshiped many deities, (another word for gods and goddesses). Polytheism – means worship of many gods. To preserve the pharaoh’s body for the afterlife, the Egyptians developed a process called embalming. As much of the brain as it is possible is extracted through the nostrils with an iron hook, and what the hook cannot reach is dissolved with drugs. Next, the abdomen is slit open . . . and the entire contents are removed. The cavity is then thoroughly cleansed and washed out . . . Then it is filled with pure spices and perfumes. The body is sewn up, and then the body is placed in salt for 70 days, never longer. When this period . . . is ended, the body is washed and then wrapped from the head to the feet in linen which has been cut into strips and smeared on the underside with gum which is commonly used by the Egyptians in the place of glue. Brain hooks, Oil jar, Funnel, Embalmer's knife Canopic Jars Mummified Animals Some have been found in large quantities, while others are rare. Many species were raised in the temples to be sacrificed to the gods. Autopsies on cats show that most had had their necks broken when they were about two years old. Cats were highly valued members of the ancient Egyptian household. Cat Cat Dog C. Pyramids were tombs for the mummified bodies of pharaohs and their families. The largest of all the pyramids (called the Great Pyramid) was built for King Khufu. Standing guard over the pyramids is the Great Sphinx, a rock sculpture with the head of a pharaoh and the body of a lion. D. Egyptian Accomplishments Medicine – treated illnesses, broken bones, wrote the world’s first medical books on scrolls of papyrus. invented 365-day calendar number system based on 10 system of mathematical fractions E. The Egyptians were very successful farmers. Egyptian farmers dug basins, or bowl-shaped holes, in the earth to trap floodwaters from the Nile. The farmers then dug canals to carry water from the basins to fields away from the Nile. F. Besides Re (sun god) the Egyptians had other important gods and goddesses. Hapi – ruled over the Nile river Isis – was the most important goddess who ruled over the dead with her husband Osiris.